The all-new BMW iX3 is extra than simply the model’s newest electrical SUV. It’s the primary manufacturing Neue Klasse mannequin, which suggests it carries the load of being each a design assertion and a expertise showcase. After driving it just a few months in the past and seeing in individual twice now, I discovered lots to love — however 5 options actually stood out to me. They’re not simply intelligent and funky; they genuinely enhance on a regular basis life with the automotive.
1. Panoramic Show: Info Proper The place You Want It
BMW calls it the Panoramic Show, however to me it appears like the proper center floor between a Head-Up Show and the central iDrive display screen. As an alternative of trying down and away from the street, key data is projected throughout the decrease fringe of the windshield.
What I really like is how pure it feels. Inside minutes, I used to be glancing at navigation prompts or driver-assist information with out pondering twice. It nearly made me overlook the Head-Up Show was even there. And the flexibleness is spot-on: in the event you don’t like muddle, you’ll be able to strip it down to simply the fundamentals. Need extra? Add widgets like media or route steerage. It’s a system that adapts to you, not the opposite approach round.
2. Inside Area That Punches Above Its Class
This is among the clearest indicators that the iX3 is constructed on an EV-first platform. With out a transmission tunnel and with an extended wheelbase, the inside feels extremely open. Up entrance, the lateral house and legroom are beneficiant, giving an actual sense of width. Within the again, the shock is how a lot room you get — almost on par with an X5, regardless of the iX3’s smaller footprint.
Headroom is equally spectacular. At 1.9m (6’2”), I nonetheless had about 10 cm above me, which suggests taller passengers gained’t really feel cramped. And BMW didn’t cease there: the rear bench reclines, including one other layer of consolation for lengthy journeys. It’s small particulars like that which make the distinction between “spacious” and “considerate.”
3. The Frunk: Small However Significantly Helpful
Seventeen liters doesn’t sound like a lot on paper, however in apply the iX3’s entrance trunk is genuinely helpful. It’s simply the best dimension for a big backpack, a few grocery luggage, or your charging cables. It additionally offers you flexibility: you’ll be able to hold on a regular basis objects separate from the rear cargo space, or stash one thing you need fast entry to with out digging by means of the trunk. When you begin utilizing it, you notice how useful that additional little bit of storage actually is.
4. Retractable Door Handles: Clear Seems With a Enjoyable Issue
At first, I assumed the retractable door handles could be extra model than substance. However seeing them in motion modified my thoughts. They offer the facet profile of the iX3 a glossy, uninterrupted look that basically matches the Neue Klasse’s clear design. The aero advantages are apparent — much less drag, higher effectivity — however there’s additionally a enjoyable factor. Children particularly will love watching them pop out and in. It’s a type of particulars that makes the automotive really feel futuristic with out being excessive.
5. iDrive X: Quick, Logical, and Stunning
BMW’s iDrive has at all times been forward of the curve, however the brand new iDrive X appears like the primary time it really clicks with how we use tech right this moment. In contrast to the typically laggy launches of iDrive 8.5 and 9, this technique is easy and responsive proper out of the gate.
The structure is a big enchancment. Menus are grouped extra logically, with each vertical and horizontal navigation that feels immediately acquainted in the event you’ve ever used a smartphone. Each icon acts as a shortcut — faucet it, and also you’re straight into the settings web page. It’s like your entire display screen is one large set of shortcuts.
QuickSelect is one other spotlight: you’ll be able to create your personal row of widgets for the features you utilize most frequently. Add within the attractive graphics, and also you get a system that’s not simply highly effective however pleasurable to make use of on daily basis.
The New iX3 is a Large Step Ahead for BMW
The brand new BMW iX3 appears like greater than only a mannequin replace. It’s a imaginative and prescient of the place BMW is headed with the Neue Klasse: smarter tech, higher usability, and considerate design touches that make every day driving simpler.
From the Panoramic Show that makes data simpler to observe, to the roomy cabin and helpful storage touches, to the clear design and improved iDrive X — these are the main points that made the largest impression on me. If the remainder of BMW’s Neue Klasse fashions observe the identical method, on a regular basis driving might begin to really feel very totally different in the easiest way.
