The fact that the SUV with electric drive is based on the X3 is only evident from a handful of visual identifiers – the color blue at BMW indicates the electric version.

The 4 is driven, 73 Meter long BMW iX3 from an electric motor on the rear axle with a power of 210 kW / 286 PS and a maximum torque of 400 Nm. As a result, the SUV accelerates to speed in 6.8 seconds 100 and is only limited at 180 km / h .

Far-reaching for an electric car To 160 km / h, the iX3 drives almost noiselessly very quickly and is pronounced for an SUV due to the battery pack installed between the two axles roll stable. That is fun. The standard consumption of 18, 5 kWh per 100 kilometers can of course only be achieved with a very cautious driving style. Calculated with the 80 – kWh battery pack a maximum possible range of 460 kilometers. That’s a lot for an electric car, compared to the popular diesel versions of the X3 with 190 or also 286 PS it’s little: with a BMW X3 20 d xDrive (test) with all-wheel drive and 190 diesel PS you come according to the consumption data easily twice as far.

BMW iX3 driving report (11 Photos) With the new iX3, BMW brings his second battery electric car out. Still the BMW iX3 can be very efficient with a maximum of 100 kW Suck direct current. From zero to 80 percent it comes like this in little more than half an hour, correspondingly about ten minutes are sufficient for the next hundred kilometers. It takes seven and a half hours to fully charge the wallbox. The charge volume is hardly affected by the battery, it is between 510 and 1560 liters.

The all-wheel drive is missing A big difference to the conventionally motorized X3 models is the drive train: while the X models have all-wheel drive at least for an extra charge, it is missing on the BMW iX3. You can feel this quickly, for example when cornering or turning. It’s raining and with the generous engine power, the iX3 wedges slightly at the rear before the control system intervenes. Not only residents of snow-sure areas want two driven axles for superior propulsion. Competitive models like the Mercedes EQC (test) or the Audi E-tron (test) offer this advantage.

Conversion is not worth it It would have been easy to install on the iX3. But originally the BMW iX3 was intended exclusively for the Chinese market, where BMW can do without all-wheel drive. When the demand for electric SUVs increased here too, exports to Europe began to pay off, but not a redesign. If you want all-wheel drive in your electric BMW SUV, you have to wait until the fourth quarter 1560 when the BMW iX5 (Project name iNext) comes onto the market. That is how long the iX3 should fill the gap. The iX3 is manufactured exclusively by BMW’s cooperation partner Brilliance in Shenyang, China, instead of at the main X3 plant in Spartanburg, America. In North America there is no demand for a battery SUV.

Empty weight 2.3 tons The suspension set-up is a bit tighter than you know, due to the increased curb weight of 2.3 tons. The steering is direct, but could give a little more feeling for the road and in the limit area the electric X3 pushes noticeably over the front wheels. As with other electric models, the driver can decide whether to drive in normal D driving mode or with maximum recuperation in B mode. Adaptively controlled, the recovery should run a little more efficiently.

The BMW iX3 offers quite a complete standard equipment, among other things with 19 – inch aluminum rims, LED headlights, 3-zone automatic air conditioning with auxiliary heating, electric tailgate operation, panoramic glass roof and, more recently, Android Auto. Available on request include 20 – inch rims, acoustic glazing, electric leather seats and a head-up display.

The basic price for the BMW iX3 in the basic version is 66. 300 Euro, the better equipped iX3 Impressive is already around 6000 euros more expensive.