BMW iX3
Rather than create a bespoke electric SUV, Munich has electrified a popular ICE one
TESTED 31.8.21, KENT ON SALE NOW
CAR PICTURED IS UPDATED MODEL WITH M SPORT BODYKIT
TESTER’S NOTE
The regenerative braking is technically impressive, but it caught me out a few times by braking more than I anticipated.
IV
D on’t be fooled by the name: the iX3 has little more in common with the i3 than its maker and two-thirds of its badge.
Whereas the i3 was ahead of its time when it was launched back in 2013, with its carbonfibre construction and futuristic design, the iX3 seems like a bit of a lazy effort.
In the face of the f lood of new bespoke EVs coming from the Volkswagen Group, the Hyundai Motor Group, Tesla and others, the iX3 is rather like a regular X3, shorn of the front driveshafts and with a battery pack in the f loor. In fairness, there’s more to it than that, as the CLAR platform that underpins all of BMW’s mainstream rear-wheel-drive models was conceived to take the whole gamut of powertrain options.