BMW iX3 M Mule Flaunts Drilled Brakes And Wide Rubber

The upcoming BMW iX3 has been caught testing again, and this latest camouflage-clad prototype suggests the electric SUV is edging ever closer to full-strength M territory. From the outset, the BMW iX3 in these images wears blue-painted brake callipers gripping drilled discs, a combination normally reserved for M-enhanced machinery. Wrapped in Michelin performance rubber—21-inch front, 22-inch rear—the development mule also rides lower than earlier test cars, its broader stance hinting at beefier motors and sharper chassis calibration beneath the disguise.

BMW will launch the standard Neue Klasse-based iX3 late next year, but engineers are already validating hotter derivatives. An M60-badged version should arrive first with dual motors and all-wheel drive, followed later by a full M variant thought to employ a tri-motor set-up for hand-of-God torque vectoring. The modular platform can accept up to four drive units and over one megawatt of output, so expect punchy straight-line pace even if Munich stops well short of headline-grabbing four-figure numbers.

Range anxiety looks unlikely; BMW is targeting 800 kilometres on the WLTP cycle for the inaugural 50 xDrive model thanks to next-generation prismatic cells and an 800-volt system that adds roughly 350 kilometres in ten minutes when hooked to a suitably powerful charger. Rear-drive 40 variants will prioritise efficiency, while the M60 and M will sacrifice a little distance in favour of power and traction.

Inside, drivers can look forward to BMW Panoramic Vision projecting key data across the windscreen, haptic feedback switches on a reshaped steering wheel, and Operating System X running on a wide matrix-backlit display. Production starts at the ultra-modern Debrecen plant in Hungary towards the end of 2025, with UK deliveries expected for the 2026 plate change and performance versions arriving in the following model years. Early indicators point to a dynamic yet usable electric SUV that could make even the most ardent petrol-head curious about plugging in.