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Nearly 340 miles at a relentless 70mph. The new BMW iX3 managed 339.7 miles in a highway range test reported by InsideEVs, leaving the Rivian R2 trailing by almost 127 miles. Andrei Nedelea covered the challenge, staged by YouTube channel Out of Spec Testing. A Tesla Model Y L and a Lexus RZ450e joined the fight too. None of them came close.
The rules were simple and strict. Every car started at 100 per cent charge with a warm battery, factory tyre pressures and the climate control running. All four lapped the same stretch of US Route 64 in North Carolina at a GPS-verified 70mph in cool weather. Each run ended once a car could no longer hold that pace. None wore its most range-friendly wheels, and the iX3 rode on optional 21-inch rims.
The BMW simply refused to quit. It still showed 42 per cent charge after 192 miles, hit zero at around 333 miles and kept rolling to 339.7 miles. That is a strong showing against its 399-mile EPA rating on those big wheels. Efficiency settled at around 3 miles per kWh from roughly 112kWh of usable energy. The Rivian, shod with aggressive all-terrain tyres, stopped at about 213 miles.
Efficiency tells a different story. The Tesla Model Y L proved the most frugal of the four, displaying around 3.5 miles per kWh on its way to 286 miles. The Lexus RZ450e sipped energy sensibly too, but its smaller battery ran dry at 189 miles. InsideEVs concluded that the BMW’s sheer battery size, rather than class-leading efficiency, sealed a decisive win. The Rivian also fell well short of an earlier, warmer test on road tyres.
One more trick hides beneath the iX3’s skin. It was the only car in the group built on an 800-volt platform. After the test, it gulped around 122kW from a mobile charger, nearly the unit’s full output, while the Tesla started more slowly. This was no formal charging test, but the signs look promising. Long-legged and quick to refuel, the iX3 has thrown down the gauntlet.
