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The BMW iX3 has joined our long-term fleet, and it arrived wearing two trophies. This first Neue Klasse model took Mid-size Premium SUV of the Year and Premium Electric Car of the Year at our latest awards. After a spell in a humble Dacia, I had begun to wonder whether premium SUVs justified double the outlay. A week with the iX3 started to answer that.
Climb aboard, and the cabin makes its case at once. A long, slim panoramic display stretches beneath the windscreen. It holds a wealth of information yet stays easy to read and adjust. What felt unfamiliar became second nature within minutes. The sat-nav lives within that same display and almost leads you into the road ahead, though it can lag behind your position.
On the move, the 463bhp twin-motor SUV feels rapid and far more agile than its bulk suggests. Yet it also glides, smoothing away potholes with uncanny ease. On a 250-mile round trip it showed more than 350 miles of real-world range, and returned home with over 100 miles to spare. The old worry of a range-sapping motorway slog simply did not surface.
The iX3 has already earned its keep. It served as support car for a Chase the Sun bike ride, covering more than 1,000 miles in a weekend with three bikes on a towbar-mounted rack. Even so, it averaged just over 3.0 miles per kWh for a 326-mile range. Charging peaked at 348kW at a Gridserve point, restoring 20 to 80 per cent quicker than a coffee stop.
There are niggles. Adjusting the vents means diving into a screen, the pop-out door handles are slow to greet you, and the big optional wheels stir up road noise. Voice control also lags behind Google-based rivals. None of it dents the bigger picture. Sharp handling, real range, fine materials and classic BMW polish show why the iX3 sits at the top of its class.
