BMW iX3 2026 Review: Price, Specs, Availability

The little said astir the woeful Alexa assistant, the better, which pipes up erstwhile it's not expected to and often ignores you erstwhile you privation it. It falls implicit astatine thing beyond the simplest requests. I asked it to determination the representation nav from the compartment surface to the Panoramic iDrive display. What it did was alternatively cancel the navigation entirely, without checking it is was OK to bash so, past acceptable a caller destination immoderate 500 miles away. Not helpful. When the strategy gets upgraded to Alexa+ adjacent twelvemonth BMW claims it volition beryllium overmuch improved. We'll see.

Thanks to that Panoramic iDrive, however, BMW has managed to get escaped of the operator display, and truthful has had amusive redesigning the steering instrumentality options for the iX3. One has the spokes astatine 12 and 6, alternatively than either side, specifically due to the fact that this is present imaginable arsenic you don't person to look done the instrumentality to spot immoderate data. To beryllium honest, I'm not definite I similar this look, but I applaud BMW for astatine slightest trying to shingle things up a spot erstwhile the accidental arises.

More Than a Car

BMW president Oliver Zipse has said Neue Klasse “is redefining the BMW brand,” and this gives you much than an denotation of however arrogant the institution is of its caller EV platform, and you tin spot why. The thrust is simply great. The exterior plan is improved, though I'm inactive not keen connected the rear. The computing powerfulness nether the hood has been massively improved, arsenic has the artillery and charging capabilities.

Range is the slayer battleground, of course, and starting astatine 99 percent aft 4.5 hours of driving and 155 miles, I was near with 55 percent complaint and 3.3 mi/kWh efficiency. This means a real-world scope with mean alternatively than cautious driving of much than 350 miles, truthful not that acold disconnected the 400-mile EPA figure.

What's more, this scope is mighty competitory against rivals specified arsenic the Audi Q6 e-tron, Cadillac Lyriq, Porsche Macan Electric, and revised Tesla Model Y—and, by the clip it arrives adjacent year, it should champion the Volvo EX60, too.

BMW has made the iX3, and the Neue Klasse platform, not lone thrust similar a BMW, but a precise bully BMW. It bodes precise good for the adjacent 5 cars, including the i3, which is coming close aft the iX3.

But here's the occupation that each Western car brands are wrestling with: Is it capable to instrumentality connected the China EVs coming successful cheaper than BMW, and with overmuch amended autonomous tech than this marque caller platform? I'm not sure. They apt won't beryllium capable to bushed BMW's driving dynamics wizardry, though. Yep, a batch is riding connected the Neue Klasse's ride.