2024 BMW iX3 M Sport – The badge makes the difference | Car Review

The Philippine electric vehicle (EV) market is steadily growing with more and more people going for that electric lifestyle. One of the early adopters of EVs in the country were those who could afford those from German luxury automakers like BMW, Audi, Porsche, among others.

The BMW iX3 was launched in our market early last year as what was then the German luxury automaker’s most affordable EV (that title is now shared with the i4). With so many rivals to choose from, ranging from higher priced mainstream makes, and similarly priced luxury marques, it begs the question, why the iX3? Let’s find out.

What I really like about the BMW iX3 is how it looks just like any other BMW crossover at first glance. It doesn’t scream “I’m an EV!” or “I’m the future!” It just blends in, minus of course a few key exterior differences such as the closed panel for the signature kidney grille, and the blue accents dotted around.

This having the M Sport package takes it further with the more aggressively styled front and rear bumpers, black accents around, sporty 19-inch two-tone alloy wheels, and of course, M badging on the front fenders. Other than that, it’s standard X3.

I also particularly like the Cashmere Silver exterior paint job. It reminds me a lot of Ford’s Diffused Silver and Volvo’s Seashell Metallic which are colors that I really love. It matches the iX3 perfectly.

Step inside and really nothing tells you that this is an EV except for the blue start/stop button and the large iX3 badge on the lower part of the center stack. The dashboard is exactly the same as what you’d find in pretty much every BMW, with the addition of a three-spoke steering wheel thanks to the M Sport package.

Material quality is also top-notch as expected from a BMW with very solid-feeling soft-touch plastics all around, high quality faux leather on the seats, and very real-looking faux wood trim on the dashboard and door panels. The only material that I was not a fan of was that of the steering wheel which felt a bit too basic. 

As with any BMW I’ve experienced before, the seats are among the best you can find with loads of support and adjustment, making them very comfortable whether you’re on a short city drive or long road trip, no matter where you sit in the cabin. 

Then when it comes to tech, you’ll find a 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system that utilizes BMW’s iDrive 7 system. Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity are standard and are matched with a Harman Kardon audio system. The screen itself is responsive as expected and gives you the option to scroll through the menus like a traditional touchscreen, or use the controller dial and buttons found on the center console. My only issue with the system is that I found it a bit difficult to look for specific functions even after a few days with the vehicle, and the “premium” audio system could have been better.

Unfortunately though, the iX3 still lacks a full 360-degree around-view monitor. Don’t get me wrong though, the reverse camera has great resolution. It’s just that at its price point, I think we deserve to see all four corners of the vehicle from the screen.

In the instance that you’ll need to bring large items with you, the iX3 offers 510 liters of cargo room with the second row of seats up. Fold them down and that expands to 1,560 liters. Passenger space is also plentiful with enough for five passengers despite the large center tunnel. Space also feels even larger thanks to the panoramic sunroof.

Now onto the driving, powering the BMW iX3 is an electric motor paired with a 80 kWh battery pack. It produces a total of 286 horsepower and 400 Nm of torque with a claimed driving range of up to 460 kilometers on a single charge. Refilling its juice won’t be an issue with its Type 2 or CCS ports which makes it compatible with nearly all EV charging stations around the country. 

In all honesty, driving the BMW iX3 feels mostly like any other EV with instant torque and plenty of pulling power. Not much can be said for the iX3 when it comes to that. Where this stands out is the injection of its BMW-ness and that’s in the way it handles. 

As with every BMW, it’s zippy in the corners with great steering response is just excellent. While I do wish it would have had a bit more weight, the light steering actually offers a pretty good amount of feedback. It does get a bit heavier as you get faster anyway as it should. Body roll is also very limited, largely in thanks to the battery pack’s low position, making its center of gravity lower to the ground.

Ride quality is also excellent as the iX3 can take on the majority of imperfections on our bad Metro Manila roads with finesse. Rarely will you feel jolted by any of them. Matched with the very quiet cabin, it’s surely a great place to be in.

What I do have to say is that the energy recuperation function is quite aggressive. There are a couple of levels depending on how much of it you want, but I just ended up turning it off completely in the end. Thankfully, it didn’t affect how much power I consumed.

And now you’re probably wondering how much I did consume. I picked-up the BMW iX3 tester we got from the BMW Greenhills showroom with a 100% fully-charged motor. I returned it on my fourth day with the vehicle still with 91% without charging. I admittedly was not able to drive that much, but other EVs will decrease at much higher rates. BMW has probably done some energy-saving stuff in the internals that we aren’t aware of.

You’re paying for the experience

At its price of Php 4,990,000, the BMW iX3 is priced at about the same range as its rivals from other luxury brands. Admittedly, you can and will actually get more for less by going for the Hyundai IONIQ 5 which is priced at Php 1.3-million less. Heck, its high-performance N version is still cheaper than the iX3 by Php 740,000.

That’s not the point though as here you are paying for the BMW experience, not the features. Despite its higher price tag, nothing beats the feeling of driving a product of German engineering like a BMW. As they say in their tagline, it’s the joy of driving a BMW and that’s one thing that the iX3 does not fail to deliver at all.