BREAKING THREE (some text hidden) SECTIONED_new_bmwix3_2022

By Jonathan Crouch

Introductionword count: 97

Launched back in 2021, the MK1 G08-era BMW iX3 mid-sized EV Crossover marked a new phase of electric vehicle development from the Munich maker. The brand's '5th generation' electrified tech delivered a 285 mile range and was built into a combustion X3's floorplan using rear wheel drive and a single motor format in such a way as to try and minimise the usual EV handling downsides of extra bulk and weight. As a result, BMW hoped that here was an electric car that someone used to a combustion model might be able to adapt to remarkably easily.

Modelsword count: 10

5dr MPV (EV) [Premier Edition, M Sport, M Sport Pro]

Historyword count: 515

How do you like your EVs? Unusual and futuristic with bespoke design? Or visually identical to combustion models? Back in 2020, it was rare in the upper mid-sized luxury part of the Crossover EV segment to find a brand pursuing the latter approach, but that's what we were offered here with the first generation G08-era version of BMW's very first iX3 EV. The underpinnings of this, the Bavarian maker's second ever full-EV, were familiar. Like its EV showroom stablemate of the time, the i4, it ran on basically the same CLAR-based structure used for all of BMW's mainstream mid-size combustion models. That was in contrast to the design approach taken with the company's largest EV, the iX, which got the kind of bespoke electric vehicle platform that most other makers competing in this iX3 model's segment in 2020 reckoned was necessary for an electric car of this sort. But this MK1 iX3 was something of a stop-gap model until the Munich maker could introduce its Nueue Klasse EV vehicle architecture, so the design beneath the familiar panel work with this initial G08 design was disarmingly straightforward. Simplistically, all we were really given in this case was a regular combustion X3 without its front driveshafts and with a battery pack inserted into the floor. But of course there was much more to this iX3 than that. For BMW, this model's key significance was twofold. First, its arrival made the brand's familiar X3 mid-sized SUV the first of the Munich maker's models to be offered with a choice of combustion, plug-in or full EV power options. The second significant fact was that this was the first of the company's cars to be produced in China for export to all world markets. Production took place at a joint venture factory at Shenyang in Liaoning which was operated jointly by BMW and Chinese manufacturer Brilliance. This G08 iX3 model was announced here in 2020, which was well after it had gone on sale in China. And British customers had to wait even longer for the first cars to reach UK dealers, which didn't happen until well into 2021. By which time BMW had announced a facelift for the entire X3 range, which also included a few tweaks for this all-electric version. Which sold from late 2021 to the end of 2024 in 'M Sport' and 'M Sport Pro' forms. As far as the genre in this case was concerned, this initial iX3 model's positioning was either unique or slightly awkward, depending on your perspective. In terms of both price and size, it sat just above mid-sized crossover EVs of the time like Volkswagen's ID.4 and the Ford Mustang Mach-E. But just below larger luxury EV models in this period like the Jaguar I-PACE and the Mercedes EQC. Still, if you're shopping in the used market for an electric SUV from the 2020-2025 period, it could just be that this is exactly the kind of EV Crossover positioning you're looking for. The G08-era iX3 was replaced in late 2025 by a much more advanced second generation NA5-era Nueue Klasse design.

What You Getword count: 760

The iX3 presents itself pretty much exactly as you'd expect an X3 with full-battery power to look. A few blue BMW iPerformance touches, some subtle, some not; grille and headlight contours that reference the i4 and the iX: and a set of unique aero-optimised wheels. Just enough for the neighbours to recognise your switch to EV-ness before they see you plugging in. From the side, probably the most overt point of iX3 identification lies with the unusual alloy wheels we just mentioned, which depending on trim are either 19 or 20-inches in size, use sophisticated inserts and are such an integral part of the aerodynamics that they reduce drag by 5% and add 6 miles to the driving range. This electric model's 20mm reduction in ride height probably helps here too. Otherwise, it's just as it would be with any other X3, with a long bonnet, a short front overhang, standard black roof rails and the usual firm mid-level styling crease flowing through the door handles. From the front, the iX3 is much more recognisable as a unique variant within the MK3 G01-era X3 line-up. Yes, there's the usual single piece kidney front grille, but with the updated version of the G08-era iX3 model, it came with a distinctive blue accent along its edges, while the inner surfaces of the kidney grille elements had a mesh-like structure and featured a BMW i badge. This appendage is flanked by slim LED headlamps, while below it is a larger lower air intake which incorporates a 10-stage active air flap control to cool the drive system components and brakes. On this model, there's no further cooling required from the narrow vertical corner intakes, so they're smaller than they would be on an ordinary X3 and, like the restyled bumper, are only there to try and make the front end more aerodynamic. The rear has rather less subtle splashes of blue - on the outer elements of the rear diffuser. And LED rear lamps, which illuminate strikingly at night, are marked out by a slim light graphic and three-dimensional pincer-shaped contouring. Inside up front, BMW's clear aim was obviously to make the transition to full-electric drive as seamless as possible. So much so that you'd be hard-pressed to notice any changes at all here at the wheel over any ordinary G01-era X3 - but there are some. The gear selector for instance, has a blue stripe on it; so does the door trim. There's a silver plaque below the ventilation controls saying 'iX3'; and the start button is blue. Otherwise, everything will be very familiar from the combustion model. You're seated in the pleasingly commanding position you'll want if you've chosen an iX3 rather than the company's other EV at this size and price point, the i4 saloon. Cabin screen tech comes courtesy of BMW's 'Live Cockpit Professional' package, which gets you a couple of 12.3-inch screens, one in the instrument binnacle and the other at the top of the centre stack. The instrument cluster display initially looks familiar, until you realise that on the right hand side where there'd normally be a rev counter, there is instead an 'ePower %' Power Meter, which briefs you on your current energy consumption. As for the Central Control Display in the middle of the stitched dash, well there's some clever stuff incorporated into this seventh generation iDrive set-up, including the brand's 'Connected Package Professional' media package. And what BMW calls an 'Intelligent Personal Assistant', which works a bit like the 'Siri' or 'Google Assistant' systems you might use on your 'phone and is there to answer questions you can voice to the car as you drive it. In the rear, helped by recesses in the front seat backs, a six-footer will be able to sit comfortably behind a driver of similar size, which is about as much as you can ask of a mid-sized SUV of this sort. There's no seat-sliding functionality such as you'd find on BMW's smaller X1 Crossover (the huge battery pack beneath this seat puts paid to any thought of that) but the backrest does at least recline, which surprisingly is a rare feature in this class. iX3 customers also enjoy the standard fitment of this Panoramic glass roof, which mean that what would otherwise be a rather dark cabin can be flooded with a welcome burst of sunlight. What about luggage space? Once the powered hatch rises, you're provided with 510-litres of capacity, 40-litres less than an ordinary X3, though 60-litres more than you'd get in a Plug-in Hybrid X3 xDrive30e.

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