the Bucket: Bucket Seat: BMW iX3

My first introduction to the media world of motoring was at an event held by BMW on electric mobility. They were launching their range or hybrid vehicles into the country but also showcasing two, pure electric cars as well. I got to drive the pre-production versions of the Mini E and the 1 Series Electric which both were still in R&D format with the company doing tests on the cars to see if they would be viable. Not long after that, BMW launched their ‘I’ division, which would be for their own electric range of cars. The i3 and i8 both took the motoring industry by surprise with both production cars being very similar to the concepts that were showcased at the Motor shows. Both models did reasonably well, given that they were something that people were not used to. This was the change needed to test the waters in the market and to acclimatize the consumer on what was yet to come. You see, as years go by, and new legislations are signed in, more and more manufacturers are committing to a future without the internal combustion engine. So while other technologies are still being investigated, the electric revolution has begun. With manufacturers like Tesla taking the US market by storm, many other manufacturers have followed suit, hoping to be not left behind but while there was a vast difference in driving those pre-production cars during that launch, I was intrigued to see how much has changed since, so towards the end of last year I was given the opportunity to spend a week with the BMW iX3, a full EV model of the much loved mid sized SUV, here I my thoughts on the car.

DESIGN

With BMW, their ‘I’ cars were always different, more futuristic in design, greener materials used to make the car and even the factories that were producing them were green rated. Most people did find the look a bit odd and said they would consider an electric car if it looked “normal”, so that’s what they did. They took a normal iX3 chassis and put an electric motor in it. There are some notable design differences between the iX3 and the normal X3, not having a radiator there isn't a need for a grille but BMW have still incorporated the famous kidney grille in its design but have it blanked off by a plastic cover with a neat design pattern on it. Another key design element is no exhaust tail pipes at the back, the diffuser, while having the detail for the pipes, is blanked off. BMW also have a set of unique rims for the electric cars, which are lighter in weight to aid drawing less power from the battery. There are also some nice blue accents around the car that you can spot on closer inspection to make it known this car is an EV. Moving on the inside, everything looks exactly the same as a normal X3, the only difference is the additional info on the infotainment screen to show you the EV performance of the car. Other than that, you won't know you're sitting in an electric car as everything is exactly the same.

PERFORMANCE

How does one measure performance on an EV? There is no cylinders, no gearbox, let a lone turbo's, giving stats on the kW ratings and torque ratings are helpful but to me, some of these figures had to be restrained to make the car drivable. The iX3 delivers 210kW and 400Nm of torque on paper but if you are a first time EV driver, you will feel a noticeable difference but not as much as when I first drove the pre-production cars. They've managed to reduce the feel tremendously to make the EV more "normal", there isn't a harsh acceleration with the torque controlled and because there is no gearbox, the speed built up is also managed dependent on what driver mode you have it on. Even the regeneration isn't as harsh as the previous models, where by the car does slow down once you leave the accelerator but not in a manner in which the occupants physically feel the inertia of the car slowing for regeneration. The thing that will feel the most weird to most, is the silence of the car, even while having your music playing, there is that eerie silence that will make you wonder if the car is even switched on or not. BMW have a claimed range of 460km on a full charge, I managed to get about 440km before having to top up, my driving was mixed but I did do a lot of freeway driving, which as you know isn't the best for EV's as the stop/ start of urban cruising is more effective to prolonging its range. What I must add that the battery tech has been improved a lot since I drove the i3, with zero range anxiety experienced during my time with the iX3. Handling is sublime with the car, even with the heavy battery bar sitting on the floor of the car, it still maintains great stability and has good weight distribution on corners.

COMFORT

What's to say? It's a BMW and they are well known for having great spec'd interiors with luxurious seats and all the bells and whistles to keep all occupants happy. The car is well equipped even at base specifications with three zone climate control for driver, front passenger and rear occupants, leather seating's, BMWs Connected Drive, a great sound system and host of safety features. Being a test model, this one came packed with most of the optional extras that you'd find in a normal X3, such as panoramic sunroof, Harman Kardon sound system, electric adjustable seats with memory, seat heating, expanded screen display, wireless mobile app connectivity, wireless charging tray, surround view camera, PDC's, lane keep assist, collision assist, adaptive cruise control and high beam adaptive LED lights. Other nice features specifically for the iX3 included the addition of the mobile app which can load a digital key to your phone, that means you wont need a physical key to unlock and start you car, you can just use your smart phone. Connected Charging on digital services, the car will give you an indication if it has enough range for your journey and notify you of charging stations en-route.

CHARGING

The big question when it comes to EV's, how much will charging cost me? Well, a study done in 2012 said that at the time it would cost you around R60 to fully charge an i3, but with the bigger battery size of the iX3 and increase in electricity price, I'd say that figure is probably doubled now, so effectively costing you R120 to fully charge this car at your house using a conventional 3-Pin socket outlet, bear un mind this would take close to 9 hours to fully charge the car. It would be advisable to install a wall box charger at your home to regulate the power flow as with our energy crisis the country is experiencing, they can be disruptions to your charge which will result in issues when charging straight from the socket outlet. I must admit, charging the car did prove to be frustrating at time, with most BMW dealerships only have AC chargers which cut the charging time down to almost half but still is a long time, the DC chargers which take about 20 minutes to fully charge the car are few and far to find with me only having found one at Gateway Shopping Mall, that too, there is two bays for EV cars, but only one DC charger with the other being AC. So if someone has already beaten you to it, you better hope they not spending the entire day at the mall. These charging stations are operating via a billing system that is linked to a card you will receive with the car. The DC charging will cost you in the region of between R350 to R400, which for 460km of range is a steal when compared to the price of fuel these days.

VERDICT

While the technology is ever improving, one feels there is still a lot of work to be done in getting EV's right but what BMW have done in the iX3 is showing the potential that EV's can have in our market. The car itself performs beautifully on the roads and other than the charging infrastructure locally there is nothing I can fault about the car itself. As mentioned at the start of the article, manufactures are pushing to go completely emission free so EV's are here to stay, so things like the charging infrastructure will improve over time and hopefully that means a lot more places for one to charge their electric cars. We already seeing massive development in the European and American markets with Asia not that far behind so its only time that Africa starts playing catch up. Also with the market being more and more open to EV's, there will be more of a drive to get the infrastructure in place. To prove my point, BMW released details on its best selling M car for 2022, and to everyone's surprise, it was in face their i4 M50! So it just goes to show that the future is very much electric!