The BMW iX3 is as close to all-new as a new vehicle can be, with the mid-size electric SUV debuting a new platform with a new battery and a dramatically different design language inside and out.
Debuting at this week’s Munich motor show, it’ll enter production this year in Hungary ahead of customer deliveries commencing in Australia in mid-2026.
It’s the first model based on BMW’s Neue Klasse dedicated electric vehicle (EV) platform, and replaces the existing Chinese-built iX3 which is an electric version of the previous CLAR platform-based X3.
BMW has debuted the new iX3 in 50 xDrive guise, which will be the first variant offered in Australia ahead of further electric powertrains to follow.
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The company says the new iX3 features its sixth-generation eDrive technology, bringing more power, greater efficiency and range, and a superior charging rate.
It features a large 108kWh (usable) battery with cylindrical cells that’s integrated into the vehicle architecture as a structural component.
Electric range is up to 805km on the WLTP cycle, while an 800V electrical system supports DC fast-charging at up to 400kW.
That allows the iX3 50 xDrive to gain more than 350km of range in just 10 minutes, and be charged from 10 to 80 per cent in 21 minutes; it can also be charged using 400V charging stations.
The SUV can also be charged at up to 11kW using AC power, while there’s also vehicle-to-load (V2L) charging capability – with a discharge rate of 3.7kW – so you can power electrical appliances using the high-voltage battery.
Featuring dual-motor all-wheel drive, with an upgraded rear electric motor and a new one at the front, the iX3 50 xDrive pumps out 345kW of power and 645Nm of torque.
That gives it a claimed 0-100km/h time of 4.9 seconds.
BMW says the new electric drive system reduces energy losses by 40 per cent, while it’s 10 per cent lighter and 20 per cent more affordable to manufacture.
The battery’s energy density, on a cell level, is claimed to be 20 per cent higher than with fifth-generation BMW eDrive technology, with the charging speed up by 30 per cent.
BMW is also touting its sustainability measures, including the fact around a third of the iX3 is made from secondary raw materials. The Debrecen plant it’s built in is also powered by renewable sources.
The Heart of Joy, as BMW calls it, is one of the iX3’s four high-performance computers known as ‘superbrains’, and handles drivetrain and driving dynamics management. BMW says it processes information up to 10 times faster than conventional control units.
The electronics and software architecture developed for the Neue Klasse platform will be rolled out across the whole of the BMW model range.
The new software architecture also allows for more frequent updates and more connectivity features.
The iX3 has made the transition from last year’s Vision Neue Klasse X concept to production vehicle with little in the way of changes, with BMW saying the new SUV has a “characterful” design language that will be “replicated across the whole of the brand’s model range in due course”.
BMW also says the design language has been “reduced to the essence of the BMW brand”.
The iX3 is most noticeable for its wide tail-lights – a “horizontal interpretation of the familiar BMW L shape” – but an upright front-end with a relatively tall and narrow double-kidney grille, which represents the new “brand face” for BMW’s SUVs.
The grille is a nod to BMW’s Neue Klasse models from the 1960s, but the face is certainly modern with its Iconic Glow grille accent lighting and vertical LED daytime running lights.
The drag coefficient is a fairly slippery 0.24Cd, aided by the use of flush door handles.
The iX3 50 xDrive rides on 20-inch light-alloy wheels, though 21- and 22-inch wheels will be optional.
Here’s how it measures up compared to its predecessor:
| New iX3 | Old iX3 | |
|---|---|---|
| Length | 4782mm | 4734mm |
| Width | 1895mm | 1891mm |
| Height | 1635mm | 1668mm |
| Wheelbase | 2897mm | 2864mm |
There’s 520 litres of boot space, expanding to 1750L with the rear seats dropped; the outgoing iX3 has 510L and 1560L respectively.
Pop the bonnet and you’ll find a storage space for the first time, with a volume of 58L.
The interior is a more dramatic departure from existing BMWs, debuting BMW Panoramic iDrive and featuring a “reduced” design language mirroring that of the exterior.
A huge 43.3-inch BMW Panoramic Vision display sweeps from A-pillar to A-pillar, with driving information projected in the driver’s line of sight. The content on the centre and opposite side of the display can be configured using the touchscreen.
A head-up display remains, projected above the new pillar-to-pillar display.
The cabin also features a new steering wheel design, with button panels that only illuminate if a function is available or active.
A 17.9-inch infotainment touchscreen running BMW Operating System X is angled towards the driver, with a configurable home screen and programmable shortcut widgets.
It also features wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, satellite navigation with “intelligent charge-optimised route guidance”, and the ability to download additional apps including streaming apps.
BMW is continuing to strip away physical buttons. To adjust the climate control, you must use the touchscreen; to adjust the audio volume, there are rollers.
While BMW doesn’t use buttons for much beyond the demister and hazard lights, the iX3 is the latest car to feature buttons to open the doors from the inside.
Haptic controls are used for functions like the indicators, wipers, exterior mirrors, gear selection and volume control.
BMW says the new system “continues the approach of using an optimal combination of analogue and digital controls”.
Veganza leatherette is the standard trim, with the headliner and floor mats made from 100 per cent recycled materials. BMW says recycled marine plastic is used for 30 per cent of the thermoplastic components for the under-bonnet storage space
Other standard equipment includes a power tailgate, panoramic sunroof with ‘climate comfort glazing’, dual-zone climate control, a wireless phone charger, and heated and power-adjustable front seats.
A sun blind will be offered through the Original BMW Accessories range, while the iX3 will be offered with M Sport and M Sport Pro packages.
Standard safety equipment includes adaptive cruise control, blind-spot monitoring, safe exit warning and speed limit information.
“The Neue Klasse is our biggest future-focused project and marks a huge leap forward in terms of technologies, driving experience and design,” said BMW AG chairman Oliver Zipse.
“Practically everything about it is new, yet it is also more BMW than ever. Our whole product range will benefit from the innovations brought by the Neue Klasse – whichever drive system technology is employed.
“We are not only bringing the next generation of one of our most successful fully electric vehicles onto the road, we are launching a new era for BMW.”
The iX3 will battle not only the Audi Q6 e-tron, but also the new Mercedes-Benz GLC with EQ Technology that’s also making its debut at the Munich show.
