Since its launch two years ago, the BMW iX has made momentous progress in the EV space. It’s said to be the best-selling luxury EV in the Indian market, and for a car that retails at upwards of a crore, that’s quite something. Taking this momentum seriously, BMW has launched the flagship variant of the iX’s line-up, one with more performance and a better range, the BMW iX xDrive50. We take this all-electric BMW for a spin, to find out if it can further the model’s success, given that it retails for a slightly higher ₹1.39 crore, ex-showroom.
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From the larger 105.2 kWh battery, the BMW iX xDrive50 extracts a longer range at 635 km (claimed; WLTP), which in comparison to the iX xDrive40, is an increment of 200 km. Impressive, but that’s only until you hear about the power figures because the xDrive50 isn’t the flagship variant for no reason. Powered by two motors, the all-electric arrangement develops 523 bhp and 78 kg-m, which, when compared to the xDrive40’s numbers, represents a huge jump of nearly 200 bhp. This results in a 0-100 km/h time of 4.6 seconds, which despite the SUV’s 2.5-tonne weight, sounds exhilarating.
Bits which make the interior special are a panoramic sunroof, a Bowers & Wilkins sound system, and of course, the hexagonal steering wheel
Loaded with features
Since this is the flagship variant, BMW has loaded the iX xDrive50 much more than the lower-specced version, and some of these inclusions are extremely useful. Like, for instance, air suspension transforms the way this SUV drives. Vegan leather is standard, too, and the overall mix of materials which look and feel great seems fitting for an upmarket cabin like this. Other bits which make the interior special are a panoramic sunroof, a Bowers & Wilkins sound system, and of course, the hexagonal steering wheel. If they were to reinvent the wheel, maybe this wouldn’t be a bad place to start… Not much has changed on the outside, but one thing’s for sure, and that is the ease with which this BMW makes heads turn. Still polarising, the iX xDrive50 makes its flagship status known with the presence of 22-inch alloy wheels and new paint schemes.
Engaging drive
To drive, the BMW iX xDrive50 feels pretty unreal. The surge of acceleration is what you’d expect from an electric car, but the way this 2.5-tonne SUV picks up pace is worth a standing ovation. Toggle between different driving modes, and it’s easy to select ‘Sport’ because it delivers the most smiles per kWh. The ADAS features are slightly oversensitive, especially for Indian traffic conditions, whereas the ride quality is even better than before. The charging abilities are improved as well: it accepts up to 22kW wall-box chargers and up to 195 kW fast-charging stations. According to BMW, the former takes just under an hour to add 100 km to the range, whereas a fast-charger will do that in just six minutes. Quite impressive, isn’t it?
The iX xDrive50 does a fair bit more than the xDrive40, and we’re certain that’s going to reflect in the upward sales chart that BMW has witnessed in the EV space. Plus, there’s not much taking away from the fact that you can now go faster, drive for longer and even announce your arrival while keeping a tight check on your carbon footprint. If that’s not a win, then what is?
© Motoring World
