Breakthrough EV SUV: 2025 BMW iX
It’s hard to believe that the BMW iX has already been on sale for three years. The full-size electric SUV from BMW, introduced in late 2021 as a 2022 model, was built from the ground up for electric propulsion only, unlike the i4, i5, and i7, which also have gasoline-powered equivalents. As such, its proportions and overall construction were very different from other BMWs – and its futuristic looks, with squinting LED eyes, a giant blanked-out kidney grille, and short hood, were polarizing for many reviewers.
The way the iX drove, however, wasn’t polarizing. Anyone, including GreenCars, that got behind the wheel of the iX was smitten with its swiftness, its smoothness, and its silence – and the way that it still felt like a BMW, despite not necessarily looking like a BMW. Three years on, is the BMW iX still as compelling a package as it was when it was launched? Let’s find out.
BMW iX Models and Pricing
BMW offers the iX in two versions for the U.S. – the iX xDrive50 with a starting MSRP of $87,250 and the ix M60 with a starting MSRP of $111,500. Both versions are spectacularly powerful and quick: the iX xDrive50 has 516 hp and 564 lb-ft of torque, and can dash from 0-60 mph in 4.4 seconds, while the iX M60 has 610 hp and 749 lb-ft of torque, and is supercar-quick, needing less than 4 seconds to get to 60 mph.
Those prices slot between versions of BMW’s gasoline-powered X5, such as the $73,100 starting MSRP for the X5 50e, the $90,000 X5 M60i, and $124,800 X5 M competition. The electric BMW SUVs will all out-accelerate their gasoline counterparts, and also come with substantially lower running costs if you charge them at home.
It's worth noting here that Canadian customers also have the option of a less-powerful iX xDrive40, which has a starting MSRP of less than $70,000, 322 hp, and a 0-60 time of just over 6 seconds. It would be a nice addition to the U.S. lineup, and would bring electric BMW SUV ownership within reach of a wider audience.
More impressive than the sheer speed of the iX, though, is its remarkable combination of fine handling and limousine-like refinement.
Driving the BMW iX Electric SUV
On the one hand, this SUV, weighing over 5,000 pounds, handles like a proper BMW, with responsive, natural-feeling steering, a near-total lack of body roll in corners, and a responsiveness that you wouldn’t expect of something this big and heavy. The battery sits in the floor of the iX, meaning its center of gravity is sports-car low, and its structure, developed around the battery, uses many lightweight composite materials to keep the rest of the car light. So despite being huge and spacious, the iX has the acceleration, cornering confidence, and feel of a BMW sport sedan.
The other side of the iX’s dual personality is its near-unbelievable silence and refinement. In the standard and efficient drive modes, there is no sound at all from the dual electric motors which power the front and rear axles, and BMW has done an amazing job of isolating the cabin from wind and road noise – despite the frameless glass and lightweight materials. Indeed, cruising in town or on the freeway, the iX is as calm and comfortable as a Rolls-Royce, the silence enhanced by a beautifully-damped ride, plush seating, spectacular audio system, and one of the industry’s best interiors at any price.
2025 BMW iX Interior Features
Styled more like a high-end hotel lounge than a car interior – and available with a choice of fabrics or vegan leather – the iX’s cabin is far and away its biggest selling point. It packs all of the features you would expect from a high-end luxury vehicle, from a widescreen infotainment system, to luxurious seats, a panoramic glass roof, wireless smartphone integration and charting, and power assists for everything, into an ambiance that is unlike anything else you’ll find in any SUV – electric or otherwise.
Instead of the traditional driver-focused instrument cluster and bulky dashboard, for instance, the iX has a minimalist dash that shrinks away from the driver and front passenger, freeing up even more space in the already-spacious cabin. The digital instrument cluster shares real estate with the infotainment display in a large curved panel that stretches from in front of the driver to the center of the cabin.
Door handles are eliminated, replaced with push buttons. The center console, instead of extending from the bottom of the dash, floats in between the front seats, a matte-wood plinth on top holding the infotainment and drive mode controls. Thoughtful and efficiency-enhancing touches include heated armrests and steering wheel in addition to heated seats; and an electrochromic function for the roof that tints it at the touch of a button to keep the cabin nice and cool on sunny days.
Charging the BMW iX
With a 105.2-kWh battery, the iX xDrive50 carries an EPA range estimate of 305 to 311 miles, depending on your choice of wheel design (smaller and more aerodynamic is better). Step up to the more powerful iX M60 and the range drops to a 296-mile EPA estimate. In normal conditions, BMW’s range estimates are exceptionally accurate, giving you confidence that you won’t experience a sudden drop in range the moment you drive off. Cold weather can reduce the range, as it does with all cars, but you can mitigate its effects by programming the iX to pre-heat itself while still plugged in.
From a charging perspective, the iX can charge at a maximum of 195 kW on a Level 3 DC quick charger, which makes for rapid top-ups on long trips, and its on-board charger is capable of 11 kW, making it easy to take advantage of off-peak electricity rates, while still fully charging the vehicle.
Like almost all automakers selling EVs in North America, BMW has committed to adopting Tesla’s North American Charging Standard (NACS) connector by 2025, which will mean that iX owners can access Tesla Superchargers on the go with a plug adapter. BMW is also one of a consortium of seven automakers that are launching the new Ionna charging network, which promises to bring 30,000 additional high-speed chargers to North American roads between now and 2030.
2025 BMW iX: The Verdict
Within the luxury SUV space, the iX was a game-changer, the first full-electric SUV from an established brand that was built on a dedicated platform and not adapted from a gasoline vehicle. Now, it has competition from similarly-dedicated vehicles like the Mercedes-Benz EQE, as well as from EV-only companies like Tesla, with the Model X, and Lucid, with the Gravity.
But while the iX is no longer alone in its class in terms of offering a dedicated EV platform and the associated benefits like more cabin space, a flat floor, and construction from sophisticated lightweight materials, it’s still a standout. There are few electric vehicles on the road today that offer such a well-rounded package of driving dynamics, versatility, luxury, and range.
BMW’s iX isn’t inexpensive – add some options to the iX xDrive50 and you’ll be staring at a $100,000 bill – but it makes a compelling case for itself with the experience it provides, as well as its low running costs.
