2026 BMW iX3 50 xDrive Review

BMW has learnt a lot over the years in regard to electric car development. All that knowledge has been concentrated into the new iX3. So is it the new benchmark in the class?

BMW was selling electric cars in New Zealand before most of its rivals had worked out what to call theirs. The i3 arrived here in 2014, and the brand now has a battery option in nearly every segment it plays in. So the iX3 isn’t BMW learning how to build an EV. It’s BMW starting again with everything it has learned, and that makes it a much bigger deal than the badge suggests.

The Neue Klasse name is borrowed from the 1960s saloons that dragged the company back from the brink. The new one brings a fresh platform, battery, motors, electrical architecture, operating system and design language. BMW says around 40 models will pick up the technology by 2027, petrol ones included. If you want to know what BMWs will be like for the next decade, this is the car to look at.

What you get

New Zealand gets one version for now, the 50 xDrive, at $125,900. M Sport is standard, along with 20-inch wheels, Harman Kardon audio, a panoramic glass roof, heated multifunction front seats with massage, the 3D head-up display, Parking Assistant Plus, Driving Assistant Plus and the Iconic Glow kidney surround that lights up at night. Local cars also get 22kW three-phase AC charging as standard, double the 11kW fitted elsewhere.

Under the floor sits a 108.7kWh usable battery on an 800-volt system. A 123kW front motor and a 240kW rear motor combine for 345kW and 645Nm, good for 0-100km/h in 4.9 seconds. BMW NZ quotes 678 to 805km of WLTP range, depending on wheels. Peak DC charging is 400kW, which BMW says gives 10 to 80 per cent in 21 minutes. Nobody in New Zealand has a public charger that quick yet, so for now that figure is more of a promise for later.

It’s the first car to get a five-star ANCAP rating under the 2026 protocols.

Our test car was finished in Frozen Space Silver matte, with the optional 22-inch BMW Individual aero wheels ($5300).

Looks

Photos flatten it. In person the iX3 is a genuinely handsome thing, low at the nose, with a long groove down the bonnet and slim upright kidneys that nod to the 1960s originals rather than the oversized grilles of recent BMWs. The vertical tail lights work well, and the door handles sit flush until you walk up with the key, then pop out to meet you.

It also looks bigger than a mid-size SUV. At 4782mm it’s barely longer than an X3, but the stance and the height of the glasshouse make it feel a class up.

The matte paint got plenty of comments, nearly all of them positive. I’d still have a gloss metallic. Matte looks great right up until you have to wash it.

Inside

The cabin is where people will split. The Panoramic Vision strip runs the full width of the windscreen base, the 17.9-inch central screen is cut into a rhombus and angled at the driver, and the head-up display hovers over both. That’s a lot of screen. I think it’s a degree too busy, and it took me a few days before I stopped noticing it and just used it. Others will love it on sight.

Quality is another matter. The materials, the fit and the way surfaces meet are a step ahead of what Mercedes-Benz and Audi are offering at the moment. The illuminated dash panel is a nice touch, and the recycled fabrics look like a design choice rather than a compromise.

Climate controls are in the touchscreen, with no physical dials, and the steering wheel carries a lot of functions on touch-sensitive pads. There’s no start button. You get in and go.

The front seats were the one real miss for me. The cushion is firm and the shape didn’t suit a back that’s normally untroubled by most cars. It’s worth a long sit before you buy.

The driving position plays a trick on you, too. From behind the wheel it feels as though you’re sitting a long way back in the car, yet there’s generous rear legroom and a big boot behind you, so the space has to be coming from somewhere. I suspect the Panoramic Vision strip and the visible edge of the bluff bonnet stretch the view forward. Whatever the cause, it makes the iX3 feel sportier from the driver’s seat than a mid-size SUV normally does.

The rear is excellent thanks to the flat floor, and the backrests recline between 23 and 31 degrees. The boot is a real strength, at 520 litres with the seats up and 1750 with them folded, plus 58 litres under the bonnet for the cables.

Driving

It’s properly quick without being daft. The rear motor does most of the work, with the front joining in when needed, so it drives like a rear-biased BMW ought to. Power arrives smoothly, without the lurch some EVs serve up, and 4.9 seconds to 100 feels about right.

The ride is where our roads tell a different story to the overseas launch drives. On New Zealand B-roads it’s firm. Coarse chip comes through as a constant hum and broken edges register clearly. It isn’t harsh and it never crashes, but it’s firmer than most in the class, and the firm seat cushion doesn’t help. There’s no adaptive damping or air suspension in the range, so there’s no comfort mode to soften things. Our car was on the 22s, and the standard 20s may well take some of the edge off.

What it does very well is hide its 2285kg. It stays flat through quick changes of direction, the steering is accurate and naturally weighted, and you rarely feel the battery’s mass. Most of the braking is done by regeneration, and the adaptive mode reads traffic and junctions well enough that you seldom need the pedal. When you do, it’s nicely judged.

Efficiency tracked with BMW’s claims over a mixed week. Wheel choice matters here. The aero version of the standard 20-inch wheel is the one that delivers the 805km headline figure, while our 22s sit at the other end of the spread. On the 20s, Auckland to Wellington on a charge is within reach. On the 22s, plan a stop.

The driver assistance is calibrated with restraint. It speaks up when it should and otherwise leaves you alone, which is rarer than it ought to be.

The opposition

The iX3 comes in under its obvious German rivals. The Audi Q6 e-tron starts at $134,990 and the Porsche Macan Electric at $161,800, and Mercedes-Benz has an electric GLC on the way. Against those the BMW offers more range, faster charging and a better-finished cabin for less money. A Tesla Model Y is a lot cheaper again, but it’s a different sort of car in both finish and feel.

Verdict

This is the car BMW needed to build, and for the most part it has built it well. It looks terrific, it’s quick, it goes a long way between charges, and the cabin quality sets the mark for the class even if the layout won’t suit everyone. The ride on our roads is the one area I’d want to discuss with the chassis engineers, and the seats will suit some backs better than mine. Neither stops it being the most convincing electric BMW yet, and the first of a generation the rest of the range will be measured against.  

BMW iX3 50 xDrive

$125,900  /  15.8-17.1kWh/100km  /  0g/km
0-100 km/h 4.9s
Motor output  345kW
Max torque  645Nm
Battery  108.7kWh
Range  678km
Drivetrain Single-speed auto / e-AWD
Front suspension Mac strut / swaybar
Rear suspension Multilink / swaybar
Turning circle 12.1m (2.8 turns)
Front brakes  Ventilated discs
Rear brakes  Ventilated discs
Stability systems  ABS, ESP, TV
Safety  AEB, ACC, BSM, LDW, RCTA, ALK, AHB
Tyre size  f/r-255/45R20
Wheelbase  2897mm
L/W/H  4782 / 1895 / 1635mm
Track f-1635mm  r-1628m
Luggage capacity f-58L /  r-520-1750L  
Tow rating  750kg (2000kg Braked)
Service intervals 2yrs / 30,000km
Scheduled servicing  3yrs / Unlimited km
Warranty  5yrs / 100,000km
ANCAP rating  ★★★★★ (2026)
Weight (claimed)  2285kg