Double Apex was recently offered the smallest BMW EV SUV on sale locally. We spent a few days with the BMW iX1 xDrive30 to bring you this review.

The first battery powered BMW to go on sale to the public was the i3. One can view that car as a bit of an experiment. BMW was dipping its toe into the pond to gauge the public’s interest and acceptance of EVs. BMW even started the ‘i’ sub-brand (used for i3 and i8), that could be quietly shut down should need be without harming its mainstream offerings. That was over ten years ago and the experiment has resulted in a whole range of battery electric vehicles (BEVs).

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Baby of the Family

The smallest member (ignoring the group-owned Mini brand) of BMW’s electrified family is the iX1. Interestingly, BMW offers the X1 with multiple powertrain options: petrol, diesel, plug-in hybrid and full BEV, the latter is the subject of this review. The iX1 slots in below other battery powered SUV options from BMW, such as the iX and iX3. The brand also has a few BEV sedans on offer in various sizes from the i4 all the way up to the i7. You could say its EV plans are charging ahead… (sorry, Ed).

All Grown Up

When BMW launched the X1 in 2009, it was little more than a slightly raised 1 Series (although based on a 3 Series platform).  It offered little more practicality and ground clearance than its hatchback sibling. Since then the X1 has grown somewhat, finding its own place in the BMW family. It has also grown physically, taking up more place than any of its predecessors. In fact, someone asked if the car on loan is the new X3. The larger dimensions are accompanied by some of BMW’s latest design cues.

Up front the iX1 has a large format, squared-off kidney grille. In the case of this BEV, the slats are completely closed as there isn’t need for the level of cooling required by an internal combustion engine (ICE). The X1’s overall shape has an athletic stance, that is set off by a tall-ish profile and large diameter alloys. A slightly sloping roofline and three-dimensional taillamps bring it close to models such as the halo BMW XM. The overall appearance is crisp and modern.

Click here to read our twin review of the BMW iX3 and Mercedes-EQ EQB.

New-Age Interior

That impression continues into the cabin. BMW designers have applied the same treatment we have seen in many of its recent products. There is a wide full-colour screen across the facia. The curved item handles all vital info for the driver and for the infotainment system. The infotainment screen contains all controls for most systems one needs in the cabin. The only physical touch point is a volume scroller on the centre console. Thankfully BMW has seen fit to leave a shortcut for the HVAC system on the screen, so changing the temp or fan speed isn’t a menu-digging process. The system is driven by BMW’s latest operating software. This means it has niceties such as real-time traffic info, which is really handy in an increasingly congested Cape Town

The centre console between the seats, which doubles as the armrest, also houses a stubby gearshifter. There is a wireless charging pad with a nifty holder to keep one’s phone from moving around. There are also two USB-C ports, which we prefer to use to recharge our mobile. Although, we’d have preferred that the space below the armrest have a section to hide our phone away while charging.

The iX1 was part of BMW’s planning from the get-go with the latest X1 range. As a result, the battery pack sits low in the floor. This frees up foot room for the rear seat passengers. Although, it must be said that taller rear-seat passengers may feel hemmed in by the sloping roofline. The boot volume, while not cavernous, is adequate for a car aimed at small families, which can’t travel that far. Speaking of…

AWD

The BMW iX1 xDrive30 is powered by two electric motors, one per axle. As a result it is all-wheel-drive, indicated by the xDrive part of its name. The two motors deliver a maximum of 200 kW of power and nearly 500 N.m of torque. These are handy figures, although its worth noting that the car does weigh over two tons. However, the outputs really do mask that mass as the iX1 feels punchy and quick from just about any speed. BMW says the little SUV will sprint from 0-100 km/h in 5,6 seconds, about as quick as the quickest FWD hot hatches do. There is also a ‘boost’ function (for up to 10 sec) activated by a paddle behind the steering wheel, should you require additional oomph.

One area of its dynamic make-up that didn’t impress us is its low-speed ride. We have a patch of road that we drive all test units over to gauge low-speed ride quality. The iX1 xDrive30 left us bobbing uncomfortably in our seats over this section. We noted that the car is fitted with massive alloys on relatively low profile tyres. We suspect these are primarily to blame as the ride quality improved over larger road surface changes.

Range

The iX1’s party trick, as per all BEVs, is that it cruises along in near silence, regardless of speed. In fact, the sense of calm led us to turning off the sound system for most of the loan period. We wonder what an entire city would sound like in a time/place where all vehicles are powered purely by electrons and not burnt fuel. Anyway, the BMW iX1 xDrive30 is fitted with a 65 kWh battery, which is about par for a car of this size. BMW says it’ll do 440 km on a full charge, but we saw a fair deal less than that. We even used the car’s ‘B’ mode for aggressive brake regeneration, but it only adds a few extra km to the range meter. As a car for a small family, you’d have to carefully consider where you can travel on weekends should you not have the luxury of another (ICE) vehicle in the garage.

Summary

The BMW iX1 xDrive30 is a handy addition to BMW’s ever-growing EV fleet. However, things have changed somewhat since the introduction of the i3. There are plenty of options from BMW’s usual rivals, such as Mercedes-EQ and Volvo. There are even options from Chinese manufacturers that make a compelling argument with competitive pricing, standard specification and range.

However, if you are looking for ‘premium’ brand, then the stylish Volvo Ex30 is probably a better option. There are plenty of options to choose from in terms of drivetrain and battery packs whereas the iX1 is available in a single variant locally. Even at its most expensive, most powerful, the EX30 is a fair deal cheaper (approx R150k easier on the wallet) than the iX1 at today’s prices. That is pretty difficult to argue against, unless you are a dyed-in-the-wool BMW fan.

Model: BMW iX1 xDrive30
Price: R1 205 000
Engine: twin electric motors
Transmission: single-speed, AWD
Max power: 200 kW
Max torque: 494 N.m
0-100 km/h: 5,6 sec
Top speed: 180 km/h
Range: 400 km