The BMW iX1 is a car that should be sold on both sides of the Atlantic. However, for inexplicable reasons, BMW has decided its entry-level electric car is to stay east, keeping it away from North American shores. Thanks a lot, BMW. Because of that, we have to live vicariously through our European friends and, in this case, those friends happen to be in the UK.
This BMW iX1 wears the new Frozen Pure Grey paint option, which adds quite a bit of style to what is essentially a family car. While greys can be quite boring, Frozen Pure Grey is a flat grey that adds some sportiness and aggression to the iX1. While I don’t love flat colors on all cars, I do like it here. There’s an incongruity about a family crossover, especially an electric on, wearing a stylish, aggressive flat color like this.
As for the new iX1 itself, it’s a great looking car. I recently spent some time with the new X1 (of course, not the iX1) and it’s really handsome in person. It might actually be BMW’s best SUV/crossover design at the moment. It’s well-proportioned, it’s sporty, it’s sharp, and it’s modern looking. It works well with most colors, too.
Inside, this BMW iX1 has a two-tone tan and black interior that looks nice enough. It’s not as sporty an option as the exterior, nor does it work particularly well with the exterior, but it lends an airy, relaxed feel to the cabin. The BMW iX1 also has a great interior. It’s spacious, comfortable, ergonomic (mostly), and good looking. Again, it might be BMW’s best interior design at the moment. It’s great.
The BMW iX1 is the all-electric variant, which uses dual electric motors to make 308 horsepower and 364 lb-ft of torque. That’s quite a bit more power than the BMW X1 xDrive28i’s 241 horsepower and 295 lb-ft of torque. So us North Americans have to deal with the weak, noisy, and less efficient version. Its 64.7 kWh battery pack should provide around 240 miles of range, which is OK but not great. It’s sorta just fine. It used to be that 200 miles was the number, the ideal range figure that brands wanted to hit. Now that number is 300. So the iX1 is a bit off the mark.
While it isn’t exactly cheap in the UK, at £52,255, it’s still quite a bit of car for the money. It’s an electric family SUV with good power, decent performance, impressive practicality, great technology, and fun-to-drive handling. It’s a better car than the BMW i4 and it looks better, too. As an entry-level EV, it’s a damn good option.
