Long-term report: BMW iX3 is radical in more areas than just the colour

I know, I know, I’ll get to the colour soon enough.

Here’s the new BMW iX3 and it’s a car I’m very excited about. Why? Well, back in 2023, BMW unveiled its ‘Vision Neue Klasse’, a saloon car concept which would go on to inspire the new electric i3. Following on from that was the Vision Neue Klasse X, a high-riding SUV which is what previewed – you guessed it – the iX3.

And there’s something about seeing concept cars filter their way through to the public road which I find incredibly interesting. You get to see how much of that original ideal has come through to the production car and whether anything has been lost in the meantime.

On the outside, at least, the new iX3 is blink-and-you’ll-miss-it identical to the original Vision Neue Klasse X. The headlights are just the same and even the overall boxy nature of the concept has been infused into the car you see here.

But what was truly exciting about the Neue Klasse was the promise of a whole-new generation of BMW electric cars. I remember being at the Munich Motor Show when the saloon car was revealed and, time and time again, it was reinforced that this new range of EVs would remain BMW in nature first, and electric cars second.

When revealed, BMW said that the Vision Neue Klasse had an 800-volt electric architecture for faster charging and that it would bring an impressive amount of range.

Well, we’ve got that 800-volt architecture present and correct, and that means it’ll accept a charge speed of up to 300kW for a 10-80 per cent charge time of around 21 minutes. More than quick enough for today’s chargers.

And while the headline iX3 50 can deliver one of the longest ranges of any electric car in the UK at up to 500 miles – alongside a slightly quicker 400kW charge speed – this entry-level 40 is, in my view, the one that most people will be going for.

It’s got a claimed range of up to 398 miles and uses just a single electric motor rather than the 50 xDrive’s two. That should bring better chances for efficiency, and it lightens the whole car too. In fact, the 40 is some 200kg lighter than the dual-motor 50.

So far, I’ve been finding my way around the iX3. When it first arrived, a full charge was showing a rather disappointing 290 miles but, having already done a round-trip of 250 miles, it has reset to show a far better 340-mile maximum charge range. That’s still a way off the 400-odd miles claimed by BMW, but is good enough for those longer trips.

It’s also the first BMW model where I’ve lived with the new Panoramic Vision system. Essentially, it’s a wraparound display which sits just underneath the windscreen and puts all of your key information right ahead of you. Elements such as speed, range, navigation and even what radio station you’re listening to are right there. It’s a clever feature and, despite being a screen, actually feels more old-school than you might expect. It’s a bit like an old fashioned radio display.

However, there is some duplication. This iX3 gets a head-up display and so, at any given point, you could have the car’s speed displayed on the driver’s display behind the wheel, on the head-up display and finally on the Panoramic Vision readout which feels a bit like overkill. I used the Vision display most of all though, I reckon.

The associated BMW app is excellent, though, and it was a breeze to setup so you can quickly view the car’s remaining range and charging status. Most importantly as we head into winter, you can also pre-heat the car and make sure there’s no ice on the screen before you head off.

Oh, and let’s get to the colour. It’s called Twilight Purple, and it’s one of BMW’s individual shades. It’s a £4,385 extra, but one which completely transforms the look of the iX3. For me, it’s a real plus-point – I love that it’s something a bit different – and I’ve already had several people comment on it. Sure, it might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but at least it’s not just grey or silver, right?