The Neue Klasse iX3 is high on my curiosity list for my next car. The iX is a little bigger than I prefer in a car, so the iX3 might slot in perfectly. I'm just spoiled by acceleration and the B&W audio, so the iX3's acceleration and audio system will be key decision influencers.

 

@exxxviii Noted. This is a more detailed review, so X3 dimensions, but X5 interior space.

Acceleration sub 5 seconds

Most exciting is that it apparently drives like an ICE 3 series and feels lighter than its actual weight

https://www.topgear.com/car-reviews/bmw/ix3-prototype/first-drive

 

Great find in that review. It says the xDrive50 trim has 442 lb-ft of torque. Assuming it is smaller, in the range of the Model Y or Ioniq 5, that is solid. The Ioniq 5 has 446 lb-ft and gets 4.5 seconds 0.60. The Model Y has 376 lb-ft, good for around 4.4 seconds. The iX has 564 lb-ft to get 4 seconds.

BMW's problem is weight - the cars are heavy. But if they have an iX3 M60 variant with high 500s to 600s in torque, that should get it below 4 seconds 0-60. I could live with that if the rest is compelling.

 

@exxxviii Who knows, it could be that the NK car in XDrive50 trim feels quicker in the real world than your iX50 around the twisty bits, unless you only accelerate rapidly when in a straight line? It also appears E39 purists will still not be satisifed with a BMW EV (read the excerpt from the Motor Trend review to get my E39 reference)

"Probably the single biggest achievement here is the switch to zonal architecture with 'four big brains'—the one dedicated to driving dynamics is dubbed 'Heart of Joy'—directly running every single gizmo and widget on the car, with no hierarchical delegation to supplier-authored software running on supplier-sourced silicon. The whole shebang is BMW here, which cuts overall latency (the time between ordering and executing an action) from the typical 10–50 milliseconds down to just 1 ms. Believe it or not, you can feel this at the wheel of this fully electric iX3, because it is forever calculating precisely how much grip is available at each tire.

On a wet handling course interspersed with dry patches, in its default driving mode the iX3 always heads in the direction it’s pointed despite our determined efforts to force oversteer or make it plow. In Sport mode, the system rewards similar antics with gentle, easily maintained drifts. We especially appreciated this system on our early morning drive on twisty, hilly rural roads still partially damp with morning dew. Powering out of shady corners gave the impression they were bone dry, when strong braking in similar corners revealed loads of ABS intervention, revealing the low-mu truth.

Always knowing the precise grip level allows that brainy Heart of Joy to mete out precisely the maximum amount of power or retardation conditions will allow, with nothing squandered in clumsy iterative braking stabs.

This allowed our iX3 to follow an M4 remarkably closely around much of the handling circuit, despite weighing more and packing roughly 25 percent less power. It’s like the hyperfast electronics bestow 'virtual agility.'

Of course, the M4’s actual agility clearly allowed it to scoot out of tighter corners more quickly, as we waited for our taller SUV to settle back down to allow even distribution of full power to all four wheels. Alas, there’s no electronic escape from physics).

At least for entry-level iX3 models, the suspension is completely passive, but the geometry, dampers, and elastokinematic bits are all new, and everything’s tuned to attenuate or eliminate vibration or oscillation. Strategic reinforcement and the structural battery box provide an extremely rigid body and chassis. Body motions are well controlled, allowing natural levels of roll, pitch and dive. The ride/handling compromise impressed us on rural French roads, but the acid test will be neglected American pavement.

Sport mode steering is meant to feel less anodyne, with effort at the rim tied to the lateral grip information calculated by the 'heart of joy.' Try as we may, we failed to notice evidence of changing road grip, meaning it’s still no match for the E39 5-Series’ hydraulic system in delivering fingertip joy."

From Motor Trend

 

It's never a good idea to buy the first year of production of a brand-new platform. The iX, on the other hand, has been in production for 4 years, and most problems have been ironed out.

Before buying into any future tech promises with a legacy company like BMW, I would want to see a solid track record of updating, improving, and evolving the software for everyone.

 

@NomoTesla Why not?

Is this your personal belief that you would experience a higher rate of problems in a car produced in its 1st year of production?

Or is it based upon personal experiences with past purchases?

Or is it based upon some kind of independent study that shows that cars in their 1st year of production experience a higher rate of problems?

I'm genuinely curious to hear what motivated you to write that recommendation.

 

If the iX3 knocks my socks off, I'll buy first year! No Fear !!

 

@exxxviii iX3 M70 spotted testing at the Ring a few weeks ago. Looks to be rather flat through the corners (for a SUV)

 

Holy smokes! With the current prototype being an "xDrive50 spec", several of us were hoping for at least one "performance trim" up from that, i.e. a 60 flavor of some sort - but an M70? Yes please.

 

At this point, I’d wait for NK.

 

I was about to purchase a used 2023 IX 50. Honestly the most luxurious cabin I've seen. Yesterday, I saw driver's reviews of the NK IX30. I'll keep my 2019 535GT Until the NK is available to evalute, and if I'm impressed, I'll kease the NK and avoid "first year release anxiety. I keep telling myself to be patient😂

 

400kw charging speeds on the NK iX3! 10-80% in about 20 mins.

Here is a YouTube video this week that highlights how fast it can charge (naturally it's ideal summer conditions).

I also like the fact that BMW have updated the app so that the app will show the live charging speed on the phone.

400kw chargers are already here in the UK and in Europe. I don't road trip that often, but knowing that when I do, it would be WAY faster than my iX40, would be something I appreciate.

However, then I read about the Xpeng G6 in the UK and it's charging speed has been upgraded from 280kw to 451kw (no 500kw chargers in the UK yet, but there are some in Europe, I believe) which in ideal conditions means 10-80% in 12 minutes, which is damn quick.

And then I read that BYD are going to be launching their Flash Chargers in the UK next year which can charge at up to 1,000kw, and they want to build a Tesla style charging network.

"BYD announced earlier this year that it has developed its own super-fast charger that can charge EVs at up to 1MW (1,000kW), adding 1.2 miles of charge every second and up to 249 miles-worth of charge in just five minutes, equalling the speed at which petrol cars are able to fill up.

Speaking exclusively to The Independent, BYD Special Advisor Alfredo Altavilla revealed that the first of these so-called Flash Chargers will be coming to the UK next year, confirming that BYD was aiming to rival Tesla’s Supercharger network."

The BMW NK iX3 sounded impressive to me with 400kw charging speed, but then it seems like the Chinese brands are already ahead of them.

 

I am having the same reaction. I am expecting a solid price jump also, so it might still be better to with the older model,year.

 

@Mikey A decline in price possibly for NK cars, given the massive reduction in the cost of producing the batteries compared to current BMW EVs...

"The headline figures are that these new batteries increase range by 30%, efficiency by 20% and charging speeds by 30% (with bi-direction capabilities) and they reduce production costs by up to 50% compared with today’s packs. BMW has yet to disclose a capacity for the batteries that will be fitted.

These reduced costs - achieved by most of the development and assembly now being done in-house – will be passed onto buyers, said Post, instead of being swallowed as extra profit. 'It is important to be competitive in the market from the price range in terms of reachability for the customers,' he said, adding that this will allow the firm to push for price parity between ICE cars and EVs.'"

 

Some more reasons to switch to the NK iX3 rather than LCi Ix45, for me.

Yes, it would be fun to plug in my kettle to my BMW EV and make a cup of tea when I'm on a road trip but the big advantage would be Vehicle to Grid, which in theory, would enable me to charge my car for free at home (assuming UK energy suppliers expand V2G to include these new BMW EVs)

I'm assuming this would all be offered in the iX5, iX6 and iX7 future models as well, but I'm not in a position to wait for those bigger EVs to be released.

"The SoP of the new BMW iX3 will also introduce extensive bidirectional charging functions – to-Load, to-Home and to-Grid:
Vehicle-to-Load (V2L) turns the vehicle into a powerful mobile powerbank (up to 3.7kW in Europe) and supplies energy for one or several consumers, wherever customers need it.

Bidirectional charging capability turns the BMW iX3 into an at-home energy storage unit.

Vehicle-to-Home (V2H) helps customers to reduce costs.

Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) sets new standards for the integration of the vehicle into the energy market."

Interesting developments on ADAS tech with NK, but not sure how much of these will be available in UK market.

"The motorway assistant with automatic lane change will be available with extended features in the BMW iX3.

Upon request, it can assist drivers from when they join a motorway to when they leave it and allow drivers to take their hands off the steering wheel for long periods.

This assistant remains active even during automated motorway changes along an active navigation route.

The new Motorway & City Assistant helps the driver in complex driving situations in urban areas, e.g. through tight corners or roundabouts. It brakes automatically at red traffic lights and moves off again or sounds an audible signal when lights turn green."

 

the big advantage would be Vehicle to Grid, which in theory, would enable me to charge my car for free at home

Hi @electric_journey why/how would it be free charging at home?

 

This is the first contender to dethrone iX from my personal top spot. Before, I was thinking that I might upgrade my '22 iX to LCI in 2-3 years time, but honestly, from what I see here, the NK will be the car to buy, especially after it will be 2-3 years on the road with the majority of initial problems fixed. I'm used to a bigger car feel (X5→X6→iX for me), but with the city driving iX3 might be the perfect sized SUV. Really looking forward to in-depth reviews next year.

 

Another step forward vs the iX, the NK vehicles will no longer have start/stop button. Welcome to the 21st century, BMW. Glad to see you have caught up!

 

What do you mean no start/stop button? Thx in advance.

 

I’m definitely looking forward to the next evs from BMW.
Btw I test drove a 2026 X5 50e last week for kicks and let me tell you - that X5 is great but it is a MAJOR step down from the iX wrt acceleration and overall drive experience. Not to mention the rear seating is so much more luxurious and roomy in the iX.
Don’t think I’m moving away from BMW EV anytime soon.

 

It seems to me that with all the complexities involved in using your EV as a battery for your home, it is simpler, and looks like potentially less expensive, to just install a solar panel system, with the appropriate amount of battery storage and inverters to charge your EV('s). This is certainly true for me with 12 kWp of solar panels (almost 15 years old, obviously not installed for EVs, so probably not quite 12kW anymore), 6 X 5.0 kWh batteries and 3 X 5.5 kW Sunsynk inverters. What I paid for my installation is no longer relevant as prices have halved since I started, but I run the whole house on this, and charge both my BMW i4M50 and my wife's BMW iX50, and have recently switched my main switch to the electricity utility off. So far so good. it is the end of winter now, where I live (no rain), and I don't know how the rainy season in our summer will affect this, but at least we will have longer hours of sunshine. By the way, I have recouped my investment several times over so far.

 

Right, the wraps off the NK iX3 have been taken off. Yes, as a tech person, all the advances of the car over the iX do attract me (especially up to 500 miles of range if you drive efficiently, which I do with my iX already)

However, as I prepare for another road trip (I'm driving my iX40 738 miles from London to Munich next week for the IAA show where I'll be able to check out the NK iX3 in person, and see the inside and the new iDrive X etc), I realise that even though the NK iX3 offers more interior space than the current iX3 (allegedly, same room as an X5), it still appears a bit cramped to me when viewing the photos, given my reference point is 3 years of living with the iX and loving how the centre console doesn't run all the way up to the dashboard.

Again, in the photo, the rear of the NK iX3 looks a bit too snug for me (but I will get a better idea when I inspect the interior next week)

Oh and to add to my quandary of what to replace my leased iX40 with, it turns out I could probably lease the facelifted iX M70 for not much more than I'm paying every month for my iX40. That's like a crazy deal.

It seems the iX here in the UK is really heavily discounted at this point in time.

Also, it turns out that both deliveries (you can order now) and test drives of the NK iX3 don't begin until March 2026 in the UK (I test drove the iX before leasing it. I am not sure I would want to lease the NK iX3 without doing a test drive first.

Oh whilst I'm at IAA next week, I've booked test drives of;
Porsche Taycan Turbo GT (up to 1,093 bhp)
Denza GT9 (up to 933bhp)
Hyundai Ioniq 5 N (up to 650 bhp)

Just curious to see how different EVs drive and feel.

If anyone on here wants me to report back on anything NK iX3 related (from the perspective of an iX guy), whether it's the seats, the space, the frunk, iDrive X, Panoramic vision etc, just reply to this thread and I'll do my best to share back on here for you once I see the car in person. Oooh, I do like the white interior!

 

Right, the wraps off the NK iX3 have been taken off. Yes, as a tech person, all the advances of the car over the iX do attract me (especially up to 500 miles of range if you drive efficiently, which I do with my iX already)

However, as I prepare for another road trip (I'm driving my iX40 738 miles from London to Munich next week for the IAA show where I'll be able to check out the NK iX3 in person, and see the inside and the new iDrive X etc), I realise that even though the NK iX3 offers more interior space than the current iX3 (allegedly, same room as an X5), it still appears a bit cramped to me when viewing the photos, given my reference point is 3 years of living with the iX and loving how the centre console doesn't run all the way up to the dashboard.

Again, in the photo, the rear of the NK iX3 looks a bit too snug for me (but I will get a better idea when I inspect the interior next week)

Oh and to add to my quandary of what to replace my leased iX40 with, it turns out I could probably lease the facelifted iX M70 for not much more than I'm paying every month for my iX40. That's like a crazy deal.

It seems the iX here in the UK is really heavily discounted at this point in time.

Also, it turns out that both deliveries (you can order now) and test drives of the NK iX3 don't begin until March 2026 in the UK (I test drove the iX before leasing it. I am not sure I would want to lease the NK iX3 without doing a test drive first.

Oh whilst I'm at IAA next week, I've booked test drives of;
Porsche Taycan Turbo GT (up to 1,093 bhp)
Denza GT9 (up to 933bhp)
Hyundai Ioniq 5 N (up to 650 bhp)

Just curious to see how different EVs drive and feel.

If anyone on here wants me to report back on anything NK iX3 related (from the perspective of an iX guy), whether it's the seats, the space, the frunk, iDrive X, Panoramic vision etc, just reply to this thread and I'll do my best to share back on here for you once I see the car in person. Oooh, I do like the white interior!

View attachment 6845

View attachment 6847

What a fun trip! I’d love to hear what you think of the NK ix3. My IX is my dog (in crates) & travel car. Hearing about the size will be great!

 

Just realized that there is no mentioning of B&W in the German configurator 😳 Only the HK with 365 W. Oh my god.

 

@micleg I find the HK system in my ix3 rather spectacular but I'm not an audiophile like others are.

Having said that, the ix3 is aimed at a lower segment, so I would expect that certain things would be missing vs the iX (for example, to fold the rear seats in the iX3, you'll have to walk round and pull a strap to fold them down, unlike the electric buttons in the iX)

 

FYI, those two interior shots are from this article:

2026 BMW iX3 Revealed: Meet the Blueprint for BMW's Future

Don't mistake the iX3 for another cookie-cutter electric SUV, because it's truly ushering in a new era of BMW. Here's how.

www.thedrive.com

 

But does it frunk?

I would be interested in a NK 5-series.

 

Yes. 58 liters and water proof.

Regarding X5 NK in 2027:

"We’re not sure the new X5 plug-in hybrid will use Gen6 batteries with round cells, considering the vehicle will stick to the CLAR platform."

2027 BMW X5 (G65) Prototype Spied With New Door Handles, PHEV Variant

Our spies got really close to the next-gen BMW X5, catching the 'G65' from all angles. The luxury SUV is getting the Neue Klasse treatment.

www.bmwblog.com

The EV X5 will share the same platform (old CLAR) with ICE cars so it won't be able to use the space like IX and iX3. Sounds like a dead on arrival for me.

 

I hope that doesn't mean we will have to live with such compromises. All BMW EVs moving forward should be based on this next-gen platform, including new cells, computer hardware, etc., or they will simply not be competitive.

 

"The software running on this new tech is BMW’s Operating System X (OS X), which aims to be much simpler to use than OS 8.5 (used in cars like the 5-series) or OS 9 (currently active in the latest 1-series and 2-series Gran Coupe) has been.

‘Speaking self-critically, it was quite a mess with all of the BMW apps and menus [in the older versions], and they were quite small where even when you were at a standstill, you really needed to focus,’ says Frederic Cohrssen, BMW’s project manager for user interfaces. ‘We’ve cleaned this up.’"

Source

 

Correction to my earlier post. Seems they think they can combine new battery tech and displays with old platform. Of they succeed the worst that could happen is louse space for feet at mid seat in the back and a high floor.

Spied: 2027 BMW X5 Prototype Seen Testing on the Autobahn With Neue Klasse-Inspired Design

A camouflaged 2027 BMW X5 has been spotted testing on the German Autobahn. Hidden door handles, next-gen interior tech, and multiple drivetrains hint at a bold evolution of BMW’s best-selling SUV.

www.bmwblog.com

 

I've just been reading about the new electric GLC from MB that will also be unveiled at the IAA show next week. Now this is where things get interesting compared to BMW's approach for the NK iX3.

The electric GLC has a wheelbase almost as much as an iX (so could be roomier in the back the the NK iX3), but it's got similar exterior dimensions to the NK iX3, plus you can get it with air suspension AND rear wheel steering, where the turning circle is supposed to 36 feet (NK iX3 turning circle is almost 40 feet)

The frunk is much larger in the GLC too, at 100 litres. Naturally, being a MB, it's probably a comfort oriented car vs a more sporty BMW, but fascinating to see the different approaches by these 2 firms for cars that will compete against each other.

 

I am in Munich for the IAA show.

Managed to make my way past the hordes of people wanting to sit inside the NK iX3 and play with iDrive X and to check out the interior, and my first impressed are quite mixed. I'm still not convinced it's a car that I could live with after 3 years with my iX. Lots of things are very cool (including massage seats that are WAY better than the iX ones) but for me (because I transport elderly relatives), the super light doors of the iX are a huge advantage, as the iX3 doors are the opposite, they are super heavy, and need a good push to either open (after electric release) or to close.

However, for those of you that hate the super light doors of the iX, you will love the super heavy doors of the NK iX3. Feels like a TANK!

For me (when compared to my iX) the iX3 felt a bit cramped, and a bit of a cheap feeling interior. Technically it has the interior room of an X5, but the iX has the interior room somewhere in between an X5 and an X7.

First time I've driven my iX40 on the autobahn, and can't believe how stable and quiet (lack of wind noise) it was even when doing 110mph (completely legally) - it didn't feel any different from cruising at 70mph.

 

I would think anything with a "3" or "4" moniker would feel cramped inside compared to the iX.

 

Thank you @electric_journey to share with us your visit to Munich.
My lease will end next year april, so I'm also considering the NK iX3.
One of my biggest concern, as you also mentioned, is the silence of the iX.
Will this be also the case in the NK iX3?
I didn't found any reference on the internet.
I would prefer to have a smaller car, but don't want to give up the comfort of the iX which is genius (and certainly not comparable with a model Y).
The car will be at the 'ZOUTE GRAND PRIX CAR WEEK ' from 8 to 12th of Octobre.
Will try to get in.