Tested: 2027 BMW iX3 Gets a Passing Grade

BMW’s Neue Klasse has been a long time coming. The next-generation vehicle architecture, which supports all manner of powertrains and gets its name from the mid-size cars that saved the company in the 1960s, was first announced in 2021. A graduation day of sorts has finally arrived, as we’ve now tested the first offspring of this family to arrive on our shores, a BMW iX3 50 xDrive.

Neue Klasse is touted by BMW as a reset. Conventions have been thrown out. The interior is designed around a new screen concept. The styling has mercifully been reined back in from the brutalist fringe, and it features kidney grilles of appropriate size, with a narrowness that recalls the BMW 1500.

In practice, the interior raises more questions than it answers. Some of our editors liked the new panoramic display that replaces a gauge pod and can show some more info in its center and rightmost buckets, which are customizable with several preset layouts and a handful of widgets. Others were, let’s say, less keen; for them, a Silent display mode removes the clutter. Several asked why, with this big new screen at cowl level, there’s still an optional head-up display projected on the windshield. Belt and suspenders?

If you, too, reflexively hit the brake pedal as soon as you sit down in any driver’s seat, you will be rewarded by the iX3 with constant beeping until you buckle up. Owners would likely have that behavior conditioned out of them, but there’s no good reason to warn an occupant when the vehicle is merely in its ready state, not yet shifted into gear.

There’s also the matter of the steering wheel. Vertical spokes make it look as if it’s already been rotated 90 degrees off of straight-ahead. The rim’s topography almost forces the driver into a 10-and-2 grip, as if that’s where you’ll find the most feeling from the helm. Unfortunately, that’s not the case, and the iX3 is light on feedback regardless of drive mode. A less unconventional M steering wheel is available if you select one of the M Sport packages, and its sculpting isn’t as aggressive.

Our test vehicle had the $2500 Driving Assistance Professional package, and we appreciated its hands-free mode equally for the relaxation and break from the wheel it afforded on highway drives. In our 75-mph highway range test, the iX3 managed 330 miles, 62 short of its EPA estimate. That’s a little disappointing but not entirely surprising, as previous BMW EVs, including our long-term i4, haven’t always met expectations. The Neue Klasse’s 800-volt electrical architecture does help lessen that sting, with this iX3 exhibiting a swift average DC fast-charging rate of 184 kilowatts going from 10 to 90 percent, which took just over a half hour.

The passive suspension that we couldn’t get much of a read on during our first encounter with the iX3 in Spain has shown its true colors. It didn’t even take the worst of Michigan’s roads to uncover harsh responses to bumps and a lack of isolation from the road. The tuning chosen is just too stiff, and it likely didn’t help that the car we tested rode on optional 22-inch wheels, the largest available. BMW doesn’t offer another suspension, which is a pity because the air springs available on the larger iX do a good job of filtering out imperfections.

While it doesn’t have the ride and handling balance we expect from a Bimmer, the handling part is pleasingly BMW-like. Feedback through the seat helps differentiate the iX3 from the average electric SUV, many of which only resist lean due to their bottom-heaviness. The iX3 is happy to change direction and feels natural doing so. Grip measured 0.88 g on our skidpad, a little less than you get from a gas X3 with similar power.

Brake pedal smoothness earns a point in the iX3’s favor, with no noticeable transition from regenerative to mechanical braking. The panic-stop results from 70 and 100 mph are also X3-like despite the iX3 weighing about 600 pounds more and riding on EV-specific low-rolling-resistance rubber.

The dual-motor 50 xDrive’s acceleration is more than adequate but won’t thrill those for whom electric powertrains are still a novelty. Switch to Sport mode to unleash all 463 horsepower, floor it, and 60 mph comes up in 4.3 seconds. An X3 M50 does it in 4.0 seconds. Interior sound levels are similar to that X3’s as well, except under max acceleration, where the EV is only slightly louder than it is at a 70-mph cruise. A 603-hp iX3 M60 xDrive M Performance model is already on the way, while a full-M version seems like a logical next step. BMW promises a rear-drive variant will join the 50 xDrive at some point.

We won’t deny that we’re more excited for the Neue Klasse sedans, the next 3-series being first on the list, and the iX3’s report card provides some hope that those will turn out well. As long as you aren’t put off by the interior, the iX3’s foibles are nothing a softer or more advanced suspension, and some steering tuning, shouldn’t be able to fix.

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