I spent a few days recently with the new BMW iX1 whilst my car was having some work done so I thought I would take the opportunity to photograph the car and having used the car for a decent amount of time, write a little review of the car as well.

The iX1 is an all electric model based on the latest BMW X1, a car who’s predecessor I spent 3 happy years with and covered over fifty thousand miles in. It comes with two motor options, the 20 with a 150 KW (204 HP) output and an official WLTP range of 275-293 miles but the model we have here is the 30 which has an output of 230 KW (313 HP) and 494 NM of torque with an WLTP range of 259-272 miles. There are 3 trim levels to choose from Sport, X-Line and M-Sport all of which are available with the 20 motor option but the 30 we have here is only available in X-Line and M-Sport options. The iX1 starts with a list price of just over £45000 in the UK and quickly a lot more expensive if you choose the more powerful motor and a nicer trim option. Being the top trim level and fastest iteration with several options, the car I had here was just short of £64000! A slightly eye watering sum for an compact SUV even in todays crazily inflated world.

The interior of the iX1 is a lovely place to spend time and a big step on from the previous generation X1. It features the dual screens that are now a feature in most modern BMW’s and features the latest app based iDrive infotainment. What it does do without is the now legendary iDrive rotary knob which is a big loss for me. Whilst the touch screen is easy to reach and use when you are on the move that little wheel meant you could navigate the iDrive system with little distraction and keeping your eyes on the road in a way that no touch screen has yet matched or even come close to. It’s a big loss and the lack of physical buttons for the heated seats and climate control which are now on the touch screen feels like a step backwards in terms of usability just for the sake of technology. The decent voice recognition does soften the blow a little once you have learned how to word your commands correctly so that it understands. That’s where the negatives end though, the iDrive system is still excellent and whilst not as intuitive as the older systems it has all the features you expect of a premium car in 2023 and once you get used to it, is very easy to use.

Interestingly, it is the first time I have spent time one of the latest BMW’s that give you the option to purchase physical features remotely and add them to the car during ownership rather than just as a factory option on purchase. Many of the models come with the hardware built in for things such as adaptive cruise control and heated steering wheels whether they are selected at purchase or not and can be activated through the iDrive or My BMW app for a one off fee. Initially I thought it was a bit of a money making exercise on BMW’s part but it does make buying a car on the used market easier when you can add the options you are looking for to most of the cars and it was pointed out to me by others that it has tax advantages with company cars where such options at the point of purchase would add to the tax payable as benefit in kind. What do you think? Is it tight on BMW’s part to not include the options to all cars if the hardware is there or does it make sense and just the way the industry is moving?

The rest of the interior is spacious for a compact SUV. It would be comfortable for four adults or two adults and couple of child car seats but would be tight if you added a fifth person for any length of time. The boot is a good 490l size and there is space below the boot floor to store the charging cables etc. The front seats are supportive and comfortable even for larger people although the rears are far less sculptured as is the case with most SUV’s. The ride is firm but far from uncomfortable even on the 20 inch wheels this car wore and it is an extremely quiet cruiser in terms of wind and road noise, something which is especially important in this sector with no engine noise present (providing you had disabled the active sound which makes the car sound like a spaceship). You could cover big miles in this car comfortably and its relatively compact size for an SUV it is easy to manoeuvre around town as well. It is a very easy car to live with.

You would be forgiven for expecting this 313hp car to have sporting intensions hidden beneath the skin but in short, it doesn’t. Crammed with heavy batteries it doesn’t feel as brisk as 313 horses would suggest which is something most electric cars suffer with. I think we need to recalibrate our brains as to how horsepower feels when it comes to electric cars. It’s far from slow with an official 0-62mph (0-100kph) time of 5.6 seconds but it felt more like an internal combustion engined car of this size would with circa 240hp. Most of the power is immediately on tap thanks to the electric motors and if you want to use ALL of the available performance you can pull the boost paddle (in place of the traditional left gearshift paddle) and whichever driving mode you are in you will get up to 10 seconds of maximum torque to perform an overtake or pull out of a junction in style making the car flexible in performance terms.

The car has Eco, Standard and Sport modes to choose from and I didn’t spend any time in Eco as the car was so good in standard mode. Sport mode makes the motors respond a little more urgently but in truth there seemed little reason to use it as it really didn’t improve the driving experience over the standard mode, just making the steering too heavy and not changing the suspension at all. Initially, the iX1 has that ‘BMW feel.’ It corners flatly and feels relatively purposeful doing day to day things or even during brisk daily driving but it starts to come unstuck if you are someone who likes to enjoy a country road once the wife and kids have been dropped off.

The previous X1 still delivered enough in this department to make pushing on an enjoyable experience but sadly this wasn’t the case in the iX1. I suspect due to the additional weight of the batteries etc the composure it showed during normal driving quickly developed into lots of body roll and it felt very uncomfortable being asked to change direction on bumpy roads and the car wallowed over undulations which did not offer any confidence and was actually quite worrying at times. Whether the Petrol and Diesel versions of the new X1 suffer the same fate I do not know but it was definitely disappointing that a BMW, albeit an SUV, didn’t live up to ultimate driving machine catch phrase it is famous for and which was the reason I chose the previous X1 over other cars at that time. Leave the car in standard mode and enjoy it for what it is which is a comfortable, practical, modern luxury SUV then it is a brilliant package but it isn’t going to deliver any driving pleasure for enthusiastic drivers.

Driving an electric car takes a little getting used to if it isn’t something you have much experience with. Regenerative braking harvests some of the energy that would otherwise be lost from slowing the car down and uses it to charge the battery. How severely it does this can be changed through the iDrive to either do nothing at all which makes the car feel like it is coasting off throttle all the way to making the car slow down as if you are braking rather firmly in the most aggressive setting. With a high setting you can effectively drive the car using just the throttle pedal until you want to come to a complete stop just by modulating the pedal to speed up or slow down as you require. It takes some practice and does feel a little strange when you are used to combustion engined cars. The iX1 has an intelligent mode which alters the level of regeneration depending on the situation you are in and the traffic conditions around you and it does a good job in many situations, particularly so when approaching the car in front or a junction where you get a far more aggressive slow down. On open motorways it dials it right back to feel like an off throttle combustion car to keep your momentum up. I found it worked pretty well in busy traffic or open predictable roads but came unstuck a little on variable, more quiet roads and it doesn’t inspire confidence in this circumstance as you are never sure what is going to happen when you ease off the throttle pedal. Switch it off and choose the setting yourself makes things more predictable but this can only be done through the iDrive which is a pain on the move and takes time so adapting to different driving environments is tricky and you rarely find yourself in the setting you need. Many electric cars utilise the gearshift paddles to easily change the level of regeneration and the ability to do this would make a huge difference to the drivability of the iX1.

I picked up the car with a full 100% charge and the car showing a range of exactly 200 miles and over the time I had the car with a mix of driving types and styles and found the computer to be pretty accurate. It was a little down on the WLTP figures but the weather was cool. It isn’t the fastest charging vehicle but is competitive and when I did need to top up at a fast charger it gave me 25.37 kWh in 26 minutes. At its maximum charging speed it should be able to charge from 10-80% in 29 minutes and from 0-100% in 6.5 hours using a domestic wall box according to BMW.

I actually really enjoyed my time with the iX1. Using it for the daily chores and just going about my usual business it was brilliant. It feels premium in terms of interior quality and the way in which it drives, looks great, is comfortable and extremely easy to live with. As a car enthusiast it didn’t deliver on those small number of occasions that you wanted some fun but would you really expect a car from this segment to do that? The majority of people buying SUV’s are far more concerned with the other attributes of the car and in those areas it is hard to fault. For the rest of us who need the more practical attributes but still want a dynamic edge, perhaps the still combustion engined X1 M35i will be the one to have when it arrives very soon. I would love to spend some time with that!