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The BMW iX is one of the most radical EVs on sale in India today, boasting futuristic, if somewhat divisive styling, a luxurious interior, and excellent dynamics. Despite its hefty price tag of ₹1.21 crore, it has proven to be a runaway success for BMW India, quickly claiming the title of the best-selling luxury EV in the country. Nevertheless, when we pitted it against the Mercedes-Benz EQE and the Audi Q8 e-tron in our in-depth EV comparison test, the iX fell short in terms of range and outright performance. To remedy this, BMW has launched the iX xDrive50 variant in India. It gets a bigger battery, more powerful motors, more range, and a whole lot more performance. Will these upgrades suffice to maintain its bestseller status? We took it for a quick spin to find out.
When the BMW Vision iNext concept debuted in 2018, there were quite a few murmurs: are they really going to put that grille into production? Surprise, surprise, just three short years later, the BMW iX made its debut, and it retained most of the concept's styling elements, albeit toned down for production. It's safe to say that the styling was not to everyone's liking, but BMW is no stranger to controversy – remember the Bangle era? And just like the cars that Chris Bangle penned, the BMW iX has slowly started to gain acceptance. If you can get past that grille, the rest of the design is actually quite restrained and clean.
The iX xDrive50 is hard to tell apart from the lesser xDrive40 variant unless you look at the badge at the rear. Both get the Sport Package as standard, featuring sporty front and rear bumper covers and gloss black trim elements. Our test car featured the optional BMW Individual Exterior Line Package, which introduces titanium bronze accents to the window trim strips, door handles, grille graphics, and badging. This addition injects a significant amount of visual flair into the iX, especially when complemented by the Storm Bay paint finish. While appearing flat from a distance, a closer inspection reveals striking blue and gold flakes in the paint. Additionally, the xDrive50 model rides on 22-inch aerodynamically optimised wheels as standard, in contrast to the 21-inch wheels found on the xDrive40.
Stepping inside, not much has changed, which is great news as the iX has one of the best interiors of any car on sale in India. Our test car was specced with light oyster-coloured seats, which elevate the cabin, making it feel even more light and airy than before. The hexagonal wheel does take some getting used to, but that's a minor inconvenience in the grand scheme of things. The term lounge-like has been thrown around with carefree abandon when describing the iXs interior, but there is no better way to describe it.
The front seats are exceptionally comfortable – enhanced by the fact that they are ventilated in the xDrive50 – and the rear seat is simply extraordinary. Not only that, but they also exude a cool and contemporary vibe that makes you wonder if you can source a set for your apartment. In terms of design flourishes, the titanium bronze accents continue on the inside, while the crystal switches and open-pore wood surfaces add panache. The rest of the interior layout is largely the same as it is on the xDrive40, with the curved two-part display taking centre stage.
The biggest talking point on the BMW iX xDrive50 is, of course, the powertrain, specifically the battery pack. The iX xDrive40 variant was equipped with a 76.6kWh battery pack, providing a range of 425km on the WLTP test cycle. However, with the introduction of the xDrive50 variant, the battery pack has grown substantially to 111kWh. This larger capacity now surpasses that of the Mercedes-Benz EQE and falls just short of the Q8 e-tron, affording the xDrive50 an impressive WLTP range of 635km. In real-world conditions, this should translate to over 500km of range.
The larger battery also enhances the iX's fast-charging capabilities, with AC charging allowing a full recharge in under eleven hours at 11kW. An option for 22kW charging reduces this time to approximately five hours. With DC fast charging, the iX can charge at up to 195kW, adding 150km of range in 10 minutes and reaching 80 per cent charge in around 35 minutes. The bigger battery pack now powers more powerful motors, which has significantly boosted power output to the tune of 516bhp and 765Nm of torque – an increase of nearly 200bhp and 135Nm compared to the xDrive40.
Despite the dusty road surface we were testing it on, the iX bolted off the line with astonishing ferocity and minimal drama, courtesy of its all-wheel drive system. In fact, the acceleration is so fierce that the first time I tried it, my head snapped back and stayed pinned to the headrest until I lifted off the go pedal. BMW claims a 4.6-second 0 to 100kmph time for the xDrive50, a notable improvement of 1.5-seconds over the xDrive40. This places the iX firmly at the forefront when compared to the Mercedes-Benz EQE's 4.9-second and the Audi Q8 e-tron's 5.6-second claimed 0 to 100kmph acceleration times.
While the previous xDrive40 lacked the straight-line speed to bother its rivals, its cornering ability left little to be desired. When pointed towards a series of bends, the iX came alive with its precise steering and exciting yet predictable handling. What was even more impressive was the way it dealt with the worst of Indian road conditions, and all of this was despite riding on steel springs. The xDrive50 now gets air suspension as standard, which has further improved the ride without any detrimental effect on the handling. The air suspension automatically lowers the iX by 10mm at speeds above 140kmph to improve aerodynamic efficiency. It also has the added benefit of being able to raise the suspension by 20mm with the push of a button, increasing ground clearance from 202mm to 222mm.
For now, the xDrive40 will coexist alongside the new xDrive50 variant, and plans to discontinue the xDrive40 are not yet set in stone. While prices for the xDrive50 are yet to be announced, the xDrive40 variant of the iX is priced at ₹1.21 crores (ex-showroom), a substantial investment but still offering decent value in the segment. Although not flawless, BMW has addressed nearly every criticism with the xDrive50 while preserving all the qualities that made it exceptional from the start. It's gone from being the slowest and least powerful vehicle with the shortest range to emerging as the top dog in its segment, at least on paper. The key question remains whether BMW can competitively price it to maintain its lead on the sales charts. But if they do, they have a mighty winner on their hands.
