BMW iX1 LWB first drive review: Most VFM luxury EV in India?

At this year’s Bharat Mobility Global Expo, BMW launched a surprise product - the iX1 long-wheelbase that got everyone buzzing.

Let’s start with three fun facts.

1. The iX1 becomes the first electric BMW to be locally assembled, marking a significant step towards making luxury EVs accessible.

2. India holds the global distinction of being the first market to receive the long-wheelbase version of the iX1 - beating even China!

3. Priced at ₹49 lakh, the iX1 undercuts its petrol-powered sibling by ₹1.8 lakh and is a staggering ₹18 lakh more affordable than its nearest competitor, the Mercedes-Benz EQA.

With such a unique combination of a luxury badge, space, and aggressive pricing, could this be the most value-packed luxury car India has ever seen? Let’s find out.

If you prefer to watch the video review, click here.

BMW iX1 eDrive20L performance and handling

Now, long wheelbase naturally alludes to the car being chauffeur-driven but my first instinct was to see how it drives; at the end of the day this is a BMW even if it’s the least thrilling one (on paper) in the lineup. The first thing that struck me was the lack of a dramatic startup sound, unlike the cinematic flair you get in the i5 or i7. Instead, this one opts for a more subdued, muted tone. It’s still composed by Hans Zimmer, but feels like a lighter, simpler rendition - almost as if it’s setting the stage for a quieter kind of excitement.

The iX1 generates 201bhp and 250Nm of torque, and I began the test by strapping on the VBOX for a 0-100kmph acceleration time. The result? 8.57 seconds - not exactly thrilling, especially when compared to the regular wheelbase iX1’s 5.9 seconds (that’s a twin motor setup), but far from sluggish. Out of curiosity, I tried launches across the car’s different driving modes. 8.57 seconds was achieved in Sport mode, the fastest setting. In Efficient mode, designed for maximum range, the time stretched to 9.81 seconds, with the other modes falling somewhere in between. Just for the record BMW claims a time of 8.6 seconds.

While it’s not as quick as an EV6 or even an Ioniq 5, the iX1L truly shines when it comes to handling. Around corners, the car exudes a sense of poise and balance that reflects the BMW engineers’ dedication to delivering a segment-leading driving experience. One of the biggest challenges for EVs is their weight and its distribution, which can make them hesitant during high-speed cornering or sudden changes in direction - say, when you encounter a stray cow on the road. To address this, BMW has nailed a near-perfect 50:50 weight distribution in the LWB iX1. Combined with a well-engineered suspension setup, this makes the car incredibly predictable and composed, even under duress.

Take the photo above, for instance - it shows the iX1L cornering at around 95kmph, with very little body roll. The steering, too, plays a pivotal role in this predictability. BMW seems to have moved beyond their overly light steering setups, finding a balance that adjusts to speed. It’s light and effortless in city driving but firms up to inspire confidence at higher speeds. This thoughtful tuning ensures that the iX1 feels as much at home on twisty roads as it does in urban traffic.

The extra 108mm of wheelbase greatly helps the knee room. The floor is slightly raised because of the batteries underneath. You will miss having sunblinds here

BMW iX1 eDrive20L ride and back seat comfort

But the party piece is its ride comfort. It rides so well that on smooth roads it feels like floating on a hoverboard. And this ride feels even better when you hit the rough stuff. The suspension absorbs everything and the only thing that filters through to the cabin are the slight foamy-like movements and gentle thud sounds. BMW's ability to strike a perfect balance between handling and ride quality across their current lineup is remarkable. In my opinion, they’ve definitively claimed the crown for the best-riding cars, surpassing even Mercedes-Benz.

Here’s the big one. The longer wheelbase of this car stretches it by 116mm, bringing the total length to 4.6 metres and adding 108mm to the wheelbase. Inside, this translates to an additional 109mm of knee room in the rear and 15mm of extra seat cushion length. Sitting at the rear reveals its first drawback. Like most EVs built on ICE platforms, this too has a raised floor, causing rear passengers to sit with their knees slightly elevated. This is where the extra knee room comes in handy. Slide your feet forward, and the 15mm increase in the seat length ensures you get enough under-thigh support, improving comfort. However, sitting cross-legged quickly becomes uncomfortable. The seat also reclines up to 28.5 degrees, though I found my sweet spot somewhere in the middle of the range. Thanks to the SUV’s body style, headroom is never an issue. Another benefit of the extended wheelbase is the roof—or rather, the skylight. The glass roof is enormous, spanning 9 square feet and nearly the entire cabin length. The best part? It doesn’t open, sparing me the sight of children (or child-like adults) sticking out of the sunroof.

BMW iX1 eDrive20L features and practicality

The car also comes with certain desirable features like adaptive LED headlamps which will adjust the beam basis the driving and traffic condition, 18-inch two tone alloy wheels, BMW OS 9, 12-speaker and 205W Harman Kardon audio system, and vegan leather upholstery. It misses out on ventilated seats and sunblinds though.

Amid all this goodness, I found something that completely killed the vibe—the near-absence of physical buttons in the cockpit. BMW has embraced a minimalist luxury design philosophy, which means the dashboard is dominated entirely by the two-part panoramic digital screen, which measures 10.7-inch for the control panel and 10.25-inch for the instrument display. The only physical buttons you will find are for the front and rear demisters. Everything else is buried somewhere within the sprawling options of the infotainment system. Want to adjust the fan speed? Touchscreen. Change the drive mode? Touchscreen (though there is a physical button to bring up the modes screen). Adjust the brake regen settings? Touchscreen again. The lack of steering wheel paddles for tweaking brake regen stood out as a glaring omission, especially for EVs, where I prefer adjusting it based on traffic and driving conditions to balance efficiency and comfort, not to mention making it unsafe to change settings while you are on the go.

The My BMW app is also a nifty thing. You can lock/unlock doors, remotely turn on the air-conditioning to pre-cool the cabin, make the car turn on its lights or honk the horn to help you find it, and in select cities, you can call for a portable EV charging van, (charging concierge as BMW call it) in case you run critical on battery power, an industry first. The same app can also turn your mobile phone into a key for the car, though I suggest carrying at least the key card in case your phone runs out of battery. The roadside assistance is complimentary for 5-years and is available round the clock.

Notably, the boot of the iX1 loses 80 litres of space compared to the regular X1 and now has a capacity of 490 litres. This space is expandable to 1600 litres if you fold the rear seats down. They will also sell you a donut spare wheel as an accessory (it runs on non-run flats) but that will sit on the top of the boot floor.

We expect iX1 L's real world range to be between 400-450 kms. The length of the car is only 65mm shorter than an X3

BMW iX1 eDrive20L battery and range

The 66.7kWh battery pack in this car has a BMW-claimed range of 531km (MIDC tested). Real world range would be vastly different. For the time we had the car, we were testing it with so many scenarios of driving that it was not possible to get a good reading of the battery range. But all evidence points toward a 400-450km range in the real world. There is a max efficiency mode under the ‘efficient’ driving mode which will limit the top speed to 90kmph and power output to a little less than 50 per cent. Notably it will also turn the air conditioning into a mere showpiece given the summer of our country. The car will charge fully with a home charger (11kWh) in about 6.5 hours, but if you use a 130kWh fast charger, the car can go from 10-80 per cent charge in about half an hour. The most common form of fast chargers you will find on our highways is of 30 and 60kWh capacity, so an average family lunch, lasting an hour should suffice to get enough juice to make it to your next stop.

To ease customers into EV adoption BMW have included the 11kW wallbox charger in the price of the car.

The price to value proposition is remarkable with this car, probably the only car that decisively tilts the balance towards an EV in its entire line-up

BMW iX1 eDrive20L competition and price

With the iX1 L BMW have positioned themselves for an aggressive volume play in the luxury segment; even threatening Mercedes’ overall leadership position. To assess its VFM quotient, let’s compare it to the rivals in this segment. The Mercedes EQA is priced at ₹67.2 lakh, the Volvo C40 Recharge at ₹63 lakh, the Kia EV6 at ₹61 lakh, and the Hyundai Ioniq 5 at ₹46 lakh. That makes the iX1L’s ₹49 lakh ex-showroom pricing all the more astonishing and it’s hard to imagine it being a very profitable model in BMW’s portfolio. But BMW could be playing the long game - leveraging larger volumes to offset the India-specific RHD development costs, gain overall segment leadership, and keep their dealers happy.

The iX1L could also mark the tipping point for EV adoption in the luxury space. The top-spec petrol or diesel X1 will cost nearly ₹65 lakh on-road, and you’ll only get the standard wheelbase. For intra-city driving and if you don’t want the hassle of charging stops, sticking with an ICE variant might make sense. But for ₹13 lakh less (iX1L is ₹52 lakh on-road in Mumbai), you get not just the extra space of the long wheelbase but enough range to comfortably do a round trip like Mumbai-Pune-Mumbai without breaking a sweat. Crunch the numbers, this makes the iX1L one of the strongest arguments for an EV in segment. No other car comes close to tilting the balance so decisively in favour of electrification.