The small electric SUV segment is one that BMW has been uncharacteristically sluggish at getting into, particularly when you remember that arch-rival Mercedes-Benz has had one - the EQA - since 2021. Still, it's okay to be fashionably late for the party if you bring the best gift, right?
The question now is; is the BMW iX1 the best gift?
The iX1, as the name may suggest, is the all-electric version of the latest incarnation of the small X1 SUV which sells here in the single front-wheel drive sDrive18i form with a fantastic 115kW/220Nm 1.5-litre three-cylinder engine (thanks Mini!).
Likewise, the electrified version of BMW's baby SUV will be available here as a single model - the top-spec AWD xDrive30 M Sport that brings double the power and more than twice the torque over the ICE version. Yes, you read that right - the iX1 xDrive30 pumps out 230kW and 494Nm from its dual electric motors and 66.5kWh battery pack. That battery pack also brings a claimed WLTP range of 440km.
While the first-gen BMW X1 was based on the same RWD/AWD platform as the E90 3 Series, that changed with the second-generation introduced in 2016, which sat on BMW's UKL2 FWD/AWD platform that underpinned the Mini range.
Yes, you read that right - the iX1 xDrive30 pumps out 230kW and 494Nm from its dual electric motors and 66.5kWh battery pack.
That platform continues to underpin the recently-released third-gen X1 and, therefore, the new iX1 as well. That is basically a long way of saying that the iX1 is based on an ICE platform and lacks a frunk. Sorry frunk fans - your charging cables will need to go in the boot.
It is, however, a fairly generous boot, clocking in at 490 litres (1495 with the rear seats down), which is only 20 litres less than the larger and more expensive iX3.
It's also not that much smaller than the iX3, being 1642mm tall (26mm lower) and 1845mm wide (46mm narrower), although there are bigger size differences when it comes to length - the iX3 is 4500mm long with a wheelbase of 2692mm, with the iX3 being 234mm longer with a 202mm longer wheelbase. So you'll notice that in the rear seats.
Being the top-spec M Sport model (BMW NZ is not bothering with the xLine model that BMW AU will offer), the iX1 lands in New Zealand fully loaded with kit, wearing 19-inch alloy wheels and featuring adaptive M suspension, dual zone climate control, adaptive LED headlights, an automatic tailgate, a head-up display, wireless phone charging, wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, BMW Intelligent Personal Assistant voice control system, keyless entry (and a digital key) and heated front seats.
Parking assist (including a 360 degree camera and reversing assistant that records the last 50 metres before you stop and can reverse out automatically) is also a standard feature, as well as BMW's full suite of driver assists and active safety systems.
On the outside, the iX1 is... basically the same as the X1. You can get the BMW i blue highlights, but otherwise this is standard X1, which is admirably restrained for a BMW EV.
Inside the iX1 is every bit a modern BMW, with a high quality interior that reflects the likes of the large iX with its big dual screens dominating the dash. Everything is sensibly well laid out and largely intuitive to use, as well as being spectacularly comfortable with what are probably the best seats I have ever experienced in a small SUV. The rear seats aren't quite so comfortable and leg room is unsurprisingly tight, but then that is what an iX3 is for...
On the outside, the iX1 is... basically the same as the X1. You can get the BMW i blue highlights, but otherwise this is standard X1, which is admirably restrained for a BMW EV (look at an iX if you want to understand what I mean by that). But then the X1 was a particularly handsome modern BMW anyway, so why mess with it?
On the road the iX1 isn't quite as brisk as the power might suggest weighing, as it does, just over 2000kg or around 450kg more than the X1.
It is, however, far more brisk than a small SUV would ever need to be and will knock on the legal open road speed limit in just 5.4 seconds from a standing start.
Power delivery is progressive and nicely calibrated, while flicking the discrete single paddle behind the steering wheel will drop it into boost mode for 10 seconds and things get hilariously more aggressive.
The iX1 is fantastically composed through corners, with accurate steering and sharp turn-in. It boasts almost perfect weight distribution (50.5% front/49.5% rear) and tracks accurately through corners.
It is also utterly unflustered by imperfections, with deeply satisfying grunt out of corners thanks to the big torque and the progressive power delivery.
The iX1 will cost $96,990 in New Zealand, which places it around $20k more expensive that an equivalently-specced ICE X1 which, when you consider you also get double the power and torque, and AWD is actually pretty sharp.
So is the iX1 a good gift to make a fashionably late arrival with? Well, when compared to its most obvious direct rival that was first at the party - the aforementioned EQA - things certainly look good, with the equivalent AWD 415kW/520Nm EQA 350 4matic clocking in $10,000 more expensive than the iX3. It has roughly the same range, but is slower (only by half a second, mind) and has a more cramped cabin.
But perhaps most convincingly, the iX1 is only $4k more than the entry 140kW/375Nm EQA 250, making it very tempting indeed for someone wanting a small luxury electric SUV, but not wanting to make the $14,000 jump from an EQA 250 to an EQA 350.
BMW iX1 xDRIVE30
ENGINE: 66.5kWh battery with dual electric motors
POWER: 230kW/494Nm
GEARBOX: Single-speed automatic, AWD
0-100KM/H: 5.4 sec
RANGE: 440km (WLTP)
PRICE: $96,990
