What's this neue car all about then?
When BMW unveiled the iX3 Neue Klasse in Munich this year, it promised a new era for the EV and for the brand. After spending several days behind the wheel on sun-baked Spanish tarmac, it's clear it's done something even more ambitious: the all-new iX3 is an era-skipping revolution.
When it comes to design, iX3 Neue Klasse is refreshingly clean, cohesive and calm; it genuinely looks like BMW's designers have finally exhaled after the controversial mega-nostril grille era.
Up front, the famous kidney grille has evolved into something entirely different, and it's now digital. Instead of a gaping physical intake, you're presented with a smooth, enclosed panel featuring intricate LED detailing that illuminates rather than inhaling air. It functions more as a high-tech brand signature than a cooling device, creating a beaming futuristic presence at night.
The vertical headlights are razor-thin and stretch horizontally, visually widening the front end and making it look more planted on the road. A deep groove runs down the bonnet, serving the dual purpose of aiding aerodynamics while beautifully framing the BMW badge.
Flush, retractable door handles help the car slice through air, while the surfacing remains crisp and refreshingly uncluttered. Sitting on 20 or 21-inch wheels (trim-dependent), the SUV fills its arches nicely.
It genuinely looks like BMW's designers have finally exhaled after the controversial mega-nostril grille era.
BMW flips convention at the back with vertical tail lights that frame a clean tailgate, topped by a neat roof spoiler and BMW's subtly redesigned roundel badge. The lower bumper reveals your specification (my Pro variant featured a black rear diffuser, while other trims colour-code that section to the bodywork). It's a small distinction, but in person it genuinely shifts the character from sporty to understated depending on the finish.
All this aerodynamic effort delivers tangible results, BMW quotes a drag coefficient of approximately 0.24, genuinely slippery for a family SUV. Combined with the substantial battery pack, this efficiency delivers an official WLTP range of up to 805km.
The steering wheel, bristling with more buttons and controls than a small aircraft cockpit, is borderline intimidating. But everything clicks into place.
Initial reaction to the interior is "whoa, that's a lot of technology." A full-width Panoramic Vision display stretches across the dashboard, a large central infotainment screen floats prominently, and a head-up display layers even more data into your eyeline.
Then you notice the steering wheel, bristling with more buttons and controls than a small aircraft cockpit. On first contact, it's borderline intimidating, but after a few minutes everything clicks into place with that familiar BMW logic, just reimagined for the electric age.
The iX3 leans into the future, yet manages to remain surprisingly user-friendly.
There's no start/stop button; simply sit down and the car awakens. Select Drive with a quick tug of the selector and you're rolling. It feels remarkably natural. Seat controls have migrated to the door cards (borrowing from another German brand?), and the ergonomics work brilliantly. The seats themselves are premium, fully electric, heated, and available with massage functionality. They hug from all angles without feeling overly bolstered.
BMW claims over 30% of plastics in the car are sustainable or reclaimed, with a significant portion sourced from the ocean. You get recycled fabrics and Alcantara-like surfaces that genuinely feel expensive rather than token eco-gestures. This is also the first BMW featuring a usable frunk, lined with those same sustainable plastics.
Cabin space is generous, especially in the rear. The benefits of a dedicated EV platform shine through: flat floor, abundant legroom and headroom, plus a boot I can fairly describe as monstrous. Add the large panoramic roof and you get that airy, family-SUV feel, just with EV whisper-quiet operation and brutal acceleration on tap.
The iX3 leans into the future, yet manages to remain surprisingly user-friendly. The Panoramic Vision Display is sweeping, elegantly stretched across the dashboard that allows you to tile up to six different information panels (navigation, elevation, time, temperature and more). You configure exactly what matters to you, and the system remembers that layout as part of your driver profile.
The Intelligent Head-Up Display transcends traditional speed and speed-limit duties. On twisty roads, it proactively highlights upcoming sharp bends, even without a destination programmed into navigation.
The busy-looking steering wheel is logically split: the left side handles driver assistance and adaptive cruise functions, while the right manages media and other controls. The twist is what BMW calls "Shytech" or "Shywear"; the car surfaces only the driver assistance information you need, when you need it, rather than bombarding you with constant warnings.
One particularly neat touch is behavioral learning. If you consistently flick into Sport mode every time you drive, after 8-10 trips the car starts pre-selecting that mode for you as part of your profile.
Another example is the Assisted Drive Pro. On the motorway, a single touch engages the aid and the system handles lane-keeping and adaptive cruise with a light but confident touch.
Green indicators confirm you're essentially hands-and-feet-free, and it changes lanes automatically (provided you glance into the side mirrors). It even politely moves back to the correct lane with proper lane discipline – a habit some New Zealand drivers could learn from.
How much is it?
For launch, BMW keeps the lineup refreshingly simple: one seriously potent dual-motor, all-wheel-drive configuration called the iX3 50 xDrive.
Underneath sits a battery with approximately 107kWh usable capacity, feeding dual motors that collectively generate 345kW and a hefty 645Nm of torque – roughly 462hp in traditional terms.
Zero to 100km/h in 4.9 seconds is genuinely fast for a roomy family SUV and the 805km WLTP range transforms journey planning from survival strategy to coffee-stop scheduling. The 800V architecture supports up to 400kW DC fast-charging.
What's it like to drive?
Plant your right foot and the iX3 simply hurls itself at the horizon. What stands out is the delivery; savage when demanded, yet incredibly smooth and linear. No wheelspin theatrics, no clumsy surging, just beautifully managed torque delivery.
You get multiple brake regeneration levels too (mild, medium, strong) plus an Adaptive mode. In Adaptive, the system reads traffic, junctions and gradients, smoothly easing you back without that awkward head-bobbing, one-pedal lurch. Around town and on twisting roads it feels incredibly natural, with over 90% of braking handled via regeneration, meaning the physical brake pads barely get touched.
But does it feel like a BMW? Absolutely, yes. On the motorway, the iX3 Neue Klasse is calm, quiet and supremely composed. Cabin insulation is excellent – at 120km/h you're hearing little more than faint wind whoosh and some tyre noise. The steering hits that sweet BMW middle ground: not overly light, not artificially heavy, delivering clean, predictable responses to small inputs.
On twisty roads and during our Ascari racetrack session (yes, we genuinely played on the Ascari circuit), the iX3 comes alive. Turn-in is sharp, body control is tidy, and the overall balance feels almost impossibly poised for something this large and heavy. It goes precisely where you point it, you drive the front axle and the rest faithfully follows.
Push harder and yes, the acceleration can churn your stomach. But it's how the chassis flows through a series of bends, including relatively sharp right-handers, that impresses most. There's no sensation of being dragged by battery mass; instead it feels planted, confident and oddly light on its feet.
Ride comfort is equally well-judged. The excellent seats with optional massage play their part, but the underlying suspension tune delivers that classic "BMW long-haul" character – firm enough for controlled cornering, supple enough for fatigue-free hours on end, this is a genuine continent-crusher, not just a city EV with range aspirations
What’s the pick of the range?
What's most impressive about the iX3 Neue Klasse is that despite all its complexity (the expansive screens, adaptive systems, high-voltage architecture and behavioral learning) it never feels like you need a PhD to operate it.
For a car this advanced, it "just seems to work" without demanding much mental bandwidth. That's arguably this vehicle's greatest achievement, delivering BMW's future in a package your brain can accept within a single day. This is seriously the "next big thing" in electric vehicles.
What other cars should I consider?
Without final pricing, it's hard to pinpoint where the iX3 sits in the market.
But you'd have to think other (probably German) new-gen medium-sized EV-SUVs would be on the shopping list, including the Audi Q6 e-tron, forthcoming Mercedes-Benz GLC 400 and Porsche Macan.