2023 BMW iX M60 First Drive Review
- 2 tahun yang lalu
2023 BMW iX M60 First Drive Review: BMW's electric SUV crosses the Alps
The iX M60 is a distinctly different flavor of M-ness
https://youtu.be/8P2Sp9lWYhA https://www.youtube.com/
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BMW's range of models has been partly defined by letters for many years. You've got M, X, and i, and they all represent decidedly different personalities. If you're familiar with the naming system, you know right off the bat that the i3 and the X6 M are on completely opposite ends of the BMW spectrum. Some models have been pegged at the intersection of two categories, like the aforementioned X6 M and the iX3, but none ticked all three boxes until the electric BMW iX M60 made its debut in 2022. It's an i, an X, and an M at the same time.
Can it wear three hats at once, or is it on the cusp of an identity crisis? I trekked across the Alps in one to find out.
Most of the changes that BMW made to the iX before deeming it worthy of wearing the M badge are under the body. Power comes from a pair of motors (one per axle for through-the-road all-wheel-drive) that draw electricity from a massive, 111.5-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery pack to zap the four wheels with 610 horsepower and 811 pound-feet of torque. That's enough for a brisk 3.6-second sprint from zero to 60 mph, but note that these figures can only be unlocked with Sport mode and Launch Control turned on. Keep both systems off, and you've got 532 horsepower and 749 pound-feet of torque under your right foot, which is still plenty. Maximum driving range checks in at 288 miles with the standard 21-inch wheels and 274 miles with the optional 22-inch wheels, according to the EPA. For comparison, the base iX xDrive50 also comes with dual-motor all-wheel drive, but it offers a total output of 516 horses and 564 pound-feet of torque, it takes 4.4 seconds to reach 60 mph from a stop. Its EPA-rated maximum driving range varies from 305 to 324 miles depending on the size of the wheels.
Chassis changes are also part of this recipe. The air suspension system that's optional on the iX xDrive50 is fitted as standard on the M60. It automatically adapts the ride height and damping based on current driving, road, and load conditions, and I'm told that it was calibrated by the M division's engineers to deliver sportier handling. The roll bars are M60-specific as well.
One point that deserves to be clarified is that the iX M60 is not the electric equivalent to the V8-powered X5 M. It's not a full-blown M car.
“It's an M Performance vehicle, not a high-performance version,” BMW M boss Frank van Meel told me. “Our target for the M Performance cars is always to give the driver more power and more precision. We change the chassis setup so that it's more direct and the body control is better without going as far as making a track vehicle like the high-performance ones. The gap between the series-production [iX] and a pure M was so big that customers demanded, 'could you give me more M character, but not for the track? You
The iX M60 is a distinctly different flavor of M-ness
https://youtu.be/8P2Sp9lWYhA https://www.youtube.com/
AutoNewsCars
BMW's range of models has been partly defined by letters for many years. You've got M, X, and i, and they all represent decidedly different personalities. If you're familiar with the naming system, you know right off the bat that the i3 and the X6 M are on completely opposite ends of the BMW spectrum. Some models have been pegged at the intersection of two categories, like the aforementioned X6 M and the iX3, but none ticked all three boxes until the electric BMW iX M60 made its debut in 2022. It's an i, an X, and an M at the same time.
Can it wear three hats at once, or is it on the cusp of an identity crisis? I trekked across the Alps in one to find out.
Most of the changes that BMW made to the iX before deeming it worthy of wearing the M badge are under the body. Power comes from a pair of motors (one per axle for through-the-road all-wheel-drive) that draw electricity from a massive, 111.5-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery pack to zap the four wheels with 610 horsepower and 811 pound-feet of torque. That's enough for a brisk 3.6-second sprint from zero to 60 mph, but note that these figures can only be unlocked with Sport mode and Launch Control turned on. Keep both systems off, and you've got 532 horsepower and 749 pound-feet of torque under your right foot, which is still plenty. Maximum driving range checks in at 288 miles with the standard 21-inch wheels and 274 miles with the optional 22-inch wheels, according to the EPA. For comparison, the base iX xDrive50 also comes with dual-motor all-wheel drive, but it offers a total output of 516 horses and 564 pound-feet of torque, it takes 4.4 seconds to reach 60 mph from a stop. Its EPA-rated maximum driving range varies from 305 to 324 miles depending on the size of the wheels.
Chassis changes are also part of this recipe. The air suspension system that's optional on the iX xDrive50 is fitted as standard on the M60. It automatically adapts the ride height and damping based on current driving, road, and load conditions, and I'm told that it was calibrated by the M division's engineers to deliver sportier handling. The roll bars are M60-specific as well.
One point that deserves to be clarified is that the iX M60 is not the electric equivalent to the V8-powered X5 M. It's not a full-blown M car.
“It's an M Performance vehicle, not a high-performance version,” BMW M boss Frank van Meel told me. “Our target for the M Performance cars is always to give the driver more power and more precision. We change the chassis setup so that it's more direct and the body control is better without going as far as making a track vehicle like the high-performance ones. The gap between the series-production [iX] and a pure M was so big that customers demanded, 'could you give me more M character, but not for the track? You