Presentation of the BMW iX3: prelude to the core renewal
The iX3 is the first offshoot of the New Class, which offers generous ranges and ample charging power. BMW is also trying to revolutionize operation.
(Image: BMW)
- Christian Lorenz
The iX3 is likely to be one of the new automotive releases of the year that will attract a lot of attention. BMW, already the most successful German premium brand in the electromobility sector, wants to completely reinvent itself electrically while remaining true to itself: A manufacturer of luxurious vehicles with sporty aspirations and the proverbial joy of driving. The iX3 is the first BMW to be based on the "New Class" platform, which the brand has been promoting for some time, including in the media. Some of the key technical data is indeed impressive.
The most important BMW model series
The 3 Series and its offspring (X3, 4 Series, etc.) are not only synonymous with BMW in terms of external perception. These vehicles are also the ones with which BMW earns the most money. A flopping 3 Series or X3 could put the entire company in a precarious position. Accordingly, people in Munich are probably nervous. The fact that the electric D-segment SUV iX3 is the first vehicle in the New Class is due to the global popularity of the SUV format. BMW assumes that the trend away from the classic 3 Series or 3 Series Touring towards the X3 will tend to increase in the future. Nevertheless, various offshoots will follow on this platform, including a saloon from 2026.
BMW iX3 2025: auĂźen (7 Bilder)
BMW
)60s reminiscences
In purely visual terms, the experiment can indeed be considered a success, conjuring up a touch of new-class reminiscence – particularly of the BMW 2000 from 1966 – in a beefy, modern SUV. Just like the Opel Vizor, the front uses lighting effects to evoke the front of 1960s vehicles. Thank goodness the previous kidney swell seemed to be a dead end even to the BMW designers. Externally, it could have been worse, I think. Especially as BMW in particular has sometimes been, well, wet-behind-the-ear design in recent years.
Display along the windshield
In the interior, however, innovation strikes mercilessly. The new Panoramic Vision iDrive with partly freely selectable display content on a narrow display between the two A-pillars has already been widely discussed in the press. The first impression behind the angular steering wheel seems like a late accolade from the makers of the PSA i-Cockpit. Whether BMW deserves credit or scorn for this design is certainly in the eye of the beholder. But the makers cannot be accused of despondency, because this new layout will undoubtedly polarize opinion.
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Steering wheel as a square
The "steering wheel", which has to be put in quotation marks for this shape, strives to be different. Two spokes at the top, two at the bottom, with nothing – in the middle, which leaves you a little perplexed. The two control satellites integrated next to the baffle plate are intended to make operation easier by only illuminating the fields that you need next – if the AI is not mistaken. Whereby BMW can claim to have mostly nailed it in this respect. How well the logic works in practice remains to be seen.
BMW iX3 2025: Innenraum (10 Bilder)
Displays with effects
In addition to Panoramic Vision iDrive, an enlarged head-up display with 3D effects on the road will certainly help to keep the driver's focus on the road even more than before. The large central display, which looks like a solitaire in the cockpit landscape, is brushed into a left-hanging trapezoid, which can be disconcerting. The fact that it also shines out of the fabric-covered nothingness as if through a slightly perforated ceiling can also be considered pretty, but it doesn't have to be.