It’s a coupe now. Or at least it claims to be. BMW is trading the iX3’s sensible, boxy roof for a slanted one. Why? Because people buy them.
Sales are strong for the second-gen iX3. The German brand isn’t slowing down. They’ve dropped a more aerodynamic cousin into the ring. Call it the iX4.
The Look
Spies caught it last winter. Camouflage was tight then. Now our cameras caught it at the Nürburgring. It moves differently. The shape is clearer.
Up front? Same game.
Neue Klasse headlights. The kidney grille carries over. Boring front. Interesting back.
The roof drops. It slopes sharply down to the trunk. There’s a stubby decklid and a tiny lip on the tail. Helps the air slide off. Five-spoke wheels are new too. 22-inch ones. Different from what we’ve seen before.
Inside
Inside is mostly identical. If the X3 drives the X4 today, the EV follows suit. Share the parts. Save money.
Big screen though. Panoramic iDisplay makes its debut here. Same one the new X5 just got.
17.9 inches of touchscreen. Sits under a driver display that spans the whole windshield width. It’s sleek. Maybe too sleek?
Power And Price
Charging is the real story. The iX3 uses 800-volt architecture. Fast. Up to 400kW.
The iX4 gets the same setup. You’ll spend less time standing by a charger. That’s huge for EVs.
Specs leaked from BMW US tell the tale. Two trims first: the 40 xDrive and the 50 xDrive. Others come later.
The 50 xDrive packs a punch. 108.7-kWh battery. Two motors. 463 horsepower. 476 pound-feet of torque. It hits 60 mph in 4.9 seconds. Exactly like the iX3.
Want faster? Wait for the M version. Quad-motor. Stiffer suspension. More noise probably.
Launch Details
Came out of the woodwork this fall? Maybe. Production starts before the year ends.
Not in Germany. Hungary. The Debrecen plant will handle it.
It enters the market ready to fight. The Tesla Model Y is still king. The Audi Q6 Sportback e-trон is the challenger. And now this.
Does anyone care about a slightly sloped roof on an SUV that’s essentially the same size? Maybe. But BMW knows the market. They’re building what sells.
Whether it sells well remains to be seen. The battery life looks good. The design is sharper. But it’s still a compromise.
