The 2022 BMW iX Electric Vehicle Is Impossibly Ugly but Impeccably Designed?
BMW is known for building good-looking performance vehicles. Now, it makes many good-looking performance vehicles, but the 2022 BMW iX isn’t one of those. BMW is instant upon the kidney grille design on some performance cars like M3 and M4, but does it make more sense on the new EV?
The 2022 BMW iX has a “Fast-forward design,” whatever that means
In truth, the 2022 BMW iX is not a looker by any means. The designers at BMW (looking at you, Domagoj Dukec) are steadfast in the belief that the performance will draw people in, and that’s enough. Thus, the beave grille design season began. BMW says the iX has Fast-forward design, though it isn’t clear what that means.
The grilles do look a little better on an SUV. The BMW iX is technically an SAV or Sports Activity Vehicle. In other words, the midsize SUV has a range of about 300 miles per charge. The iX has a battery capacity of up to 113 kWh.
BMW says the 0-60 time is 4.6 seconds, and it offers a maximum horsepower of 516. Plus, 10 minutes of DC Fast Charging gets you 90 miles. The price for the BMW iX xDrive50 starts at $83,200.
As previously mentioned, there was a lot of thout put into the design of the 2022 BMW iX
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The 2022 BMW iX has two electric motors that offer all-wheel drive, plus carbon-fiber body panels to make the EV lighter. Inside, the design choices shine. The 2022 BMW iX is the first BMW made from sustainable materials. BMW made the interior from olive leaf tanner leather, and recycled post-consumer plastic make up the floormats. BMW used Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) wood that is certified sustainable. Sustainable wood helps minimize the iX’s environmental impact before it even turns on.
The automaker says that with the BMW iX, the SUV is more than just the first all-electric performance vehicle. “You’ll be saving money and reducing environmental impact, too.”
The compact electric vehicle SUV comes with the new BMW Flexible Fast Charger that works with a 120V or 240V outlet. BMW promises charging rates of 0-100% State of Charge (SoC) in under 12 hours with the 240V. Not bad. Right now, BMW iX buyers have access to more than 800 fast-charging locations and 35,000 Level 2 chargers around the US. That will get drivers up to 80% SoC in 40 minutes or less.
So what’s the consensus on the new EV?
As you can see, there was a lot of thought put into designing the 2022 BMW iX. It might be impossibly ugly from the outside, but perhaps buyers can overlook that for the rest of the good. Plus, some folks say the iX looks better in person than it does on photos and videos. The EV might be a good leap for those brand-loyal BMW drivers who want to try out an electric vehicle.
At this time, the first run of iX EVs set to deliver in June 2022 is sold out. There is another batch of vehicles set for delivery in Summer 2022. Interested buyers can place a fully-refundable $1,500 pre-order deposit through the official BMW site.
