BMW iX3 long-term test: report 8

The car BMW iX3 M Sport Pro Run by Steve Huntingford, editor

Why it's here We want to see if this large SUV is a great all-rounder, rather than a one-trick pony

Needs to Combine its precise handling with comfort, refinement and range worthy of a £60k+ electric car

Mileage 4224 List price £65,865 Target Price £65,865 Price as tested £63,970 Test range 253 miles Official range 282 miles

5 August 2022 – Computer says 'yes'

“Is it just my computer, or does yours require another security update as well?” editorial director Jim Holder called across the desk, with a note of exasperation in his voice. “They seem to be every day at the moment!”

Sadly, he wasn’t exaggerating, and my computer was indeed also warning that it was about to remotely install something related to security.

With no option to defer this and an estimate that the process would take 20 minutes, I consoled myself that at least I didn’t have a tight deadline to hit or a Zoom meeting about to start, and wandered off to the office coffee machine to get a refill.

Okay, we all know these sort of updates are (probably) worth having. But it is annoying that they generally come when you’re trying to use the computer in question; it would be much better if they could be done in the middle of the night, like smartphone updates.

Or, indeed, if you could delay them, again like smartphone updates, but also like the ones for my BMW iX3.

Leaving work the other day, I got into the car to find a message on the infotainment screen alerting me that it was ready to install an update designed to improve the way the electric motor responds when pulling away.

Given that I’ve never had any complaints about said responsiveness, and that I wouldn’t be able to use the car while the update was taking place, I would have been mildly miffed (to say the least) if I’d had to wait for it to finish before driving home. However, instead, I simply selected ‘Cancel, perform update later’, and got on with my evening as planned.

This functionality makes all the difference, ensuring that the car doesn’t become a giant paperweight just when you need it, and transforming over-the-air software tweaks from a nuisance to a welcome bonus.

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