Performance & drive
What it’s like to drive, and how quiet it is
If you’re expecting the BMW iX3 to deliver Tesla-esque performance, you’ll be mildly disappointed. It’s plenty quick enough (0-62mph takes 6.8sec), but acceleration is strong rather than especially thrilling.
However, if you switch to Sport mode in the range-topping M Sport Pro, you do get an eerie electronic soundtrack dreamed up by German film score composer Hans Zimmer. When you put your foot down, the noise gets louder and the pitch rises as your speed increases, just like it would if there was a petrol engine under the bonnet.
While the Tesla Model 3 Performance feels more nimble, the iX3 leans over less and feels more agile than the E-tron, I-Pace and EQC. That makes it one of the most enjoyable electric SUVs to drive.
Filling a car with heavy batteries rarely does good things to ride comfort, but the iX3 does without the sophisticated air suspension of its main rivals (the E-tron and EQC have it as standard, the I-Pace as an option). Instead, it relies on good old steel springs.
You can adjust the stiffness of the suspension, tightening things up for country road driving or softening them for long motorway jaunts. It’s firmer than the wafty E-Tron and I-Pace, but deals with bumps in a perfectly agreeable manner, both around town and on faster roads. In fact, anyone who suffers from car sickness may prefer the iX3’s well-tied-down feel.
You get a bit more tyre and suspension noise with than you do with its main rivals, but anyone coming from a petrol or diesel BMW X3 will be pleasantly surprised. The electric motor is quiet (unless Herr Zimmer’s work has been activated) and you won’t feel the vibration of an engine, either.
