BMW iX3 long-term test: report 3
Earlier this year, we named the BMW iX3 the best electric SUV to drive, but how easy is it to live with?...
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 2480 List price £63,970 Target Price £63,970 Price as tested £63,970 Test range 212 miles Official range 282 miles
23 April 2022 – Far out
For me, having a clear idea of how far you can go in an electric car before you’ll need to recharge is much more helpful in removing range anxiety than just having a big battery. But, frustratingly, plenty of models are hopelessly optimistic – at least on the motorway – with their range readouts dropping by a couple of miles for every mile you cover.
Not the BMW iX3's, though. If anything, that’s overly pessimistic, as highlighted last weekend, when my family and I were returning from a brief holiday in the South West.
We’d stopped at Reading services on the M4, about 35 miles from home, because we were hungry and the iX3 was running low on power. And by the time we were ready to leave and I unplugged, the readout said the battery had been restored to 145 miles of range.
Within metres, this had fallen to 105 miles, as the sat-nav booted up and recognised that most of the journey ahead would be on the motorway. Yet, by the time we actually got home, the readout was showing 132 miles.
This is definitely preferable to using more miles than predicted, but I could do without the wild swings.
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