BMW took the wraps off the first model to receive the long-teased “Neue Klasse” design philosophy, the iX3. This is an important model for BMW not only because of the new styling direction, but because it represents a ground-up rethink of what a modern BMW should be. The Neue Klasse look and feel is coming for the rest of the lineup eventually so the iX3 must walk so BMW’s future can run. To that end, what does the iX3 and Neue Klasse tell us about where BMW is heading?
To start with, there’s the body of the vehicle itself. As polarizing as BMW designs have been in the recent years, the iX3 is, at least to my eyes, a much toned-down and focused (dare I say cohesive). Its no coincidence that the Neue Klasse redesign debuts as an electric crossover SUV – the X5 and X3 are BMWs top selling vehicles in the US – and unlike the iX3’s electric stablemates the iX and iM, the restraint is immediately noticeable and appreciated. The iX3 feels fresh but familiar, retaining the better parts of the recent designs with some throwback details that don’t weigh the car down. It’s a very clean design with less fuss than a modern 5-Series, which should age well.
The inside echoes the clean look, but this is where BMW arguably injected the most drama. Immediately the rhomboidal (or is it a parallelogram?) center screen grabs your attention, followed by the strip of information that spans pillar to pillar at the base of the windshield. BMW dubs this new infotainment system “Panoramic iDrive” and says the end goal was to cut down on driver distraction and put relevant information front and center to minimize excessive eye movement. Many manufacturers have used edge-of-dash displays with this same notion, but few have stuck around for the long term and with the cost and complexity involved in BMW’s execution, it remains to be seen if Panoramic iDrive can achieve its lofty goals and justify its existence.
The remainder of the cabin follows a minimal if not utilitarian design (save the steering wheel, which is once again oddly-shaped and has its spokes on the north and south poles – change for change’s sake). The lines are clean, the materials recalling the i3. The light color tones of the seats, upper door panels, and dash combine with the relative lack of screens and controls to produce a cabin that seems bright and airy but stark and empty. At least there’s no piano black.
Powering the iX3 is BMW’s next generation electric powertrain. While BMW originally predicted 600 miles of range, the iX3 makes do with 400 miles of EV power. That places it on the high end of current EV ranges while also producing 463 horsepower and 476lb-ft of torque. The iX3 also splits its motor among all four wheels which should allow for dynamic power distribution axle-to-axle and potentially wheel-to-wheel. Those looking for a combustion-powered version of the iX3 are currently out of luck and BMW has not indicated if a gas variant is coming.
However, the iX3 is just one of 40 more Neue Klasse models expected over the next two years, which is a shocking amount of product in a very small timeframe and the details of those models are still yet to be known. What is known is that BMW is seriously doubling down on the Neue Klasse as the future of the Ultimate Driving Machine. Only time will tell if the new class of vehicles can be as iconic as the alumni.
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