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Battery size: 64.7 kWh
Miles per kWh: 4.0
E-Rating™: A+
Max charge rate: 130 kW
Range: 259 - 293 miles (WLTP Standard)
Motors & Performance
The BMW iX1 may come with just one battery option, but there's a choice of power and drivetrain options.
Single-motor cars, badged eDrive20, come with a 201bhp electric motor powering the front wheels – it accelerates from zero to 62mph in 8.6 seconds, and its top speed is electronically limited to 106mph. Twin-motor cars, called xDrive30, are four-wheel drive and have a motor on each axle which push out a combined 308bhp. Acceleration is some three seconds quicker while the top speed is 109mph.
Drive & Handling
BMW has fitted the iX1 with its 'IconicSounds' feature. When switched on, it pipes in an electric warble overseen by composer Hans Zimmer that builds and intensifies as if the motors are revving. It's fun and will certainly be a talking point at first, but we could imagine you'd quickly tire of it and turn it off to enjoy the peace and quiet electric cars usually wear as a badge of honour.
At 2,085kg the iX1 is a bit on the chubby side, especially compared to the famously lightweight i3. It's also over 300 kilos heavier than a comparable petrol or diesel. But it’s nearly 200kg lighter than its iX3 sibling and handles its mass as well as you could hope, while the powertrain operates with utmost professionalism.
The iX1 favours its front motor in day-to-day driving, so most of the time you’ll be pottering around using half of its potential power in a front-wheel-drive car. The very thing BMW famously railed against in previous generations of car, and the format now used by VW's electric cars.
Those still keen on sharp handling will be relieved to know the rear axle has no hesitation in getting involved when grip conditions or the childishness of your right foot dictates. The rear motor’s intervention is uncannily smart and you’ll exit junctions with utmost smoothness, however clumsily you hoof the throttle.
The steering is light and not brimming with the feel of a BMW 3 Series but it shouldn’t offend. The iX1 also comes with a wealth of regeneration braking levels, including the Adaptive mode seen on the iX3 – which uses sat-nav and front-camera data to decide how much to slow the car down – and one-pedal driving when the B-mode is engaged.
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