BMW iX xDrive40 – telling it like it is

BMW iX – BMW has dabbled in the past with electrification in the Australia market including the i8 plug-in hybrid and the all-electric i3. They have now started a new wave of vehicles beginning with its iX models.

BMW IX

The first ones to be released late last year were the iX xDrive40 and xDrive50.

Same body different power – they are classified as large SUVs.

We test drove xDrive 40 with its 240kW of power and its 630Nm of torque with a range of up to 425 kilometres. ts 0- 100km/h acceleration time is just 6.1 seconds. The more powerful xdrive 50 can do this acceleration in 4.6 seconds.

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The interior features BMW’s Curved Display and latest generation iDrive system.

The graphics are high quality and the system provides extensive information. Points of Interest categories in the sat nav, for example, include entertainment, art galleries, bars, concert, historic monuments. You could click on any site for more information.

The Voice actuation had some frustrations but once you learnt its idiosyncrasies it gave you some reassurance messages

There are still a number of frustration in the questions posed to the system. There are extensive things you can do and adjust that can require complex searches. This needs time to become familiar with. Soon after we picked up the vehicle we were traveling under tight time constraints. We struggled with getting what we wanted and ended up uttering a profanity. This is not uncommon with many new cars.

The xDrive 40 is priced from nearly $136,000 plus on road costs

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Im David Brown

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About David Brown 607 Articles
David’s boyhood passion for motor cars did not immediately lead to a professional role in the motor industry. A qualified Civil Engineer he specialised in traffic engineering and transport planning. What followed were various positions including being seconded to a government think-tank for the planning of transport firstly in Sydney and then for the whole of NSW. After working with the NRMA and as a consultant he moved to being an independent writer and commentator on the broader areas of transport and the more specific areas of the cars we drive. His half hour motoring program “Overdrive” has been described as an “informed, humorous and irreverent look at motoring and transport from Australia and overseas”. It is heard on 22 stations across Australia. He does weekly interviews with several ABC radio stations and is also heard on commercial radio in Sydney. David has written for metropolitan and regional newspapers and has presented regular segments on metropolitan and regional television stations. David is also a contributor for AnyAuto