Spark injected iX1 shows how far BMW’s baby SUV has come

Controversy, regardless of its nature, as has seemingly been constant companion of BMW ever since the turn of the last century.

Not scared of testing the limits

Whether it be styling from the Chris Bangle-era to the current lead by Domagoj Dukec, or the change in cylinder count plus turbocharging in its M products, Munich has never been shy to flaunt the rules mentioned in the never seen or published automotive rulebook.

ALSO READ: Plugged-in BMW iX1 priced as brand’s cheapest EV in South Africa

Its move into SUVs around the same time can be seen as another example of not sticking to the norm. But while the X5 went to become a sales success, its smaller sibling, the X3, needed tweaking and improving over its four generations to become more accepted.

The same also applies to the X1. The original copped extensive criticism upon its release in 2009 for a variety of reasons, the biggest being, surprise surprise, its styling.

As with the X3, the X1 has evolved nicely since then, with the current U11 third generation representing a quantum leap in nearly every area.

iX1 or X1?

While the introduction of an all-electric variant last year, the iX1, is anything but controversial, the now “cheapest” non-combustion engine vehicle with the BMW roundel presented a set of unique questions when it arrived for the weeklong test.

Tested in M Sport guise, which makes it the dearest BMW EV after the step-down xLine trim level, the iX1 follows the same route as its senior sibling, the iX3, by appearing “normal” and not as polarising as the iX.

That, however, isn’t the main head scratcher as while sales of EVs in South Africa continue to rise, the biggest question was indeed this; why spend R1 090 000 on the iX1 xDrive 30 M Sport when you have the X1 sDrive 18i for R828 045, or the oil-burning X1 sDrive 18d for R855 617?

As usual, there is substance to this madness and always irritating statement of “you cannot charge an electric car in South Africa when there is load shedding” when it comes to the iX1, although for the moment, it is best to start at the beginning.

You sure it is electric?

Resplendent in a new colour called Cape York Green Metallic, the sportiest iX1 appears suitably eye-catching and anything but an electric vehicle as mentioned.

In fact, had it not been for the blue accents, the sealed grille, plus the lack of an exhaust outlet, the misrepresentation of the iX1 as a standard X1 is almost certain as it doesn’t shout about its EV credentials.

Best described as a discreet approach to electromobility, the iX1 remains a stylish looking thing, aided by the M Sport package that adds the sportier bumpers and door sills, 19-inch alloy M alloy wheels and gloss black detailing where the faux diffuser is normally located.

“Normal” inside

In the same way, opening the door presents an interior lifted directly from the X1, the only exception being the blue BMW badge on the steering wheel, different readouts for the 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster and a B symbol next to the D on the toggle switch gear selector representing the brake regeneration.

What’s more, BMW has also removed one of the paddle shifters and changed the scripting on the remaining one from a “+” to a grin inducing “Sport Boost” we will come to later.

For the rest, the interior feels modern, but while soft-touch leather and plastics abound, the presentation and ergonomics are spoiled somewhat by the cheap feel to the imitation carbon fibre trim and, for traditional BMW buyers, the disappearance of the rotary dial for the iDrive infotainment system.

The latter being integrated into the new 10.7-inch touchscreen display that joins the instrument cluster as part of BMW’s Curved Display, the system, complete with the previous 7.0 operating system, isn’t as user friendly as before and while quicker to respond, is somewhat of a faff to scroll though now that the “upside down pie dish” is no more.

More accomplished is the amount of space, plus the presence of physical buttons on the grippy and thick M Sport steering wheel.

That being said, customising the instrument cluster while making-out the functions of the buttons isn’t easy and as with the infotainment system, in need of small refinements to bring it to the same level of intuitiveness as the old Live Cockpit Professional system.

For the rest, there is little to discourage the interior as the M Sport seats are snug with enough support despite being manually adjustable, the floating centre console sturdy and easy to make out, and the space by the lack of the gear selector more than ample.

Space box ticked

Besides the liberal and welcome use of piano key black accents, the iX1’s practical merits comprise impressive amounts of rear legroom and, even with the optional panoramic sunroof, no ingress for taller passengers’ head, who are additionally privy to rear air-conditioning vents, an armrest and a type-C USB port apiece.

The downside of the iX1’s propulsion switch is a reduction in boot space from 540-litres to 490-litres, or from 1 600-litres to 1 495-litres with the 60/40 split rear seat folded down.

The base of the boot floor does, however, come with a storage hold for the charging cables instead of a bag that would have proved tedious and frustrating over time.

EV? So it will be fast?

As has become the norm with electric cars, acceleration from standstill remains the biggest highlight, but while the iX1 is no expectation, its kerb mass of 2 010 kg does have an impact when wanting to blast off.

Residing on each axle, the pair of electric motors get their charge from a 64.7-kWh battery pack that produces a combined 230kW/494Nm.

The former figure only bettered by the plug-in hybrid not sold locally, the iX1 is, therefore, the most powerful ever X1 sold in South Africa with BMW going further by claiming a limited top speed of 180 km/h and 0-100 km/h in 5.7 seconds.

While no attempts were made to put these claims to the test at Gerotek, what did transpire was a feel comparable to a turbocharged combustion engine’s low-down lag when setting off.

This means that while the iX1 still delivers a typical fast EV acceleration, it lacks the vigour of the less powerful iX3 as well as the rapid urge of its now departed but also lighter sibling, the i3.

This, however, completely changes in Sport mode and with the Sport Boost paddle flicked. In this mode, the full 230kW/494Nm is unleashed for 10 seconds in the most brutal way possible.

Probably similar to be being kicked and electrocoated at the same time, a lot of care is needed as the acceleration is so fast and the grip so immediate that you are left questioning whether you are in an M Performance BMW instead of an electric compact SUV.

As intoxicating as it is, the downside of the Sport Boost, or indeed Sport mode, is a battery that rapidly runs down and only able to be topped-up using the brake regeneration.

“Half tank” challenge

Due to not only lacking a wallbox at home, but also the amount of power the iX1 will use overnight being frown upon by the landlords, the only option was to use the GridCars DC fast charger at Fourways Mall.

Being a dual-stage EV means the iX1 has three methods of charging; by a conventional household socket, AC charging using the provided 11 kW or optional 22 kW on-board charger, or the DC outlet up to 130 kW.

Given that the Fourways charger is rated at 60 kW – which in reality was closer to 48 kW – the eventual process required a waiting time of one hour 10 minutes to feed 36.04-kWh back into the battery that had been at 47%.

The final price for a “half to full” fill, at R7.36 per kWh, was R265, way less than what the combustion models would cost.

As a means of replicating what buyers would need to fork out for when fuelling a petrol and diesel X1 from half to full, the argument for choosing the iX1 presented itself the following way as some quick maths.

Based on the March inland price, plus half the capacity of 54-litre tank in both models, brimming the sDrive 18i would cost R660.15 and the sDrive 18d R610.74.

Of course, the other side of the coin is that while the sDrive 18i will cover 831 km on a tank and the sDrive 18d an even further 1 080 km, the iX1 will only do 440 km, which during the seven-days, eventually come to 425 km.

Somewhat surprisingly, the claimed energy consumption came to an indicated best of 16.5-kWh/100 km compared to BMW’s claimed 18.3-kWh/100 km.

Worth noting though is that the silence of the interior and refinement, comes at the cost of the ride being firm due to the M Sport suspension, and the steering prone to talk steer as a result of the amount of power even with all-wheel-drive.

Conclusion

The influx of electric vehicles might be growing, but the challenges of running them still goes beyond the energy crisis and concerns about range.

Not immune to this, the BMW iX1 is a brave step by Munich to offer an EV at a time when the cons are more prevalent than the pros.

While indeed smooth and with the smile inducing gasp that comes with the acceleration, it still remains an expensive buy and only able to appeal to a small minority.

Although Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana’s Budget Speech delivery did mention support for new energy vehicles comprising among others, incentives, a date of implementation is only expected in 2026.

As such, this means that an affordable EV is still some ways off in spite of the growing influx of Chinese vehicles.

For those keen and with the means to do so, the iX1 presents a tantalising prospect, though it could well be upstaged soon by a significantly cheaper and newer rival from Sweden.

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