BMW iX xDrive40
SMC Asia Car Distributors Corp., the official importer and distributor of BMW in the Philippines, recently launched the BMW iX. This marks the beginning of BMW’s eventual shift to EVs. The sole variant offered locally is the BMW iX xDrive40.
Design
Based on the Sports Activity Vehicle (SAV) concept, or BMW’s very capable SUV platform. The iX is not an EV variant, but designed from the ground up purely for electric mobility. It’s a big vehicle, and notable up front is the BMW kidney grille flanked by LED headlights with High Beam Assistant. It has an understated rear end, slim combination LED tailamps, the BMW badge and iX on the lower left. It rolls on 1010 bicolour 3D polished 21-inch aerodynamic wheels to compete the look.
Interior
The iX was designed with a spacious interior in mind, and entry is via the Comfort Access System with the soft close function for the doors. Newly developed seats with integral headrest are finished in highlight olive-tanned natural leather. The interior has the ambient light package. Its modern interior’s control panel has feeler bars with active haptic input and a rocker switch for gear selection.
Debuting in the BMW iX is the most important feature of the interior, the new generation of the iDrive display and operating system. It was conceived to improve interaction between driver and vehicle. It even allows the driver to communicate verbally with the BMW Intelligent Personal Assistant which has also been upgraded.
The curved display is a grouping of fully digital displays consisting of a 12.3-inch information display and a 14.9-inch control display housed together behind a glass surface, angled ergonomically for the driver, this allows Smartphone Integration, Android Auto, Apple CarPlay, and wireless charging. The Harman Kardon surround sound system integrates with the head rests and a 4D Audio function utilizes bass transducers in the front seats to give the ultimate sound experience.
The four-zone automatic climate control system has touchscreen controls and a nanofibre filter to purify the air. It intelligently combines interior ventilation and surface, seat and steering wheel heating.
Electric all-wheel drive
The all-wheel drive system sends the exact amount of drive torque to the front and rear wheels in all driving conditions, with intelligent control allowing fully variable power transmission from highly efficient pure rear-wheel to all-wheel-drive for maximum traction. The iX’s fifth-generation BMW eDrive houses the electric motor, power electronics, and transmission, and this integrated electric drive system benefits power density and efficiency, while making good use of the space between the front and rear axel where it’s installed.
It has maximum power output of 326-hp and peak torque of 630-Nm with a range of 372 kms. Both motors work synchronously where the excitation of the rotor is induced by the feed-in of electrical energy rather than fixed permanent magnets allowing maximum torque to be immediately on tap and maintain it over an extremely broad rev band.
Handling characteristics
The design, structure and chassis tuning are geared toward blending superb ride comfort with sporty handling. The use of aluminum spaceframe construction and carbon fiber-reinforced plastic (CFRP) in the carbon cage, the roof and sides have increased rigidity while minimizing weight. Up front it has a double-wishbone front axle and a five-link rear axle with lift-related dampers. It’s equipped with an electric steering system with servotronic function with variable ratio. Optimized aerodynamics contribute to the car’s efficiency and range. The battery, located in the underbody lowers its center of gravity, evens out weight distribution, and makes for nimble handling. The BMW iX will be solid, comfortable and agile.
Driver assistance systems
The BMW iX is equipped with five cameras, five radar sensors and 12 ultrasonic sensors to monitor the vehicle’s surroundings. Standard equipment includes Parking Assistant which includes the reversing assist camera and the reversing assistant, front collision warning system, cruise control with braking function, exit warning function alerts to the presence of pedestrians in the area surrounding the vehicle before doors are opened, and remote theft recorder. The vehicle is also ready for more advanced technology upgrades which may come in the near future with its new technology toolkit.
An interesting feature of The BMW iX is the specially-composed drive sound, adding thrill to your drive by providing feedback in response to how you step on the accelerator. Included as standard, this is called the BMW IconicSounds Electric function, which will also allow more sound variants to be added in future to the acoustic repertoire from a collaboration with composer Hans Zimmer.
“This is the perfect time to introduce such a groundbreaking model to the Filipino market. The iX represents everything that BMW is and will be in premium automotive design, performance, and overall desirability. While we are making this model available for pre-orders, our bigger responsibilities lie ahead. And, that is to ensure every Filipino is fully educated about electric mobility and the infrastructure we have in place becomes more accessible. This is something very special to us as a brand and a member of the San Miguel Group whose efforts towards sustainability in the Philippines have been truly inspiring,” says SMC Asia Car Distributors Corp. President Spencer Yu.
The BMW iX xDrive40 is offered in a single variant and can now be pre-ordered at its introductory price of P6,290,000 with delivery once available. Every iX comes with a wall box charger that will be installed by BMW i partners at your home and will come with five-year BMW factory warranty, eight-year high-voltage battery warranty, and six-year BMW Service Inclusive warranty.