Quiet achiever one shining example of changing with the times

31 August 2024 | Paul Gover

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The iX1 is proof that BMW can successfully transition to battery-electric motoring. Photo: Supplied.

Sometimes you need to step back to go forward on the road to electrification.

That’s the case with the BMW iX1, which arrived in the driveway after a run of the latest Chinese EV contenders.

There is nothing special about the battery-electric BMW, and the price is not great for everyday Australians with a starting slot of $78,900, but it proves a few points.

An electric car still needs to drive well and cannot rely only on gizmos and giant display screens to win buyers. The shock-and-awe tactics will work for a while, and the Chinese prices are attractive, but the iX1 shows the benefits of a classy car from a historic maker, with some extra volts in the mix.

It’s proof that BMW can successfully transition to battery-electric motoring, because it is a transition car. How so?

There are two types of electric vehicles on Australian roads – road-up fully electric newcomers and conversions of existing combustion cars with a big battery instead of petrol power.

The iX1 is instantly familiar, with the look, style, comfort and quality of the existing X1. It’s a new model but everything that worked the first time has been carried over with predictable improvements for the needs of modern families.

Battery power brings a claimed electric range of 475 kilometres, which is more than enough for everyday driving in the ‘burbs.

The front-wheel-drive power pack has a useful 150 kilowatts of power and 247 Newton-metres of torque for realistic performance – not a whack-in-the-back party trick – and is quiet and refined.

For people who want more, BMW steps things up from the eDrive 20 to the dual-motor xDrive 30 with 230kW/494Nm, which also kicks the base price up to $84,900.

The word that works for the iX1 is tasty. It’s a smart package that arrived last year with a full-model overhaul of the X1 family, both combustion and electrical, which brought more space, more refinement and the sort of chunky styling that works in a world of mid-sized family SUVs.

Quiet and refined, the iX1 delivers on the brand’s traditional drawcards. Photo: Supplied.

One thing that’s missing, and which I miss, is the old ‘’rotary’’ controller for the infotainment system. It was part of the original iDrive package at BMW and should have survived, instead of marking another brand’s submission to a distracting touchscreen system. The iX1 also suffers a little in boot space, but that’s about it on the downside.

Despite the BMW branding, and the company’s history, there is nothing remotely sporty about the drive in the eDrive 20. It is well different from the M-car models in the BMW line-up, but that’s unlikely to worry people shopping for an SUV and looking at rivals including Lexus and Volvo as well as the traditional German opponents from Mercedes-Benz and Audi.

It’s important to add Polestar and Tesla to the rivals for electric motivation, and the BMW is much more conservative. It’s clearly intended for people who want to stay in their comfort zone for the move to electric, as BMW works hard to get plenty of battery cars under the luxury car tax threshold, which currently sits just under $90,000 for fuel-efficient vehicles, as well as scoring an exemption from fringe benefits tax.

As a ‘’daily’’ in the modern world, the iX1 ticks plenty of boxes. It has good cabin space and good range, and is quiet and comfortable. As an electric car, it’s not as impressive as plenty of its opponents, but it’s a BMW and it delivers on the brand’s traditional strengths.

It just might be a hidden gem.