Carwow Isn’t Fully Convinced By The BMW iX3, Doesn’t Recommend It

BMW created the iX3 in order to have an electric vehicle on the market sooner than it would have otherwise managed had it created a ground-up new model (which is already being facelifted). And yet, it still has decent range and performance specs, at least on paper, but what is it actually like to drive and live with?

Carwow’s Mat Watson got behind the wheel of a very early production example of the iX3 and while he did find a lot to like about it, he ended up not really recommending it. He doesn’t say it’s an EV that you should avoid, but at the same time, it’s not among the most desirable ones on the market, at least according to Mat.

He does praise the way it drives, though, even if it hasn’t got that much power compared to the quickest models in the segment. The ICE X3 is one of the best handling vehicles in its class, and even though the iX3 is considerably heavier with the big battery pack (and only rear-wheel drive), it can still hold its own around a corner.

Here's what we thought about the X3 30e PHEV

Op-Ed: 2020 BMW X3 Is Better As A Plug-In Hybrid

So Mat doesn’t really find anything major that’s not right with the iX3, yet he still ends up not recommending it. The review itself is not a negative one by any means, so we wonder how he arrived at this conclusion - we’ll have our own review of the iX3 once we can secure a press car in Europe (it won’t be sold in the States), probably early next year. Motor1 has already had its first drive, so you might want to check that out too.