BMW iX M50 On Track Is Like Watching A Graceful Hippo Perform Ballet

It’s actually really good given that it’s a long, tall vehicle that’s also very heavy.

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Andrei Nedelea

By: Andrei Nedelea

Jul 18, 2022 at 8:28am ET

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BMW is not as much of a leader in terms of vehicle dynamics as it once was, especially when it comes to the steering feel (or lack thereof) in its latest vehicles, but it does seem to try harder with some of its newest models. The big iX electric SUV, for instance, doesn’t look like the most agile vehicle in the world, and it isn’t, but watching it thrown around a track it actually doesn’t look completely out of its depth.

This video posted on the official BMW South Korea YouTube channel shows the iX being driven around the Korean BMW Driving Center circuit with a professional driver at the wheel who does not hold back. He throws the big iX M50 into corners as if he derived pleasure from hearing its tires squeal for grip.

However, he is pleasantly impressed by the vehicle’s performance and you can see just how well it performs in the footage. Yes, it’s tall, it leans and weighs 2.5 tons (just over 5,500 pounds), but it is remarkable how quickly it can change direction at speed, flicking its weight from one side to the other with far more ease than anything this big should have a right to; even body roll is not as bad as you might expect when you read about its heft and dimensions.

When I drove the iX a few months back, I was blown away by how good it was through the corners. My tester was the lighter xDrive 40 model, but that’s still a big, heavy thing and it actually put a smile on my face while being driven on a narrow, twisty mountain road. It’s clear that the automaker really considers the iX a flagship model and it really tried to make it as dynamically capable as we expect a modern BMW to be, a preview of what is to come with the Neue Klasse line of electric models that are almost right around the corner.