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BMW iX Media Launch Gets Positive Reviews. BMW Needs to Sack Its Photographers?

We've spent the good part of last year thinking BMW should fire its designers, but it turns out it might be its photographers that need to get the boot instead. Or at least share some of the blame.
BMW iX reviewed by carwow 244 photos
Photo: carwow / YouTube screenshot
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Don't get us wrong, the iX isn't like the girl in the movies that everyone ignores until she takes off her glasses and instantly (and quite magically) becomes magazine cover material. No, the iX still has its glasses on, but whether it's us becoming more used to its appearance or just getting to see it from various angles, the fact is it doesn't seem like the horrible monstrosity it once did.

People still draw parallels between it and the i3 – inevitable, we guess, considering BMW failed to make the slightest efforts to avoid it – but that's not necessarily such a bad omen for the iX. The little electric runabout wasn't the failure some people see it as, and the iX is definitely a big improvement.

Just look at its range, for starters. The official number isn't that important, but these media tests reveal it will do more than 310 miles (500 kilometers). Tesla owners may smirk at that knowing their electric SUVs have been doing it for years but for BMW, it's great progress.

Take Matt Watson's (of carwow fame) review, for example (video down below"). Yes, it all sounds like a bit of a BMW advert, especially the verdict ("buy it immediately"), but apart from the number of seats and the performance, there are basically no other reasons for a customer (particularly a European one) to consider a Tesla Model X over the BMW iX. With a starting price around $85,000, it's not even that expensive – for a premium electric SUV, that is.

The Bavarians are probably well aware of the fact their EV technology is still trailing a little, so they rightly decided to go all-out on the interior. The cabin of the iX looks so good, it can almost make you forgive the exterior entirely. And there's also plenty of tech. Sure, Tesla owners will once again point at the Autopilot and FSD, but not everyone is that eager to let go of the wheel. Some people still enjoy driving, and that should be even truer among BMW buyers.

What you do get instead is a head-up display – something BMWs have had for well over a decade now, so it has perfected the technology – as well as augmented reality for the sat nav, two very useful features that Tesla might implement if it wasn't so busy making its cars seem like they can drive themselves.

Matt's verdict may be a little rushed, but it does seem as though anyone looking to buy a competent electric SUV from a German manufacturer has received one more competitive option. As for the exterior design, while it's definitely frustrating knowing it could have been so much better, you can also find some solace in knowing it could have been slightly worse as well. Only just.

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About the author: Vlad Mitrache
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"Boy meets car, boy loves car, boy gets journalism degree and starts job writing and editing at a car magazine" - 5/5. (Vlad Mitrache if he was a movie)
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