2026 BMW iX3 First Drive Review – Neue Klasse Arrives, And It Changes Everything

In This Article

• Neue Klasse: A New Platform With New Priorities
• On the Road: Composure, Balance, and a Remarkably Fun SUV
• Track Time at Ascari: Where Neue Klasse Shows Its Depth
• Suspension, Ride Quality, and Tire Noise
• iDrive X, Panoramic Vision, and CarPlay Limitations
• Level 2+ Highway Assistant: Best Version Yet
• Regen Braking: Best in the Industry
• Range and Efficiency in the Real World
• iX3 vs. iX: The Comparison Everyone Wants
• Should I Buy One?

Sotogrande, Spain — just across the water from Gibraltar — is where I spent several days with the 2026 BMW iX3, the first Neue Klasse SUV and the most important electric BMW since the original i3. And before you scroll too fast: don’t be alarmed if this review is long. The idea is to include every detail possible for future buyers, because this is the car that will define BMW’s electric roadmap for the next decade. After years of teasers, concepts, and quiet promises from engineers, the first real Neue Klasse product is finally here — and it feels different from the moment you start driving it.

This is not a CLAR adaptation. This is not an electrified facelift. The iX3 is a clean-sheet BMW on an all-new architecture with a new battery, a new UI, and a central computing platform called the Heart of Joy that transforms how the car drives. For a day, the iX3 was my daily driver, my backroad companion, my highway cruiser, and even my track car at Ascari. And it didn’t take long to realize this: this is the best electric vehicle BMW has ever built — and the first one that genuinely feels engineered around the driver.

Neue Klasse: A New Platform With New Priorities

The 2026 BMW iX3 sits on the Neue Klasse architecture, BMW’s first EV-only platform. That brings an 800-volt battery system, far quicker charging, and packaging advantages you cannot achieve with a converted combustion chassis. The SUV uses a 108 kWh net battery and fast-charges at up to 400 kW, which means you can add around 175 miles (EPA) in ten minutes under ideal conditions. BMW expects an EPA range around 400 miles, while WLTP estimates roughly 800 kilometers.

The test car was the iX3 50 xDrive, producing 463 horsepower and 476 lb-ft (650 Nm) of torque. BMW claims 4.9 seconds from zero to 100 km/h. On the Dragy PRO, I ran 4.59 seconds, slightly quicker than advertised. It’s a familiar BMW theme: the numbers on paper are always modest, the real world always better.

But what stands out is how it delivers the power. Instead of the sudden, neck-snapping hit so many EVs chase, the iX3 feels progressive and elastic. It still pushes you into the seat, but the delivery is smoother and more natural. It feels tuned for drivers, not drag-racing algorithms.

On the Road: Composure, Balance, and a Remarkably Fun SUV

Southern Spain is a paradise for chassis engineers. Tight corners, late apexes, long sweepers, altitude changes, and pavement that goes from perfect to broken in a single stretch. It’s the kind of region where even good cars get exposed. The iX3, though, came alive.

The first thing you feel is how quickly the Heart of Joy responds. It monitors wheel slip, load, and torque demand in real time, and it reacts instantly. Turn in hard and the body stays impressively flat. Lift mid-corner and the regen blends seamlessly, settling the front axle without jerking the cabin forward. Roll back into the throttle and you get clean, drama-free exit traction with no torque steer whatsoever. Even with only 463 horsepower, the iX3 behaves like a much smaller, much lighter SUV — and at 2.3 tons, that is no small achievement.

Even more interesting is how much the regen contributes to the driving feel. High regeneration mode creates a dynamic one-pedal rhythm that lets you brake with precision purely by lifting off. For the first time in a BMW EV, the regen never feels harsh or abrupt. It slows the car in a smooth, progressive arc that you can meter with millimeter-level throttle adjustments. For someone like me — and for passengers who get motion sickness — the smoothness is a big deal. Even at maximum regeneration, the car never lunges.

In fact, Kyle from Out of Spec Reviews, who has driven nearly every EV on the market and is notoriously picky about regen tuning, told BMW engineers that this is the best brake-regen calibration in the industry right now. I agree. It finally feels like something engineered as part of the driving experience, not simply bolted in for efficiency.

Track Time at Ascari: Where Neue Klasse Shows Its Depth

Most EV launches avoid racetracks because weight, overheating, and brake fade quickly become a problem. BMW didn’t shy away — instead, they handed us the keys and pointed toward the Ascari Race Resort, one of the most technical and unforgiving circuits in Europe. We followed an M5 Competition MotoGP Safety Car, and the pace quickly escalated.

My road car wore a square setup of 21-inch Goodyear summer tires, but the track iX3s switched to staggered Michelin Pilot Sport EVs. The difference was immediate. Grip levels skyrocketed, body roll nearly vanished, and the balance improved even further.

Through Ascari’s high-speed sweepers, the iX3 stayed flat and composed. You could hear the Michelins working, but the chassis never flinched. Hard braking from 120–130 km/h was stable and predictable, with no nose dive or rear lightness. Mid-corner stability was shockingly neutral for an SUV of this size.

The most fascinating moment came when I intentionally provoked over-rotation. You feel the Heart of Joy intervene with a level of subtlety I’ve never felt in a BMW EV. Instead of stabbing the brakes or yanking power away, the system trims individual torque vectors, stabilizes the car, and sends you on your way — all before your brain finishes processing the slide. It cleans up your mistakes so quickly that you almost feel like a better driver than you are.

The grip is extraordinary — almost unnatural for a 2.3-ton SUV. Short of disabling DSC completely, it’s nearly impossible to break traction unless you exceed physics. On the track, that meant predictable, confidence-inspiring laps. On the road, it means the iX3 makes you feel invincible without ever becoming unsafe.

Suspension, Ride Quality, and Tire Noise

BMW currently offers only one suspension option: a passive steel setup. No adaptive dampers, no air suspension. On paper, that sounds like bad news, especially for a car with such a dynamic brief. In reality, this steel suspension is excellent.

On the road, the iX3’s compliance is better than the G45 X3 on similar wheels. It absorbs rough surfaces without bouncing, keeps vertical movement controlled, and never crashes over expansion joints. Comfort mode is tuned for daily usability, and over hundreds of kilometers of normal roads, the iX3 felt well-damped, smooth, and quiet.

Sport mode tightens everything up, delivering more steering weight and far sharper body control. But unlike some EVs that become jittery in their stiffest mode, the iX3 still feels composed.

Tire noise from the Goodyear summers was noticeable on coarse pavement but never intrusive. BMW uses active noise cancellation to reduce high-frequency road noise, and the effect is real. At 100 km/h, the interior measured around 63 dB. At 50–60 km/h, it hovered around 57–58 dB. Those are excellent numbers for a vehicle on 21-inch wheels.

Interior, Seating, Space, and Everyday Comfort

The cabin is the best interior BMW has put into a non-flagship EV. Even though the M Sport Pro car I tested used an Alcantara and synthetic leather combination, the material quality felt higher than in the G45 X3. Real leather will be offered as an option. BMW also confirmed that the dashboard will eventually be available in different materials, not just the translucent fabric used on early cars. Regardless of trim, the ambient light will still shine through the dash panel — a small but very cool detail.

The M Sport seats deserve special praise. I’m 6’2” (1.89 meters), and these seats fit me perfectly. They offer excellent lateral support without squeezing, strong lumbar support, and noticeably better long-distance comfort than the previous generation of BMW sport seats. They also include a manual thigh extension, which the base seats lack. That alone makes the M Sport Pro package worth considering.

Rear space is one of the iX3’s surprises. Because it’s an EV-first platform with no transmission tunnel, the rear floor is flat, and knee room and headroom are almost on par with a BMW X5. We tested three adults across the back — all tall — and the iX3 handled it surprisingly well. Shoulder room was tight, as expected, but two adults and a child will have plenty of space. Cargo volume is generous, with wide access and a deep trunk floor. There’s also a 17-liter frunk that’s designed primarily for storing cables and accessories.

There are annoyances, though. BMW has removed the physical toggle switches for the air vents, meaning you now adjust airflow direction via the central screen. It works, but it’s less intuitive than a physical slider. The panoramic glass roof also no longer retracts, and there is no opacity control. BMW insists their data shows few customers used the mechanical shade. The glass is heavily tinted and heat-blocking, and in practice, it kept the cabin cool in full Spanish sun. But many buyers will still complain.

iDrive X, Panoramic Vision, and CarPlay Limitations

iDrive X is what OS9 should have been. It’s faster, cleaner, more logical, and much easier to navigate. The horizontal “clustered” information design is far better than the vertical scrolling of iDrive 8 and 8.5, and the entire system feels like a modern interface rather than a bloated submenu maze. Every icon on the screen performs a function now — there are no dead-end UI elements.

The new Panoramic Vision display runs the length of the windshield and places widgets, navigation data, and driving information directly into the driver’s forward sightline. It’s surprisingly easy to read in bright sun, partly because BMW gives it a subtle 3D depth effect. I found myself relying on it more than the head-up display for navigation because the information sits lower and naturally closer to my field of view. If you find it cluttered, switching to “Silent Mode” leaves only three core widgets active.

CarPlay works well, but with a significant limitation: only Apple Maps integrates into the head-up display and Panoramic Vision. Waze and Google Maps cannot project, because Apple does not allow that level of data sharing. Android Auto users can display Google Maps and Waze in both the HUD and Panoramic Vision, so ironically, the most advanced BMW display integration currently favors Android. If you use Apple Maps, though, the experience is flawless.

Level 2+ Highway Assistant: Best Version Yet

The iX3 uses BMW’s updated Level 2+ system with hands-free driving up to 130 km/h (85 mph). The improvements over the current version are noticeable. Lane changes happen in three different ways: you can simply look in the mirror to confirm a clear lane, and the car will prompt the lane change; you can use the Active Lane Change that triggers when you look at the mirror; or you can give the steering wheel a slight nudge, and the turn signal will activate itself as the car moves over. So yes — the iX3 now provides BMW drivers with literally no excuse not to use their indicators.

My favorite change is small but meaningful: tapping the brake pedal no longer disengages the system. Only a firm brake press will deactivate it. In heavy highway traffic, this makes the system far more useful.

Regen Braking: Best in the Industry

The brake regeneration system in the iX3 can handle up to 95 percent of braking through energy recovery under certain conditions, meaning the friction brakes are barely used in daily driving. BMW’s new “Adaptive” and “Brake” modes automatically adjust regen based on topography, traffic, and speed. In “B” mode, you get a full one-pedal driving feel, but with none of the harshness you might expect.

The smoothness is the most impressive part. BMW tuned the brake transition so carefully that in Adaptive mode, the regen is so soft it’s almost imperceptible. Passengers who might get sick in Teslas or other EVs will feel much better here. It’s no exaggeration: this is the most refined regen system on any EV today.

Range and Efficiency in the Real World

I started the day with nearly 700 kilometers of indicated range. After aggressive mountain driving, multiple regen tests, a highway stint, and track time at Ascari, the battery dropped to 82 percent and still showed 669 kilometers remaining. Later, after heavier driving, the car read just over 500 kilometers at 56 percent. Even under hard use, the iX3 returned consumption numbers in the low-18 kWh/100 km range (3.3 miles per kWh).

That efficiency is extraordinary for a heavy EV SUV and speaks to how well the sixth-generation battery system and motors are integrated.

iX3 vs. iX: The Comparison Everyone Wants

I’ve driven the iX extensively, and while it remains BMW’s luxury EV flagship, the iX3 makes it feel dated. The iX is still quieter and more comfortable thanks to its air suspension, but everything else — including charging speed, efficiency, regen smoothness, steering clarity, and dynamic response — is better in the Neue Klasse iX3.

The iX3 weighs less, charges at double the rate, corners flatter, feels more agile, and simply drives better. The price difference widens the gap even further. The iX3 is expected to start around $60,000 in the U.S. An equivalent iX xDrive60 starts close to $90,000.

Put simply: if the iX is the luxury cruiser, the iX3 is the driver’s EV.

Should I Buy One?

After a full day of road testing, track testing, city driving, and UI exploration, here’s the conclusion: the 2026 BMW iX3 is BMW’s most complete electric vehicle to date.

It isn’t perfect though, at least for now. It lacks ventilated seats and heated rear seats, even though BMW says they are planning on offering these in the future. The panoramic roof doesn’t retract. There are fewer physical buttons than ever, and the vent controls buried in iDrive X won’t please everyone. But as a driving machine — something that matters deeply to BMW enthusiasts — the iX3 delivers on every front.

Neue Klasse promised a new generation of electric BMWs. With the iX3, that promise finally becomes real. This is the EV for people who actually love driving.