The BMW iX3 is starting to feel a lot more real. The online configurator is now live, and BMW’s first Neue Klasse SUV is no longer just a concept-adjacent preview or carefully staged press car — it’s something shoppers can actually start building. And as usual, the paint menu says more than you might expect. Colors can dramatically change how a new design lands, especially one as important as the iX3. So, now that we can see the full palette in one place, it’s time to sort through the good, the safe, and the spendy.
iX3 Paint Options Breakdown
Let’s start with the most interesting colors available: the reds, blues, and what-have-yous. All metallic paints cost $650, which has been the standard rate at BMW for a few years now. Vegas Red metallic is the only red available, and we’ve already had a good look at it in real images back in November. The color to the right of that in the graphic is called Polarized Gray Metallic, but it’s unlikely to be very polarizing. The deep shade seems to have metallic flakes of red and pink in it, kind of like a less-gold Bernina Gray Amber Effect. We’ve seen Polarized Grey on the iX3 in the flesh, too. It looks great. Rounding out our first graphic above is Ocean Wave Blue Metallic, which we’ve seen several times and indeed served as the launch color for the Neue Klasse SUV. Eucalyptus Green Metallic rounds out the stable, and we’ve seen real photos of that color, too.
On the more traditional half of the colors scale — black, white and greys — Alpine White kicks things off on the iX3 configurator. It’s a no-charge color as it has been for years. BMW gave us a great look at this shade already just a week after the iX3’s debut, complete with the M Sport Package. From here, though, it’s all paid upgrades. Black Sapphire Metallic is the model’s sole black offering — no Jet Black here. It looks like a safe bet, but I can’t help feeling that the iX3’s color palette offers some better picks. The car’s U.S. debut showcased Black Sapphire. Bottom left of the graphic is Brooklyn Grey Metallic, a newer but now very familiar shade to the BMW palette. It’s appeared on everything from the M4 to X7 and everything in between. We’ve also had a good look at it before with an interesting two-tone leather interior.
There is one more color, which we’ll show below. Frozen Space Silver Metallic is a matte version of Space Silver. It looks pretty good, and we outfitted it with 22-inch wheels for the full effect below. However, it does cost $3,600, so bring your wallet if you want the exclusive Frozen paint.
The nice thing about the iX3? There doesn’t seem to be a bad paint choice. Frozen Silver is a look, but it’s still a far cry from ugly. Aesthetically, the iX3 sets a pretty high bar for the rest of the Neue Klasse vehicles. It’s a handsome looking SUV that screams “BMW,” albeit in a much more modern fashion than we’re used to. A catalog of enticing colors — which is sure to grow as the model ages — is just another checkmark alongside a growing list of things BMW is doing right with the Neue Klasse and even the iX3 specifically. What color is your favorite?
