[Auto] This new £60,000 BMW iX3 electric SUV has a soundtrack written by composer Hans Zimmer: Will it hit the right note with drivers?

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It's not every day you drive to the lyrical strains of an Oscar-winning composer who has pulled out all the stops just for you.

But such was my fate when I got behind the wheel of BMW's new iX3 sports utility vehicle to take it for its first drive on UK roads before it reaches customers in Summer.

That's because it's the first BMW car for which Academy Award-winning movie composer Hans Zimmer has written a soundtrack in collaboration with the firm's sound designer Renzo Vitale. 

It's the first pure electric SUV to use sounds from the creator of such Hollywood blockbusters as Gladiator, Batman, and Pirates of the Caribbean - with an Academy Award for his original score for The Lion King.

They give a welcoming chime when you press the Start button, and a farewell tone when you switch off. 

And once underway, driver and occupants of the near-silent vehicle enjoy a strong cinematic sense of rising crescendo from the synthetic sound as velocity increases. In future, it will also warn pedestrians of its imminent approach.

But does the iX3 strike the right note?

It's certainly entering a busy market with the likes of the Tesla Model-X, Ford's Mustang Mach-E, VW's ID4, Nissan's Ariya and the Skoda Enyaq, as well as Audi's e-tron, Mercedes-Benz's EQC, and Jaguar's I-Pace.

Many may be relieved that the iX3 looks so normal. It lacks the much debated massive cartoonish grille on some of the most recent BMWs which have divided opinion. 

Other than seeing the driver on the 'wrong' side of the road, the left-hand drive version of the iX3 I drove is one BMW electric car that is unlikely ever to shock. 

Its looks are entirely conventional. Apart from the covered grille, the lack of exhaust and some specific trim and exterior tweaks, you'd be hard pushed to tell it from its petrol, diesel and hybrid siblings. 

That's not necessarily a bad thing unless you really want to boast about your eco-credentials. 

The rear end has also been sculpted to reduce air resistance and aerodynamically designed light-alloy wheels help reduce drag coefficient by around 5 per cent adding around 6 miles to the range.

Order books for the iX3 are open now with prices from £58,850 for the electric BMW iX3 Premier Edition and from £61,850 for the Premier Edition Pro (which includes the synthetic sound). 

The iX3 does not qualify for the Government's tax-payer funded UK plug-in car grant of £3,000, which is capped at £50,000. Other variants are set to follow.

The iX3 is part the first BMW range to offer customers a choice of pure electric drive, plug-in hybrid, petrol or diesel options – emulating a 'pick'n'mix' power choice strategy pioneered by French rivals Peugeot.

By comparison, petrol and diesel combustion iX3 models start from £42,115 and hybrids from £49,250 – suggesting an electric mark up from around £16,000 and £9,000 respectively. 

The iX3 also the first model to be built for export at BMW's Shenyang factory in China operated by the joint venture BMW Brilliance Automotive. 

The mantra of the firm with plants in the UK, US and beyond has long been that quality depends on being 'built by BMW' not 'built in Germany'. 

Out on the road the sprightly new 'green' SUV is sufficiently butch to be considered a bimmer – sprinting from rest to 62mph in 6.8 seconds up to a top speed limited at 112mph. 

It's comfortable and pretty engaging to drive but don't expect the ultimate driving machine. It's for active owners and small families, not would be racers.

Running on 20 inch black aerodynamic wheels the iX3 offers drivers a range of up to 279 miles (on the new 'real-world' WLTP test cycle) – which would leave you about 21 miles short and needing a top up on a 300 mile run from London to Newcastle.

BMW said the storage capacity of the battery has been 'substantially increased' with a gross energy content of 80 kWh delivering 74kWh of useable charge. On a fast DC charger of up to 150 kW it will charge up to 80 per cent in 34 minutes. 

Or you can give a 62 miles boost to the car's driving range with a swift 10 minute burst. But BMW says it would still need to make fewer and shorter charging stops than a comparable electric vehicle whose efficiency is compromised by larger and heavier high-voltage batteries.

The slim, low-slung high-voltage battery sits low down in the underbody and lowers the car's centre of gravity by around 7.5 centimetres – or about three inches - compared with its conventionally powered BMW X3 siblings.

Acceleration is pretty brisk, sporty and engaging. You can also fine-tune your driving style.

Pull the drive-lever down to 'D' and the driver can choose a high, medium or low brake energy regeneration setting – increasing or decreasing the amount of resistance you feel when you take your foot off the accelerator. 

The higher the resistance, the more energy you recuperate for your battery.

But slide it left into driving position 'B' allows you to drive with 'one pedal' style – with your foot only on the accelerator. Take it off and the intense braking kicks in immediately, boosting energy gain.

In an adaptive setting, the intensity of the car's brake energy regeneration can also adjust according to the road conditions using data gleaned from the navigation system and the driver assistance system sensors. 

So it is maximised if you are approaching a junction or a vehicle on the road ahead. Out on the open road, it coasts if you take your foot off the accelerator. ' 

The iX3 is the first model to offer BMW's fifth-generation electric e-Drive – which bring the electric motor, electronic systems and transmission into one central unit. 

The same electric motor, power electronics, charging technology and high-voltage battery used in the iX3 to boost performance, power consumption and range will be fitted in the new BMW iX and BMW i4 models from 2021.

The electric motor's power density is 30 per cent higher than existing fully electric vehicles and up to 93 per cent efficient - compared with under 40 per cent for combustion engines. The 188-cell battery is 20 per cent more powerful than existing ones.

Inside is a fully-digital high-resolution 12.3 inch instrument cluster behind the steering wheel and a 10.25-inch central display with a choice of control via touchscreen, buttons, voice or gesture.

Spoken commands are possible via the latest version of the BMW Intelligent Personal Assistant by saying 'Hey BMW' or your personal call. The car's infotainment system is also compatible with Apple CarPlay Android Auto, allowing access to digital services such as Google Assistant, Google Maps, music-streaming like Spotify and Amazon Music, and WhatsApp messaging. 

The new cloud-based BMW Maps navigation system enables route arrival times and directions to fast charging points to be calculated with greater speed and precision.

Standard equipment includes automatic tailgate, adaptive suspension, and a panoramic sunroof, electric seats, sun-protective glazing, and a hi-tech dashboard. Wireless phone-charging, heated front-seats, and parking aids are there too.

There is a limited but sufficient choice of four exterior metallic body colours – my Mineral White, Carbon Black, Phytonic Blue, and Sophisto Grey – along with two exterior trim colours in brushed aluminium or black high gloss.

Driver and passenger are cossetted inside in one of four shades of Vernasca leather.

Split folding rear seat backrests mean boot capacity can be increased from 510 to a maximum of 1,560 litres.

The BMW Operating System 7 allows for the car's software to be updated over the air.

The new iX3 SUV is due on the market in Summer just as the Munich-based Bavarian automotive giant prepares to launch not only its new electric i4 coupe but also its hulking new flagship electric iX SUV which was unveiled earlier this month.

But they'll all arrive in showrooms nearly eight years after BMW unleashed its once pioneering new i3 electric car – a ground-breaker both in terms of styling and technology – after which BMW appeared to lose its then lead in matters electric.

Maybe the new iX3 will help it recharge its electric batteries. And there are 11 hybrids in the pipeline too.
 

Edited December 27, 2020 by PANSHER