- The updated iX electric crossover achieves 10% efficiency.
- The 2026 iX will have three new models
- BMW has tuned the suspensiong
If you've been after EVs, then BMW's Neue Klasse (noo-ay class-ay) should sound familiar. Although “new class” sounds as French as it does German to this anglophone, BMW uses it to distinguish its electric vehicles from the X3 crossover later this year, a iteration of the 3-Series sedan followed. The refreshed 2026 BMW iX makes a half step into this new class of EVs.
Unveiled in 2022, BMW's electric crossover comes with significant upgrades to its battery packs, transmission systems, and other internals, although much of what we know won't be revealed until the end of January for the global reveal.
On a brief drive outside the BMW factory in Spartanburg, South Carolina, the new iX is more comfortable and appears to have a greater range between its hard sport and soft comfort settings. It has seen changes to its exterior design that bridges the modernity of the discontinued i3 hatch with some of the bolder, if not more stylish, crossover SUVs from BMW.
It was covered in camo and the interior dash and panels were covered in the kind of thin carpet you'd find in the cargo area. Our impressions were limited to a 15-minute test, and most of the mechanical details are another form of concealment from BMW. Here's what we know and what's been leaked, and what we can expect from this iteration of the iX.
BMW's largest factory in the world, Spartanburg makes the X3 and all other large SUVs that BMW sells in the world, except for the iX. It will continue to be manufactured at Plant Dingolfing, Lower Bavaria, Germany.
The 2026 iX arrives in the second half of 2025 with three reported models to choose from, each representing a different level of performance, the BMW way.
2026 BMW iX battery upgrade and motor unit
All three models will have dual-motor all-wheel drive, but the new model will be the iX xDrive45, instead of the 40, according to a leaked Bimmerpost that was cited by several auto outlets. Based on EPA listings, the entry point to the 2025 BMW iX will be the xDrive40 which is not yet offered in the US; it has a 71-kwh battery pack (usable) and a maximum range of 219 miles, according to the EPA.
Expect a bigger package and increased width in the entry-level 2026 iX xDrive45.
This year's iX xDrive50 is rumored to join the iX xDrive60 in 2026, and this year's M60 becomes the M70 in 2026. cells instead of changing to denser cylindrical cells will strengthen the i The Neue Klasse generation of electric vehicles. Consider this the fifth and a half—not sixth—generation of BMW's EV battery and transmission system.
Neue Klasse cars will use an 800-volt architecture, but the iX will retain its 400-volt architecture, albeit with improvements to increase charging times. How much we don't know. A DC fast charger with output of 195 kw, i 2025 BMW iX it can charge from 10-80% in 40 minutes.
Like the Neue Klasse cars, however, the 2026 BMW iX may use silicon anodes instead of graphite in the cells, resulting in higher energy density and faster charging speeds. More density means more energy stored, so it should translate to a bigger range, although that hasn't been confirmed by BMW and probably won't be approved by the EPA until early next year.
Other improvements to improve the range include new “well-designed” wheel rims, according to BMW, and more efficient headlights that consume less energy. The new inverter technology boosts the drive power to be more explosive, and the power transfer from the battery to the car is compact and efficient.
2026 BMW iX is estimated to be 10% more efficient
The 2025 iX xDrive50 has an EPA-rated range of 309 miles when equipped with 20-inch wheels. BMW has revealed that they will increase the efficiency of the new model by 10%, so that it can increase the level distance to 340 miles of the 2026 BMW xDrive60, when fitted with fuel-efficient wheels wrapped in low-rolling tires.
The 2025 M60 tops out at 285 miles, while the 2026 M70 can get somewhere 310- to 315-mile widebased on my crude calculations. It is very difficult to speculate about the xDrive45 because BMW would not reveal the battery size.
How to drive the 2026 BMW iX
We don't know if the M70 will improve on the 2025 M60's 610-hp, 749 lb-ft of torque output and a 0-60 mph time of 3.6 seconds, or if the iX xDrive60 will develop in 2025 The xDrive50's 516 hp, 564 lb-ft and its 0-60 mph time of 4.4 seconds.
In my brief drive, the iX xDrive60 had power off the line, and a light tap of the toes opened up the throttle at speed. It was fast enough to slap me across the face, but not fast enough to annoy unwary passengers. Eco mode predictably shuts off throttle response. Sport mode mostly shuts down the stability control system to allow for some sort of drifting, I was told, but I didn't have the space or the lack of riders to test it. IB mode on the shifter is still for max regenerative braking that makes the iX almost stop without the brake pedal. The brakes are unchanged.
The 2024 iX xDrive50 I tested last year had a wobbly weight and a surprising amount of weight, making it something of an outlier in BMW's electroverse, but BMW has worked to improve that across the iX range. I checked the iX xDrive60 with steel-spring suspension. BMW has retrofitted hydraulic dampers for smooth cruising, and on the state highway I tested at about 70 mph, it made good on that promise. Apart from the tire noise expected of EVs, it was quiet in the cabin, even the prototype seemed unfinished.
The lack of steering in Sport mode was one of our editor's complaints about the 2023 BMW iX. The steering wheel has been improved, with a clear feeling between sports and comfort, according to BMW, but I didn't have enough space to test that.
The M70, like the M60 before it, should have dual-axle air suspension with dynamic dampers. It appears that the iron butterfly grille—one of the gaudiest takes on the kidney grille since the i4 electric sedan—carries over, as does the grille's supposed self-healing that erases or at least joins scratches.
New this year is the M Sport package, as requested by customers. The cosmetic Sport package on the 2025 xDrive50 may not have had the M. It comes with green brake calipers, while the M Sport Package Pro standard on the M70 gets red calipers. Maybe it will make M posers see red.
Inside, the package means new M power seats with more bolstering on the sides and a seat bottom that's about two inches taller. Leather upholstery remains optional with the M Sport Package, but it comes with a leather-wrapped steering wheel, M pedals, and M badging.
Standard features throughout the lineup include adaptive cruise control up to 85 mph, adaptive lighting, heated front seats and a heated steering wheel, and a Harman Kardon sound system.
Options include a glass roof, automatic sliding doors, and BMW's latest iDrive operating system combined with a digital instrument cluster and a touchscreen of an undisclosed size. Driver assistance options include a limited hands-free driving system with automatic lane changes and a remote parking system.
The 2026 iX is a new addition to this class of BMW electric car, but what future will it hold for the school Neue Klasse? We will find out more in late January.
BMW paid for airfare and lodging for Green Car Reports to attend its product overview.