- 2 days ago
The 2026 BMW iX3 is the first of the Neue Klasse range. This includes new design language, as well as new tech, such as the Panoramic iDrive. Neue Klasse design will soon be implemented in other BMW models. The BMW iX3 Neue Klasse competes against the new Mercedes-Benz GLC EQ or the Audi Q6 e-tron. Marek attended the iX3 launch event at the IAA in Munich in 2025. Here's what he found out:
What are the main differences between the electric BMW iX3 and the combustion-engine BMW X3?
How does the iX3's real-world range stack up against its competitors?
How fast and convenient is the charging experience?
How does Panoramic iDrive work in the new BMW iX3?
2026 BMW iX3 Neue Klasse – Key Information and Specs:
↔ BMW iX3 dimensions:
✔ length: 4782 mm
✔ width: 1895 mm
✔ height: 1635 mm
✔ wheelbase: 2897 mm
✔ boot/trunk: 520-1750 L + frunk 58 L
💲 BMW iX3 50 xDrive starting price: 68 900 euro
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What are the main differences between the electric BMW iX3 and the combustion-engine BMW X3?
How does the iX3's real-world range stack up against its competitors?
How fast and convenient is the charging experience?
How does Panoramic iDrive work in the new BMW iX3?
2026 BMW iX3 Neue Klasse – Key Information and Specs:
↔ BMW iX3 dimensions:
✔ length: 4782 mm
✔ width: 1895 mm
✔ height: 1635 mm
✔ wheelbase: 2897 mm
✔ boot/trunk: 520-1750 L + frunk 58 L
💲 BMW iX3 50 xDrive starting price: 68 900 euro
🎯 Do you like my channel? Subscribe here: https://bit.ly/SubMarekDrivesENG
💥 Follow me here:
https://www.wieruszewski.com
https://facebook.com/marekdrives
https://twitter.com/mwieruszewski
https://instagram.com/marek_drives
📢 I started a new channel - https://bit.ly/MareksGear, where I'm t
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MotorTranscript
00:00hi today i'm at the launch event of the new bmw ix3 the neue classe it's a significant event for
00:07bmw but is it also significant for us petrol head petrol heads it's an ev well anyway let's find out
00:30in case you don't know this is the first bmw model from the neue classe line presented in the early
00:371960s bmw's post-war model range was outdated the company was short on funds and the neue classe
00:44was an all hands on deck project it worked then how's it going to turn out now the 2025 ix3
00:52neue
00:52classe features a new design language and new tech that will be carried over to approximately 40 of
00:58the brand's models by 2027 meaning virtually every bmw that receives a facelift or a new generation
01:05in the near future bmw worked to increase the efficiency of the electric x3 as a result the
01:12drag coefficient is just 0.24 the new bmw ix3 grill design is a modern take on the classic and
01:23i think
01:24it looks better than what we witnessed over the last few years but let me know your opinions
01:32the light signature assumes the role of the chrome plated elements on the original neue classe from the
01:381960s if you're wondering it is possible to order the car without the iconic glow package
01:43but then you won't be seeing the welcome light animation sequence which may not be such a bad thing
01:50the ix3 is a couple of centimeters shorter lower and narrower than the standard x3 however the
01:59wheelbase is three centimeters longer the ground clearance is 17.6 centimeters which for an ev which
02:06has a thick battery pack in the floor is a decent result in the sixth generation e-drive electric
02:12drivetrain bmw has adopted cylindrical cells resulting in increased energy density and improved cost
02:19efficiency the new cells have 20 greater energy density than those in the previous generation e-drive
02:26the traction battery capacity is almost 109 kilowatt hours net and the battery
02:34is huge however it's also relatively thin hence the ground clearance
02:45instead of packaging the cells into separate modules that are then placed in housing that is then
02:51installed in the car bmw packaged the cells into a battery that becomes a structural element of the
02:57vehicle the center of gravity is low while maintaining reasonable ground clearance and providing more
03:03interior space by comparison the old ix3 was smaller only a hundred kilograms lighter but the battery's net
03:11capacity was 35 kilowatt hours less with this big a battery the expected range wltp is between 680 and
03:20805 kilometers i suspect if you really push it you're gonna get about high 400 something low 500 something
03:28kilometers but you know it's better than 250. BMW claims a 40 reduction in energy losses and a 10 weight
03:38reduction the wiring harness itself is now 600 meters shorter and therefore 30 percent lighter than the
03:44previous generation let this sink in it's not only 600 meters now but 600 meters shorter makers of those rodent
03:55repellents for cars are popping open their best champagne the ixtreme neue classes supports up to 400 kilowatts
04:06charging which allows you to charge the car from 10 to 80 percent in 21 minutes assuming you're going to
04:13find
04:14a fast enough charger
04:18you don't even have to open and close this flap yourself because the car remembers where you
04:23frequently charge and recognizes when it approaches a charging station the bmw ix3 supports v2l
04:30v2g and v2h technologies meaning you can power external devices with up to 3.7 kilowatts send energy
04:38to the grid and the car can act as your home energy storage your home can draw energy from the
04:44car with
04:45up to 11 kilowatts perfect if you have solar panels and park at home a lot of the time ac
04:52charging is up to
04:5311 kilowatts as standard with up to 22 kilowatts as an option the big news is a 58 liter frank
05:01so finally some place to store your charging cable good job bmw
05:09bmw isn't the only brand to realize that the media and the customers may have been on to something all
05:15along
05:15mercedes and volkswagen also unveiled frunks in their new evs the actual boot capacity according to the
05:22manufacturer is 520 liters in five seat configuration and 1750 liters with the second row seats folded down
05:32and this is what the boot looks like you can't drop the floor but
05:40there is some storage underneath it and the boot is actually much bigger than it looks and here are its
05:49dimensions
05:53that means we have about 470 liters of cargo space above the floor
05:57depending on how far the backrest in the second row are reclined with the underfloor storage there's
06:02easily 520 liters by the way the bmw ix3 can be equipped with a tow hitch and tow up to
06:102 tons
06:11the minimum load capacity of the roof rack is 75 kilograms and the tow hitch can take up to 80
06:17kilograms vertical load i'm not a fan of pop-up handles but these work exceptionally well
06:27i know many people recognize luxury inside a car by the smell of leather
06:31and i'm one of them i think a truly successful implementation of recycled materials was in the
06:37bmw i3 more than a decade ago it was perfect but the new ix3
06:47well i applaud bmw for their sustainability efforts and i don't mind plastic frunk covers that are recycled
06:56or some metal parts underneath the car that are 80 or 70 recycled inside the cabin
07:06i'd like a bit less sustainability but perhaps i'm just too old to understand certain modern trends
07:15just like bmw ceo who called eu's 2035 combustion engine ban a big mistake
07:26there's a surprising amount of leg room in the back and decent headroom the floor is completely flat
07:35also we have usbc ports third zone climate control accessory mounts the seat backs are adjustable by
07:48pulling those straps kind of like in a mini countryman so that's a bit cheap and we have an armrest
07:56with cup holders
08:01something i noticed was these floor mats made of recycled materials feel really cheap i know they're
08:07lighter and theoretically more sustainable i have better carpets in my 2021 mini countryman currently
08:13both mini and bmw carpets are thinner and don't fit as well as they used to i hope they'll at
08:19least be
08:20durable otherwise resources saved on initial production will be wasted when a replacement has to be produced
08:27okay so the inside of the bmw ix3 neue classe we have several uh steering wheel designs because i've seen
08:37one with the vertical spokes and these spokes here are on the side so it looks more familiar these buttons
08:44are they do offer some haptic feedback they are transparent so they don't show as much
08:52fingerprints as i was afraid they would there is decent switch gear here in the back so that's cool
09:01these buttons will change color or appear disappear depending on whether the function is available so for
09:07example the phone will flash green when there is an incoming call and red when you can finish it
09:16we've got this panoramic screen under the windscreen which is independent of the
09:24of the head of display and it's independent because this is for everyone and the head of display is for
09:30augmented reality navigation and stuff like that for the driver
09:33um you can configure it all you can make it disappear etc two phone charger cup holders a
09:44physical hazard light button so euro n cup had something to say about that um armrest under
09:53console storage and as far as the quality is concerned this is something we've seen the mini countrymen
09:58so a lot of recycled materials but uh it feels like bmw is going down market rather than up market
10:05which
10:05is a bit strange oh and these door handles work much better than i expected the new bmw os10 with
10:13panoramic iDrive will also be gradually implemented in subsequent facelifts and new generations of bmw models
10:19jern freyer vice president for user interaction development told me more about how the system was
10:25developed and how it works we start with a vision and our vision is very clear eyes on the road
10:33hands
10:33on the wheel because that's the way you drive a car in a safe way and we showed very early
10:40our vision
10:41to use the windshield to project information there and around four years ago we had the technology in
10:48place to build something like the panoramic vision this is based on display technology
10:55and the projection by a specific nano coating on the windshield where we have that floating image
11:02in front of you and here you exactly have that you have eyes on the road hands on the wheel
11:08and what is important for us when we start to think about a new generation of iDrive this is the
11:16panoramic iDrive generation we invited from day one real customers that are not related to bmw to be
11:24part of our engineering teams and we ask them what should be different in a system what should we
11:31modify what do you want to use very frequently what is probably a little bit difficult in today's bmw
11:37and we listen very carefully and modified our system and if you think about a new generation you always
11:45have to balance between different modalities so ways of interacting with the system one thing is
11:54having real control elements like you see it in the door we have a mirror adjustment we have real
12:01buttons on the steering wheel to operate important functions we have seat controls we also have the
12:07typical stokes because we believe for these functions this is the best way to interact
12:12especially in blind operations you do not have to look on that second thing um there are touch
12:19functionalities in the central information display and we optimized it in a way that it is a lot closer
12:27to you as a driver so it's easy to operate the ergonomy is perfect and also we brought it very
12:33close to
12:34the steering wheel that it's super easy to touch and that the the time where you have your hand not
12:40on the wheel is limited to the minimum and by that we could also have a complete new yeah touch
12:48experience
12:49here on the screen and last not last but not least all important functions and i can show you an
12:55example
12:56here for for example media control i just press the button and we see the list here and i can
13:02easily
13:03operate it on the steering wheel and always my hands on the steering wheel and my eyes are on the
13:08road
13:09and the the distance for the display is perfect because you do not have to look down you can see
13:17the environment the traffic and still have everything in your line offset we integrated displays that lie in
13:25the dashboard like this okay and then we have a specific nano coating on the windshield and a
13:31reflection of the display images bring these virtual images that kind of float in front of the windshield
13:39because the the area where you can see the image is kind of in the bonnet of the car and
13:46this is the
13:47perfect distance as we are around one meter ten to one meter twenty depending on your seat position
13:53and this is also for your eyes very easy to adapt on on this if you also look to the
13:59outside to kind
14:00of control the traffic situation there is an optional 3d head up as well where we do a fusion
14:06of adas and navigation information and where you really have that depth of augmentation this will
14:13be launched with a new class as well um second thing is the information we show here in the panoramic
14:22vision
14:23have to be seen in all lighting conditions with sunglasses with everything and the technology of
14:30classical head-up displays like we have it in our cars on the street is in this dimension
14:36it's a little bit limited because with polarized sunglasses you cannot see it today and also if
14:44the sun is very bright these systems come to to to a limit in a way and this panoramic vision
14:51has no
14:52limit you can see it in all conditions so it's always safe you have everything in your line of sight
14:58and this is the reason why we were able to also reduce that cluster what you had in front of
15:05the
15:05steering wheel what was not perfect in the past because you always had to look down if you look
15:10at the steering wheel so what did we do we have a haptic coating on it that you can do
15:15really blind
15:16operation here it's not a touch only system it's a touch and force system with active it clicks yeah it
15:24really clicks exactly and um we analyzed um again using customer data from cars on the street so we have
15:34around 10 million cars on the street where customers gave their consent that we can look in the data
15:40and we completely analyzed what kind of function how often do they click on a steering wheel to
15:46for example skip a title or to to open a media list and interact with it and by that we
15:53optimized
15:54um the buttons the size the position the click um of it and what is special especially on the left
16:03side we
16:04have shy tech buttons what does that mean if for example you drive on higher speeds the parking button
16:11will disappear because you do not need it if you drive on a highway or if all driver assistance systems
16:17are
16:17not active you also don't need the plus minus to to set the set speed and then we again reduce
16:26it to
16:26the max and that makes it super super clear and super easy to operate and whenever you need the buttons
16:33they are there if you look here you see the personal dashboard what you can configurate very simple in
16:41a way just by dragging and dropping yeah you say okay i don't like uh the date here but i
16:47want to
16:48have my telephone status and this is there there's no phone connected at the moment or you could just
16:53drag and drop things yeah just put it in that you want to see okay there the compass here
16:58um this is typically for the personal mode but with a simple click in the mode framework for example
17:06you can change the the complete character of the car now the values are not there as we are not
17:11driving
17:11but you get a full screen power meter and a g meter or if you want to have more informations
17:18you
17:19could also have a kind of a board computer with the most driving related informations power talk rotation
17:25speed drive train temperature you will have that directly in your line of sight and we change to
17:31that wonderful orange what we had in our heritage it's exactly the same nanometer orange what you're
17:36going to see here as well with one click on efficient mode you see you have everything related to
17:44efficiency um in one view how far you can get how much this car is parked for quite a while
17:51that's the
17:52reason why these values might not be the right ones but it's super easy to have everything at a glance
17:57in front of you and we even introduced a silent mode because again we listen carefully to our customers
18:05and some gave us the feedback well if i drive at night home on my own on a very dark
18:10road
18:11i want to have um very very few informations i just need my speedometer that's it and you can do
18:18that
18:18again by a simple click bmw launched the ix3 in the 469 horsepower 50x drive form less powerful and
18:28more affordable variants will follow but details haven't been announced at the time of this recording
18:33currently the ix3 starts at 68 900 euro which is considerably cheaper than the 398 horsepower x3 m50 x
18:43drive and not much more than the 30e x drive phev and how do you like the new bmw ix3
18:51let me know in
18:51the comment section below if you like my sarcastic down-to-earth and possibly mildly amusing car reviews
18:59join me every friday at 3 p.m central european time and don't forget to subscribe and like this video
19:06as it helps me move the youtube algorithm thanks for watching and i will see you in the next one
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