Málaga, Spain. mobile.bg team from the event site.
When one of the most conservative and at the same time most technologically advanced car brands in the world decides to bet everything on one card, the result cannot be mediocre. We got behind the wheel of the new BMW iX3 model 2026 – the first “excellent“ from the long-awaited Neue Klasse family.
And from the first glance it became clear that this is not just another electric SUV; this is the financial and engineering salvation of the Bavarians in the era of dominant Chinese electric cars. After a few hundred kilometers of test, according to our humble but expert opinion of automotive journalists, we can say one thing: Munich has once again found its way to the driver's heart. Here are our initial impressions of the new BMW iX3
Exterior: Farewell to the giant kidneys
The iX3's exterior marks the end of a controversial era and the beginning of a cleaner, more athletic design. The lines have become sharper, and the car's physiognomy is somehow more intelligent. The front has finally gotten rid of the hypertrophied radiator grilles, replacing them with a digital face that literally “breathes“.
The profile is classic for a crossover from the brand, but the aerodynamics have been perfected to achieve the much-desired absolute mileage record for a production car. The rear end still raises a few eyebrows, but overall the car looks solid and expensive – exactly as it should be.
In addition to the clean surfaces, the door handles hidden in the body are also impressive, which not only improve aerodynamics, but also give the profile a more monolithic appearance. The new wheels, optimized to reduce air resistance, look more like a detail from a concept prototype than a production model, and the subtle play of light on the specific Bavarian colors emphasizes the premium presence on the road.
In conclusion, we will say that the overall vision conveys a feeling of lightness, which is a real achievement for a massive SUV, and successfully distances the Neue Klasse from the heavier visual language of the brand's previous electric versions.
Interior: Panoramic view into the future
Entering inside, the first thing that captivated was the abundance of light thanks to the huge glass roof. But the real magic is in the so-called Panoramic iDrive. Forget about the traditional dashboard in front of the steering wheel. Now all the important information is projected onto a dark strip at the base of the windshield. It looks phenomenal and, frankly, it's much safer because your eyes don't take your eyes off the road.
The central screen is tilted towards the driver and responds faster than the latest smartphone models, although - we admit - we were a little annoyed by the fact that even the air conditioning is hidden in the on-screen menus. Even stranger is that BMW has decided to "close" the panoramic display to external applications. Want Apple CarPlay there? For now - forget it. And the voice assistant Alexa? Oh, poor thing... it tried to send me 800 km from my destination when I simply asked it to change the navigation end point. All this suggests that there is definitely more to be done here.
The choice of materials is also particularly impressive, where BMW has categorically turned its back on traditional leather and shiny plastic in favor of innovative, recycled fabrics with an extremely pleasant texture to the touch. The seats not only look minimalist, but also offer ergonomics that seem to embrace you without imposing their presence.
And the lack of physical buttons is compensated for by intuitive touch surfaces integrated directly into the textile trim. The entire cockpit architecture is based on the concept of "digital detox", where technology remains hidden and unobtrusive until you need it, transforming the cabin into a cozy and peaceful haven from the noise of the outside world.
Engine and battery: The heart of driving pleasure
Under the iX3's floor is the sixth generation of eDrive technology. The Japanese batteries are newly designed, lighter and have a 20% higher energy density. The result? A real-world range that in our test reached nearly 560 kilometers without much effort. The 800-volt architecture also allows for very fast charging - in 10 minutes you get a charge for 300 km of travel.
However, the most impressive technical achievement is the central computer called Heart of Joy (HoJ). It controls everything – from braking to traction – and reacts in 1 millisecond. That's 20 times faster than anything we've seen before. The 50 xDrive version we drove has 409 hp and accelerates to 100 km/h in less than 5 seconds. But it's not the power, but the way the HoJ masks the 2.3-ton weight that's the real miracle. The car feels light, agile and incredibly stable in the corners.
The engineering department has also put serious effort into the system's thermal management, implementing a new type of heat pump that maintains optimal cell temperature even in extreme winter conditions. This not only preserves the battery capacity in the long term, but also ensures that the high charging power will not drop sharply after the first few minutes at the station.
Our personal opinion on the matter is that no matter how much the competitors try to catch up with the Bavarians, the precision with which the new inverters dose the energy to the two electric motors creates a feeling of an endless reserve of traction, which is available to your right foot at any moment.
Driving characteristics: Smooth flight
On the road, the iX3 behaves like a real BMW. The ride is refined, and the transition between regenerative and mechanical braking is so smooth that it is completely imperceptible. The Bavarians have developed the Soft Stop function, which stops the car without a single jolt to the cabin - the feeling is even smoother than in the Rolls-Royce Spectre.
The driving assistance systems are also on point. Changing lanes just by looking in the mirror works surprisingly intuitively. The lack of Level 3 autonomy is a strange decision for such an expensive platform, but BMW is clearly betting on the fact that the driver still wants to keep things under control.
What really won us over in the dynamic driving is the way the chassis adapts to every bump, without transmitting unnecessary vibrations into the cabin. Thanks to the extremely low center of gravity and the intelligent distribution of masses between the two axles, the iX3 stands glued to the asphalt even in tight corners, where typical crossovers usually start to lean unpleasantly.
But here the HoJ system works in full sync with the steering system, correcting the trajectory so subtly that the driver feels more like a natural extension of the machine than like an operator of a complex computer. This is that classic Bavarian balance between comfort and direct feedback that many manufacturers are still trying to find. And if the acceleration from a standstill is not like a supercar, then the acceleration when overtaking is phenomenal - a fact that, in our opinion, is more important than being the first at the traffic light.
Conclusion and prices in Bulgaria
The mileage and electricity consumption are also important for an electric vehicle. BMW promises a record range of up to 805 kilometers, and in real conditions, in which our test took place, the iX3 performed extremely maturely, but far from the exaggerated advertising brochures.
In mixed driving, without striving for records in economy, the car achieves an impressive efficiency of about 18-19 kWh per 100 km, which, with the capacity of the new battery, guarantees a solid range of over 550 kilometers on a single charge.
In conclusion, we will say that the BMW iX3 model 2026 is a triumph of engineering thought over skepticism. With this car, for which ten billion euros were spent (!) the Bavarians prove that they can make an electric car that is not only economical and technological, but also fun to drive.
Is this enough to stop the Chinese invasion? It's hard to say, but it's certainly the best European response so far. And as for the prices, they can't be low. But what's more interesting is that they're not high compared to their direct competitors, and for that money you get the best in the world of electric cars made so far. Prices start at just under 130,000 leva and can reach over 150,000 leva with VAT.
