Before talking about the pure electric SUV iX that BMW released yesterday, I strongly recommend that you take a look at the documentary that BMW made for this car.
Actually, this is a "promotional film" with a documentary shell, in order to show us the behind-the-scenes story of the new car before it is officially released. The reason for the recommendation is very simple: this is definitely the best new car promotional video of a car company I have seen in the past two years. The whole documentary of
has 6 sections, which add up to about half an hour. In this film, there is no such thing as the past car company propaganda films that forcefully instill values. The main theme has become gag-style self-deprecating. The entire film is of a high standard in terms of shooting techniques, editing, rhythm, and sound effects. For example, when interviewing BMW Group Chairman Zipce, I used handheld shooting, and the camera was very shaky. "We don’t want to listen to him anymore. Baba, I just want to see the real car." Take a few screenshots on
and feel the style:
. In the films produced by car companies, you rarely see such a rebellious operation. It is even harder to imagine this is a video of a century-old brand from Germany. There is a good saying in the film: "In Germany, we like to be considered orderly and absolutely punctual, but we don't like others' inherent impression of German humor." Z2z
BMW is working hard to change people's perception of German car companies through this documentary. , The inherent impression of electric vehicles. Although some of the very cold and cute German humor in the film seems to be deliberate, I want to ask, which domestic car company leader dare to make such a thing?
Alright, calm down, let's take a look at the product. The pure electric iX
is the mass production version of the Vision iNEXT concept car released two years ago.
The exterior and interior design of the concept car was full of controversy, and the same is true for today's production version. It seems that BMW’s recent new cars are all in this style, and the transformation starts from the appearance.
But one thing is worth noting. Whether it’s the previous M3/M4, the current iX, or even the i3 and i8 a few years ago, these cars are of great significance to BMW, and their production version, almost Both retain the design of the concept car to the greatest extent.
From this perspective, iX has i3/i8 legacy. Is its shape enough for science fiction and the future? In the BMW product camp, it should be regarded as it is, but at the end of 2020, we have more expectations and imagination for the styling and design of electric vehicles than a few years ago. Obviously iX cannot satisfy our growing passion. Curiosity.
It is worth mentioning that as a medium and large SUV of the X5 level, the drag coefficient of iX is only 0.25Cd. What level is this? Mercedes-Benz's coupe CLA is only 0.23Cd, and Weilai's coupe SUV EC6 is 0.26Cd. The lower drag coefficient directly affects the endurance (especially high-speed endurance) performance.
It is hard to imagine that this is the wind resistance performance of an SUV that looks square.
iX integrates various sensors such as a radar camera in the front center grid. The blue sky and white cloud logo on the front of the car can be opened by pressing. This is actually a glass water filling port...
but the blue decorative strip representing new energy is indeed a bit vulgar , So, I think the red painting in the official image is better (maybe the red appearance is a version similar to the M suit).
iX The interior is more surprising than the appearance. Although the interior is very different from the concept version, the home style on the concept car has been implemented.
BMW Vision iNEXT concept car:
iX production version:
You can see some details from the official interior map, such as:
double curved large screen, and the connection method of the center console is more innovative, there is a TV outrigger feel.
interior material, a large area of suspected Alcantara material. The iDrive button in the central control area of
is hidden in the wooden veneer, and the iDrive knob, which is suspected of being crystal, is extremely delicate. The shape of the
steering wheel is hard to describe in a word, neither is it square nor round. BMW said that this hexagonal steering wheel was inspired by BMW racing cars.
and the overall color matching design is obviously inspired by the iNEXT concept car.
(BMW Vision iNEXT concept car)
As a production car, I love the interior of the iX. It presents BMW's thinking on the shape of the cockpit in the future, while not giving up the use of materials and craftsmanship to create a sense of luxury.
On the "electric" level, how is iX doing? The answer is that there is no surprise in the acceleration performance, but the battery life can be hit. The dual-motor system with a total power of 370kW can bring acceleration to 100 kilometers in less than 5 seconds. This acceleration is not unusual for high-performance electric vehicles (NIO ES8 dual-motor 400kW, 4.9 seconds per 100 kilometers), but BMW claims iX’s WLTP The battery life reaches 600 kilometers. Converted to NEDC operating conditions, the 700km nominal battery life is not a big problem. As a medium and large SUV, this endurance performance is nothing to fault. The battery pack capacity of iX is said to be at least 100kWh, the power consumption per 100 kilometers is less than 21kWh, and the maximum charging power can reach 200kW. Like iX3 and i4, it uses BMW's fifth-generation eDrive electric drive system. More technical details of
, including autonomous driving, are currently unknown, but I believe that as the mass production node approaches next year, the details of iX will be gradually revealed. But what is certain is that this car will be equipped with Mobileye EyeQ5 autopilot chip. How does
evaluate this car? Simply put, there are surprises, but not as thorough as the "future." Taking into account the class and size, the price of this car will not be low after it goes on sale next year. This is another effort by a German luxury brand in the high-end electric vehicle market, and it is also an important symbol of the BMW Group in electrification and digital transformation. Its significance to BMW may be no less than the original i3 and i8.
