The Neue Klasse has arrived! The BMW iX3 is an EV with 500 miles of range

This is the new BMW iX3, and we’re proudly told by the Bavarians that it’s the “first Neue Klasse model to go into series production”. Except it isn’t, because as you’ll well know this isn’t BMW’s first crack at a New Class. It certainly went well back in the 1960s though, with that generation of cars (starting with the 1500) bringing BMW back from the brink of financial collapse.

These neue Neue Klasse cars better live up to the name, then. And on paper at least the iX3 is certainly looking good. The headline stats on this launch spec iX3 50 xDrive are 463bhp and 476lb ft of torque sent to all four wheels by twin motors using BMW’s sixth-generation eDrive tech. That means 0-62mph in 4.9 seconds and a limited top speed of 130mph.

Those aren’t the most impressive numbers though, because the iX3 also gets a monster 108.7kWh usable battery with fancy new cylindrical cells and 800-volt technology for a total of 500 miles WLTP range. Good grief. It’ll recharge rapidly too, with 400kW charging allowing for an additional 231 miles to be added in just 10 minutes. We’re told that’s a 30 per cent increase on charging speed vs cars with the fifth-gen BMW eDrive tech. BMW also says that the sixth-gen cuts energy losses by 40 per cent, weight by 10 per cent and manufacturing costs by 20 per cent. All good things, particularly the latter if you work in BMW’s accounting department.

Of course, we’ve already driven a prototype of the iX3, so we’ve experienced its fancy new ‘superbrain’ tech first hand. You can read all about that by clicking here, but essentially it’s a whole new electronics architecture for the Neue Klasse cars that BMW describes as a “digital nervous system”. It deploys four super high-tech computers that pool their processing power and look after almost every function in the car. The one for driving is known as “Heart of Joy” and controls the motors, brakes, steering and all of the safety systems while making decisions up to 10 times faster than conventional control units. It apparently allows for 98 per cent of braking manoeuvres to be performed with regen alone, while something called a ‘Soft Stop’ function gives the iX3 “the smoothest stopping process ever achieved by a BMW”.

But what about how it looks off paper? You know, actually in the metal it’s made from. Well, first things first, this isn’t an SUV. BMW still refers to it as a Sports Activity Vehicle (SAV), and it actually looks way more aggressive than we were expecting. This is our first glimpse at a whole new design language for BMW which is supposed to be ‘reduced’ and ‘contemporary’, but there are still plenty of sharp creases and a fairly hefty roof spoiler. The kidneys are vertical and pay homage to the Neue Klasse cars of the 1960s, but here you can have them illuminated with the ‘BMW Iconic Glow’ option. Tick that box and you’ll also get animations to welcome you to the car and then wave you off again when parked, with BMW offering three different manners of greeting: ‘relaxed’, ‘balanced’ and ‘excited’. We really hope the car makes up its own mind based on how it's feeling each day. School run again? You didn’t really expect the ‘excited’ greeting, did you?

Anyway, the iX3 should be fairly slippery through the air with a drag coefficient of 0.24, while inside you’ll be cocooned in a leather-free interior with a wraparound dash and the BMW Panoramic iDrive system. We first saw this at CES in January, and we’re told it has been designed using a “hands on the wheel, eyes on the road” principle. That doesn’t mean you’re short of stuff to look at, of course. Stretching right across the bottom of the windscreen is the ‘BMW Panoramic Vision display’ that shows driving information to the erm… driver and then has six customisable widgets further along. Then you’ve got an optional 3D head-up display on top of that, plus a strangely shaped central infotainment screen that’s plonked right in the middle of the dash.

It's all powered by ‘BMW Operating System X’ software that allows you to download apps for music, video games, streaming etc. Heck, you can even download Zoom so that you never have to miss a work meeting again. Wait, are we sure that’s a good idea?

There’s a new steering wheel too with a worrying amount of haptic feedback ‘buttons’ on its spokes. Uh oh. You do get ‘noticeably increased’ rear legroom compared to the current iX3 though, and the boot is 520 litres in the back with a further 58 litres in a frunk. The seat fabrics are made from recycled materials.

In fact, apparently almost one third of the new iX3 is made from secondary raw materials, and the 50 xDrive gets a carbon footprint that’s 34 per cent smaller than its predecessor over a full lifecycle. The factory where it’s built in Hungary doesn’t even use any fossil fuels at all during “normal operation”.

UK deliveries of the iX3 50 xDrive will begin on 7 March 2026, which seems mighty specific given how far away that still is. There will be ‘further variants’ in the future, but to begin with prices will start at £58,755 and there will be three trim levels to choose from – iX3, iX3 M Sport and iX3 M Sport Pro. Standard kit even on the entry level car includes 20-inch wheels, heated front seats, loads of driver assistance tech, cruise control and an electric charging flap that apparently uses “artificial intelligence to detect when a user intends to connect or remove a charging cable”. We really hope there’s an override button.

“The Neue Klasse is our biggest future-focused project and marks a huge leap forward in terms of technologies, driving experience and design,” said BMW chairman Oliver Zipse.

“Practically everything about it is new, yet it is also more BMW than ever. Our whole product range will benefit from the innovations brought by the Neue Klasse – whichever drive system technology is employed.”

Thoughts on a 500-mile EV, folks?