BMW iX3 Neue Klasse – How Good Is It REALLY After 3,500 km?

Overview

An EV long-distance “extreme test” drive in Sweden/Germany evaluates how practical the BMW iX3 (Neue Klasse) iX-drive 50 (top AWD variant) is after 3,500+ km—with focus on real-world charging, range, interior usability, and driver-assistance behavior.

A rear cargo box is added to increase load and impact consumption, making the test more demanding.

---

Key test setup and goals

• Model tested: iX3 Neue Klasse, xDrive50
• Battery: ~108 kWh (subtitles reference “108 kW hours”)
• Route: an extreme long-range trip starting around 5:30 a.m., heading toward Hamburg, then continuing to Sweden (Helmstead area) and returning.
• Cargo added: a large rear-mounted cargo box (including discussion of roof box vs cargo box rationale)

What they measured/checked

• Day-to-day practicality with the cargo box
• How often charging is actually needed (and charging frequency)
• Impact of 21-inch rims and weather (wind/rain)
• Family-friendliness and long-distance comfort
• Efficiency/consumption with vs without the rear box

---

Charging and route planning findings

Starting point and range estimate

• Began at 100%
• Car estimated ~596 km range (noted as dependent on recent driving)

Stop planning behavior

• They initially trusted the navigation/routing.
• When arrival times slipped due to traffic, they replanned on the way.
• Example stop: NBW mobility + charging station
  • Arrived with ~35% battery / >200 km range
  • Chose lunch/idle time, then left.

Core efficiency/reliability idea

“Idle time is charging time.” They often charge earlier than strictly required, but it fits real travel patterns.

Fast DC charging performance

• 10% → 80% took about ~21 minutes (consistent with BMW’s claimed expectation; they didn’t always start below 10%).

• At one charging hub:

  • 14 charging points
  • Described as dual-charge setups supporting up to ~400 kW per station
  • Up to ~200 kW per single point if sharing; full power if alone.

Hotel charging strategy

They prefer hotels with charging so they can:

• Arrive overnight with very low charge
• Recover/recharge during sleep
• Prepare for the next day

Charging standards flexibility

• They carry Energy Kick mobile charging with adapters (described as replacing a typical Type 2 cable for AC charging).
• AC charging variants mentioned:
  • ~11 kW AC as the benchmark (with the 108 kWh pack)
  • BMW offers AC professional up to 22 kW as a paid option (about ~€740 shown in subtitles)

---

Real-world consumption / range results (major focus)

With rear cargo box (mixed conditions)

• First ~300 km: ~18.5 kWh/100 km
• By Hamburg: just under 20 kWh
• In Sweden (local conditions, lower highway speeds): ~19 kWh
• Denmark → hotel (slower driving): ~16.9 kWh

Without rear cargo box (cross-country Sweden mention)

• ~15.3 kWh

Return to Hamburg

• ~20.5 kWh

Trip totals

• Total consumed: ~676.3 kWh
• Total distance: ~3,386.8 km
• Average efficiency: ~19.7 kWh/100 km

Cost estimate

• Total roughly just under €350
• About €10.30 per 100 km
• Conclusion on efficiency:
  • Even with the rear cargo box and harsh conditions (wind, rain), results are described as “very good” and manageable/predictable.

---

Cargo box: practicality, limitations, and impact

Storage and mounting

• Capacity: ~450 L
• Size: about 1.90 m width
• Extends rearward by ~88 cm
• Mounting: heavy; attached on the trailer hitch

Usability benefits

• More convenient than reaching up for roof boxes
• Helps separate bulky items (e.g., stroller, plus blankets/shoes)

Limits and safety/visibility issues

• Payload limit: ~50 kg (box limitation)
• Rear camera visibility is restricted/affected while reversing
• Longer rear length complicates:
  • parking
  • pulling up to chargers
• Handling in tight spaces is influenced (described as “oversized truck effect”):
  • pivot point and swing-out behavior

Smart integration with the car

• The car asks whether you selected trailer vs carrier
• Allows setting a maximum desired range accordingly
• After passing restriction signs, it shows the previously selected speed (they used 140 km/h in the carrier case)

---

Exterior lighting and design impressions

• BMW theme: “light instead of chrome”
• Night presentation:
  • animation and display are praised as eye-catching

Headlight critique

• Matrix lighting is standard, but BMW uses 8 segments
• They describe this as coarser than competitors (subtitles mention “25,000 pixels”)
• Illumination quality is good, but “could be better.”

---

Interior & infotainment: Neue Klasse tech elements

Display and UX highlights

• “SciTec” concept: steering wheel display shows only what’s needed
• Panoramic Vision iDrive: projected multiple displays for a depth-like HUD/cockpit feel
• HUD elements are customizable (drag-and-place style), including efficiency/power and assisted-view content

Infotainment / everyday usability

• Improved ergonomics/build compared to earlier BMWs
• Apps/performance noted:
  • high-level integration including YouTube / gaming (as described)
• CarPlay/Android Auto:
  • quality is praised
  • limited to the home screen (not shown in the Panoramic Vision iDrive area)

Navigation and charging routing

• Described as “top tier”
• Supports filtering by charging provider and selecting arrival SOC%
• Provider lists can be too long, so they use search and BMW app integration

---

Driver assistance: “symbiotic drive” and limitations

Strong positives

• Assistance-system behavior is praised repeatedly:
  • continues working even after brief driver braking; then re-engages
  • lane keeping + speed adaptation described as extremely reliable and seamless
• Highway assistant speed limit:
  • works up to ~130 km/h
  • above that, lane-change function may work partly, but overall system stops
• Emergency lane behavior:
  • in stop-and-go traffic, the car positions itself to help form an emergency corridor / lane management while keeping assistance active

Parking and cameras

• Trailer mode shows rear cameras
• They question why certain rear-view blind-spot camera views aren’t available more generally
• Sentry-like features:
  • “parking collision detected” alert was checked and found to be a false trigger (someone walked close)
  • still demonstrates recording/camera verification

---

Ride comfort, steering, and cabin usability

Suspension and ride tuning

• Described as one of the best-tuned SUV rides in its class
• BMW characterized as sportiest/dynamic among a comparison trio (Mercedes/Audi/BMW)
• Some colleagues call it “too stiff” after longer testing, but the speaker disagrees for their own preferences.

Seats and second row

• Seats are liked after 3,500 km
• Rear bench layout described as unusual:
  • raised with an air gap underneath (confirmed by a Lego-drop anecdote)
• Rear space:
  • decent for two child seats side-by-side
  • middle seat is tight, but they still managed a comfortable one-adult/one-kid setup

Climate and controls

• Many features remain button-supported
• BMW uses physical buttons mapped to display shortcuts (lighting, exterior lighting, seat adjust, etc.)
• Massage/ventilated seats: stated as planned to be added later (“coming later this year”)

---

Review verdict direction (directional, not a full final verdict)

After completing the full distance, the car is portrayed as a strong overall package due to:

• Reliable charging planning
• Very usable assistance integration
• Good efficiency even with the rear cargo box, wind/rain, and long-distance driving

Noted criticisms:

• Headlight segment count vs competitors
• Some steering-wheel trim/plastic concerns
• Cargo box affects rear visibility and adds parking complexity

---

Main speaker/source

• Jonas (EV mobility channel host), referenced repeatedly as “Jonas, your channel…”