{"id":23573,"date":"2022-06-01T11:25:04","date_gmt":"2022-06-01T15:25:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/?p=23573"},"modified":"2022-06-01T11:25:04","modified_gmt":"2022-06-01T15:25:04","slug":"how-i-would-build-bmw-ix","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/?p=23573","title":{"rendered":"BMW iX – This is how I would spec my electric SUV"},"content":{"rendered":"

With customer deliveries of the all-new iX beginning, and BMW\u2019s price increases announced for the 2023 models, it\u2019s an opportune time to see what options add the most value to BMW\u2019s first ever electric SAV. You\u2019ll have two options going into the 2023 model year \u2013 the BMW iX xDrive50, with a new base MSRP of $84,100, and the BMW iX M60<\/a> which starts at a wallet-humbling $104,925. The BMW iX xDrive50 gets you 516 horsepower and over 300 miles of range, while the M60 trades some range to deliver 610 horsepower. But is it worth it?<\/p>\n

Model and Exterior<\/h3>\n

I don\u2019t see the value in 90 horsepower, lesser range, and a $20,000 price increase. I\u2019ve driven the BMW iX xDrive50 and it is plenty fast \u2013 especially for a vehicle I would largely be using simply to commute to and from work. 3.4 seconds to 60 sounds great, but I simply don\u2019t need my electric SUV to do that \u2013 I have a dedicated \u201cfun\u201d car. So I\u2019d save myself a ton of money and opt for the BMW iX xDrive50.<\/p>\n

We have three \u201cdesign\u201d options as well \u2013 Shadowline, BMW i Signature Blue, and Sport. Shadowline is a zero-cost option and the car looks pretty sporty, but I\u2019d spend the $2,800 for the Sport appearance package<\/strong>. It makes the iX look a lot more aggressive and also adds dark clear tail lights, which I think look a lot better than the standard ones.<\/p>\n

Luckily, the iX is premium enough in BMW\u2019s lineup that they won\u2019t charge for paint colors \u2013 except for Storm Bay Metallic and Aventurin Red Metallic. But I can live without them. Remembering Sophisto Grey<\/strong> from the i8 and some earlier cars, I\u2019d have to choose that as my color.<\/p>\n

Lastly, I\u2019d take the 22\u201d Style 1021 wheels, since they get second-best range and look great. I wouldn\u2019t get them in black because I think the normal bi-color provides good contrast. The 20s provide the best range but look a little bit ridiculous, and also aren\u2019t combinable with the Sport Package.<\/p>\n

Interior<\/h3>\n

We\u2019ve got three no-cost Sensatec options to choose from: Oyster, Mocha, or Black. A microfiber\/wool blend is available for $500, and two leather options \u2013 Amido and Castanea Chestnut \u2013 cost $2,450. I\u2019m all in on a cloth interior, and that\u2019s what I\u2019d choose. The only downside of this is that I lose the availability of ventilated seats, but I\u2019ve never been crazy about them in the first place. There\u2019s no trim options \u2013 they all get Titanium Bronze \u2013 so we\u2019re moving on to standalone options.<\/p>\n

Options<\/h3>\n

There\u2019s a $1,700 delta between the Convenience ($2,300) and Premium ($4,000) Packages, and there simply isn\u2019t a whole lot I need in the Premium Package. Which is unfortunate because the incredible Bowers and Wilkins sound system is only available with it. But, it makes a lot less of a value proposition when you consider you\u2019re paying $4,000 for the Premium Package, plus an additional $3,400 for the stereo. It\u2019s a marvelous way to listen to music, but not for almost $8,000. The Convenience Package has everything I consider a must on a car like this \u2013 like a heads-up display and surround-view camera.<\/p>\n

I\u2019d tick the box for the Dynamic Handling Package<\/strong>, because of Integral Active Steering. The iX drives much smaller than it looks, and the four-wheel steering system included in the Dynamic Handling Package for sure helps with that. I\u2019d skip the Luxury Package \u2013 though it adds some nice details to the cabin touchpoints, I simply don\u2019t need it.<\/p>\n

The standalone options on the iX are sparse; I\u2019d probably spring for the Radiant Heating Package for $950<\/strong>, and I think the Laserlight headlights are a worthy addition at $1,000. BMW is likely to release an update allowing Laserlights to function as they do in Europe within the next two years based on recent legislature. Everything else is cosmetic, sans Active Driving Assistant Pro, but I don\u2019t need my BMW to drive itself.<\/p>\n

Parting Thoughts<\/h3>\n

So there we have it \u2013 that\u2019s how I would build my BMW iX. MSRP as built comes out to $93,300 \u2013 which I think is competitive, especially after the $7,500 tax credit. The BMW iX M60 still starts at over $10,000 more, and while a lot of the features are standard, I can\u2019t get some stuff I want on the xDrive50 \u2013 like cloth interior. Plus, I\u2019m burdened with extra options I don\u2019t want that add no value to me \u2013 such as the interior camera or the 5G eSim. Regardless \u2013 the iX makes an excellent complement to any garage, and I look forward to seeing how the platform evolves in the future.<\/p>\n

What must-have options would you build your iX with?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

With customer deliveries of the all-new iX beginning, and BMW\u2019s price increases announced for the 2023 models, it\u2019s an opportune time to see what options add the most value to BMW\u2019s first ever electric SAV. You\u2019ll have two options going into the 2023 model year \u2013 the BMW iX xDrive50, with a new base MSRP […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":23574,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-23573","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-industry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23573","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/20"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=23573"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23573\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/23574"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=23573"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=23573"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=23573"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}