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The BMW iX M70 xDrive combines impressive comfort and huge performance, insulating its occupants from whatever is happening in the outside world, despite how much of its 1,015 Nm of torque is being used.
The standard BMW iX is a large SUV – or Sports Activity Vehicle (SAV) as BMW calls it – with perfectly sufficient performance. We didn’t really know that it needed even more performance, but that’s exactly what is offered by the iX M70 xDrive, which replaces the M60. So should you opt for this model variant?
With its huge front grille, the BMW iX looked a bit scary (and a bit ugly?) when it was revealed in the first press photos. However the general consensus is that its looks have grown on people (although maybe not with the dark grey matte paint and black wheels of our test car). The iX’s styling has recently had a mild mid-life refresh, along with a number of other upgrades including longer electric ranges.
At 4,965mm long, this is a big car, and it’s certainly spacious inside, with a more lounge-like interior style than traditional BMWs, although you might expect a slightly larger boot space than the 500 litres on offer (this increases to 1,750 litres with the rear seats folded). You also get a large storage compartment under the boot floor for charging cables.
Under the skin is a 108.9 kWh (net) battery, with front and rear electric motors delivering all-wheel drive.
The BMW iX M70 xDrive has a massive towing rating of 2,500 kg.
The standard BMW iX is one of the most comfortable cars that we’ve tested, and this is also a feature of the iX M70 xDrive, but this model also adds huge performance.
When we say comfortable, we mean it insulates its occupants from whatever is happening in the external environment, whether that be terrible road surfaces or terrible weather.
And when we say huge performance, what we mean is 659 hp of power, 1,015 Nm of torque, 0-62 mph in 3.8 seconds, and a top speed of 155 mph.
The iX M70 is a big, heavy car (with a kerb weight of 2,580 kg), so it can’t really be described as agile, meaning that narrow country roads aren’t its preferred habitat, but it excels on long motorway journeys, when the overall refinement, hushed interior, comfortable seats and excellent ride quality (in large part due to its adaptive air suspension) make life very relaxing. You even get a heated central armrest and a heated driver’s door armrest. And when you need to overtake the multitude of middle lane hoggers, a quick press of the pedal with your right foot means that you’ll pass such hazards effortlessly in a split-second. Thankfully all this performance is accompanied by grippy all-wheel drive and excellent brakes.
The degree of regenerative braking can be increased by selecting B on the gear selector – but there are no steering wheel-mounted paddles for greater control.
BMWs used to have ‘Drive Modes’ – instead the iX has ‘My Modes’. These consist of Personal, Sport, Efficient, Expressive, Relax, Digital Art, and Silent. Although you get different design themes, with the exception of Sport and Efficient, it’s not obvious what changes these modes have on the powertrain. And unlike older BMWs which had one button to press on the centre console to select a drive mode, now you have to find and press the ‘My Modes’ button, sitting amongst other controls on the centre console, then select a mode on the touchscreen – which may involve swiping the screen – then you have to re-select whatever you had on the screen previously, such as satnav, because the My Mode graphic that you’ve chosen stays on the screen. So changing drive mode has gone from one button press to three button presses plus a possible swipe. However you can use the excellent iDrive rotary controller to help you, a feature which is disappearing on increasing numbers of new BMWs, but thankfully this is retained on the iX.
The iX M70 is meant to be a driver’s car, so to avoid your driving being ruined by the lane departure warning system you’ll need to switch this off, which can be done via another button on the centre console.
Unlike a number of new cars that just have a central touchscreen, the iX has a wide central touchscreen, a driver’s instrument display, and a head-up display, all of which is excellent. Shortcut buttons are always visible on the touchscreen, even when Apple CarPlay is being used, but there are no separate climate controls.
The floating centre console looks stylish, but the drinks holders are positioned underneath it, and are therefore hard to reach.
The iX can instil panic in passengers because there’s no door handle to open the door. Instead there’s a small button which is hard to find, especially in the dark, which you need to press for the door to pop open. There’s a secret secondary door handle underneath, presumably if there’s a malfunction with the button.
The BMW iX M70 xDrive has an official combined WLTP driving range of 325 miles. The real-world range was averaging 300 miles after a week on test, mainly on long motorway journeys, when the predicted range was extremely consistent and reliable.
The iX M70 xDrive has a maximum ultra-rapid DC charging rate of 195 kW – which is sufficient, but slower than some rivals. A 10% to 80% DC charge should take 35 minutes.
All iX models can also be charged at a rate of up to 22 kW AC, and all have heat pumps as standard.
The BMW iX M70 xDrive is priced at £113,300, with standard features of Integral Active Steering, Adaptive two-axle Air Suspension, BMW Iconic Glow kidney grille, M Sport Pro package and sun-protection glass. Our test car also had a number of options including BMW Individual Frozen Deep Grey paint (£3,300), 22″ Jet Black M Aerodynamic Wheels with sport tyres (£900), Interior Design Suite – Amido (£2,650), Soft-close Doors (£650), Sky Lounge Panoramic Glass Sunroof (£3,200), Clear&Bold Interior Application (£800), Bowers & Wilkins Diamond Surround Sound Audio System (£4,500), Comfort Pack (£1,650) and Technology Pack (£2,300), taking the total price of our press car to £133,250.
The new iX three model line-up is comprised of the BMW iX xDrive45 from £75,315, BMW iX xDrive60 M Sport (£93,115), and BMW iX M70 xDrive.
Prices and specifications correct at time of review
The BMW iX M70 xDrive offers impressive levels of comfort and also huge performance. It’s an excellent way to cover many motorway miles – helped by its 300-mile real-world range. It’s spacious for passengers, although you might expect the boot to offer a bit more space. If you’ve got a large boat, the 2,500 kg towing weight (and the all-wheel drive system) will come in handy. And BMW’s infotainment system is still one of the best. However all this comes at a price: £113,300, or £133,250 with the many extravagant options on our test car. The BMW iX M70 xDrive is awarded a Green Car Guide rating of 9 out of 10.
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