You tend to have higher expectations of the handling of any BMW, even a fully electric one, and the Munich maker didn't want this iX3 to disappoint. Hence the clever way that the battery here has been integrated within the floorplan, lowering the centre of gravity by up to 75mm over the standard X3 for what BMW describes as 'noticeably enhanced lateral dynamics'. Which is just as well because like other EVs, this one has a bit of a weight problem, tipping the scales at nearly 2.2 tonnes. That's despite the fact that it has a slightly smaller battery than some rivals - it's 80kWh in size, though only 74kWh of that is usable. The quoted WLTP driving range figure of up to 285 miles is class-competitive though.
The iX3 is exclusively rear-driven, power coming from a rear-mounted electric motor producing 286hp which revs far higher than any of BMW's earlier motors - up to 17,000rpm, compared to the 14,000rpm of the brand's existing i3 EV hatch. As you'd expect, it's mated to a single-speed auto gearbox. 62mph from rest occupies 6.8 seconds, which is just 0 4s slower than the conventional X3 sDrive30i 2.0-litre petrol turbo model. But top speed is limited to 112mph in order to protect the range. Adaptive suspension with electronically controlled dampers is standard.