BMW iX

Angular EV totes cutting-edge connectivity and super-fast charging in a bid for the electric luxury SUV crown On sale Now Price from £69,905

- Neil Winn

THE ALL-NEW iX luxury SUV is the most radical BMW since the brand’s first electric production car, the much smaller i3, was revealed almost a decade ago. And just like that pioneering model, the iX wears its innovation on its sleeve with thoroughly unmistakable looks.

Unlike its smaller X3-based iX3 stablemate, the flagship iX is based on new, dedicated underpinnings and employs generous doses of aluminium and carbonfibre-reinforced plastic in the quest to keep its weight down.

The entry-level xDrive40 model has a 71kWh (usable) battery, 322bhp, a 0-62mph time of 6.1sec and an official range of 257 miles. At £69,905, it’s priced competitively between the Audi E-tron 55 and Jaguar I-Pace EV400.

The xDrive50 we’re testing, though, has an eye-watering price tag. Like the cheaper car, it has two electric motors to drive all four wheels, but this time with 516bhp for a 4.6sec 0-62mph time, beating every other similar-priced electric luxury SUV you can buy today. And, perhaps more importantly, its 392-mile official range eclipses all its current rivals’, thanks to a whopping 105kWh battery.

It’s very fast, then, but this isn’t an SUV that excels on a tight and twisty B-road. Even in Sport mode, which stiffens up the standard air suspension (the xDrive40 gets steel springs), there’s noticeable body lean and the front tyres will push wide long before the rears break traction. And while the steering is precise, that of the I-Pace is more naturally weighted and more confidence-inspiring in corners.