BMW iX M60

FIRST UK DRIVE Flagship iX adds sporty feel, but loses something in the process

- Alex Ingram

OF all the cars best suited to an electric A a right at the top. Qualities like smoothness, refinement, and comfort are all high on the agenda, and with so much space for large battery packs, it's possible to extract decent range without sacrificing practicality.

The BMW iX has already proven that it can deliver all this in xDrive40 and xDrive 50 editions, but the M60 is what happens when you want a bit more sportiness. It's significant in terms of what to expect from fast BMWs in future, too; with the i4 M50, it's one of M Division's first stabs at an EV.

The specs all sound very promising on paper. The M60's body is constructed with a mix of aluminium and carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic, designed to maximise rigidity while trimming every kilo possible. At 2.6 tonnes, it's still a very hefty bit of kit, mind you, but the 116kWh battery is slung low beneath the car's cabin, so the bulk of that mass is kept close to the ground. Despite the bluff face and chunky body, the drag coefficient of 0.26 is very slippery, too.

Then there's the not-insignificant matter of 619bhp and a huge 1,100Nm of torque. The latter is on tap when you engage launch control - without it, there's 'just' 1,015Nm. The result is a 0-62mph time of 3.8 seconds - the same as the X5 M Competition - and a limited top speed of 155mph.