BMW iX

As far as premium electric cars go, is this the best in show?

- ALASTAIR CLEMENTS

MILEAGE 7615

WHY WE'RE RUNNING IT

Can BMW's second dedicated electric car live up to its range-topping billing?

The need for something large to ferry my wife, two teenagers, two dogs and a bumper crop of Christmas gifts to my parents' place in Somerset had me knocking on editor Mark Tisshaw's door to borrow something roomy, and I was thrilled when he chucked me the keys to the BMW iX.

Despite their hefty price tags, I've started seeing quite a few of these around and was intrigued to discover if the quirky looks were a way of livening up a mediocre car or a signal of real innovation.

It's easy to have your head turned by the gimmickry on the iX, and there's plenty of it: the rose-gold trim, the cut-glass controls, the door-release buttons (rendered pretty pointless by the conventional latches concealed below, in case they fail) and the various driving modes with their comedy choral soundtracks (to be fair, the kids loved those). But it doesn't need all that, because this is a deeply talented car.