What you see before you is perhaps one of the most important new vehicles that BMW has introduced in years. With electrification transforming the industry and one automaker after another committing to at least a mostly electric future, the introduction of an expensive, flagship all-electric SUV is a shot into the heart of the premium luxury class currently dominated by Tesla, with a host of challengers current or forthcoming.
On paper, the new 2022 BMW iX has a lot of the right stuff to be successful. It debuts as the dual-motor iX eDrive M50, complete with all-wheel drive, an anticipated maximum range of 300 miles, DC fast-charging capability, and a host of sustainability measures like olive-leaf-tanned leather and interior bits made out of recycled fishing net. And it’s all wrapped in a spacious five-occupant SUV.
There’s just one problem, and I’m sure I don’t have to tell you what it is. You can tell by looking at it: The BMW iX might just be the ugliest new car to come along in decades.
Related: 2022 BMW iX xDrive50: A Smartphone on Wheels
‘A Cross Between a Pontiac Aztek and a ‘58 Edsel’
That’s what a friend of mine on Facebook, someone who’s not even a car enthusiast, called the iX when I posted pictures of it from a recent BMW media event to get up close and personal with two new i-brand models, the iX SUV and i4 sedan. And you know what? My friend is not at all wrong.
The silhouette of the new iX is perfectly fine, a two-box design with some slightly awkward proportions but nothing offensive overall — but turn the lights on in the room and see what BMW stylists have done here, and there’s just nothing good to say. The completely vertical front end has cat-eye headlights that look fine, but they flank the latest version of BMW’s twin-kidney grille that’s been likened to everything from a bucktoothed beaver to SpongeBob SquarePants. What kills me is that this SUV doesn’t even need a grille given that there’s no engine to cool and, thus, no air flowing through it. BMW refers to it as the vehicle’s “Intelligence Panel,” housing the radar and other sensors — it’s even heated so ice and snow buildup don’t interfere with said functions. The lower bumper contains two enormous trapezoidal black panels that look like they’re from a different vehicle entirely, which connect inharmoniously to two black side sills down the side of the vehicle.
From the front, we continue down the oddly surfaced, bulging fenders of the iX and come across some brightwork that ruins the side view. It starts at a seemingly arbitrary point just in front of the windshield pillar, runs along the window beltline to the rear doors, and then kinks up and rearward to ruin the rear sail panel with an odd cut to the liftgate. The taillights are wide slits that don’t quite span the entire rear of the SUV, so instead of bringing the idea of width to the design, they give the look of a bulbous, chunky butt.
There simply isn’t a view of the new iX that one can stand back and say, “Well, it looks pretty good from this angle” because it doesn’t. It doesn’t look good from any angle. Of the exterior, only the wheels for BMW’s eDrive M50 on display were attractive. The rest is just a hot mess.
Things Are Considerably Better Inside
Perhaps the kindest thing we can say about the exterior is that you only have to think about it when approaching or departing the vehicle. The iX is a totally different experience inside thanks to a high-quality, super-chic cabin that’s spacious, avant-garde, functional and surprisingly comfortable. The dashboard and instrument panel have a cantilevered floating construction that’s new to BMW; it conveys a decidedly high-tech atmosphere without being overly spartan like any of Tesla’s offerings. The squircle-shaped steering wheel might look odd, but its shape allows you to fully view the massive organic light-emitting diode display behind it without the bits a circular wheel would hide. Next to that gauge display is the latest-generation BMW iDrive 8 multimedia system, and it’s quite good: Super-fast response, bright displays and crystal-clear icons make it look dynamite. Of course, this was also viewed in an enclosed, indoor area; we’ll see how well this highly reflective panel looks in bright outdoor sunlight later on.
The seats are striking in both design and comfort. Quilted leather covers the surfaces but also extends down the seat sides — purely a nod to style given you seldom touch that part of the seat. The parts you do touch feel wonderful, with seemingly huge chairs that feel plush and supportive up front. The rear bench is also spacious, with plenty of legroom and a flat floor that allows easy seating for three across. Occupants also get some convenient touches, such as USB-C power outlets in the front seatbacks.
The only thing we worry about are the controls. There are precious few actual buttons in the iX, and they’re mostly found on the doors. Working the center controls requires using the touchscreen’s icons and menus, voice commands or a capacitive-touch panel between the front seats that also features haptic feedback. BMW has also made that panel out of wood instead of the typical shiny piano-black plastic, which should cut down significantly on the sticky fingerprints that mar most glass cockpit interiors.
We’re hoping that people will be able to get past the exterior styling long enough to get inside the new iX, as there’s a lot of lovely technology, comfort and next-generation luxury in there to keep buyers happy. But given that BMW is planning on charging north of $84,000 for this flagship i-brand electric SUV when it arrives in the spring of 2022, accepting that it’s just not a well-styled vehicle might be a hard pill for some to swallow.
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