Our cars Why we’re running it
to see how BMW’s all-electric iX3 works for fleet
BMW iX3 Premier Edition Pro
P11D price £61,795 As tested £61,770 Official range 285 miles Our average consumption 2.8 miles/kWh Mileage 3,900
Going the distance
No rest for the BMW, despite a week’s holiday! Martyn Collins
School holiday greed, the cost-of-living crisis and probably post-pandemic demand means there’s no such thing as a cheap holiday this year. As I mentioned in the last BMW report, our plan was to get away for a small family holiday over the Easter break, but with prices for a couple of Airbnb nights almost adding up to a hot holiday abroad, we decided to stay at home, with planned day trips and time spent doing jobs at home instead. So, it was still a good mileage test for the BMW. Spring might have sprung in the daytime, with a hot sunny day starting the week, but cold nights mean we’re seeing just under 190 miles to a charge. More than enough for the 42-mile round trip to the O2 in Docklands and a trip across the excellent Emirates Air Line for our first day out. The M25 was kind, but there was still lots of congestion around the Blackwall Tunnel. Still, in Eco Pro and maximum regen B modes, not only did the one-pedal drive equal much smoother and less stressful stop-start driving, but I also actually ended up arriving at the O2 with 211 miles of charge – more than I started with. Pleasingly easy to get parked just a short way from this attraction, there were even charging stations – although I couldn’t see them in the car park where we stopped. We had a great day out, even if it was stop/start driving again – at least until we reached the M25. I was pleased to get back with 150 miles still showing on the range. Plus,
how unstressed the BMW left me after all the traffic. With a large sunroof fitted, my wife and I could make the most of the late afternoon sunshine and all of us could enjoy the excellent standard Harmon/ Kardon stereo system fitted in the iX3. This range was also more than enough for me not to worry about an overnight charge before more local trips on the Tuesday. With a list of DIY to do, the iX3’s jobs on the Tuesday mostly revolved around getting to various shops for a long list of paint and decorating materials, together
with a curtain pole, which easily fitted in the BMW’s 510 litre boot.
Wednesday’s trip was the longest at just over 200 miles door to door – with a day trip to the Norfolk coast. The need to assess an ICE test car for a future review, saw us use that rather than the BMW. I’m sure someone upstairs was trying to tell me something, or maybe it was fate making itself known – but the one day we didn’t use this EV, was the one I struggled to get petrol anywhere nearby. I was just at the point of turning back when I found a
Standard equipment on the Premier Edition Pro: 20in aerodynamic wheels, automatic tailgate, adaptive suspension, panoramic sunroof, Vernasca leather trim, power heated sports front seats, power tailgate, wireless phone charging, BMW driving assistant professional, parking assistant and BMW live cockpit professional, head-up display, Harmon Kardon surround sound, gesture control, parking assistant plus.
station with plenty of unleaded. Hindsight is a wonderful thing, and if we’d taken the iX3, it would have made it easily to Southwold, with probably enough charge to make it to the excellent GRIDSERVE site at Braintree for a top up on the way home. Ah well, what’s more ironic is that I saw the most EVs I’ve seen for a while on the roads around Norfolk.
On Thursday, more DIY jobs saw this BMW visiting the local shops, and with 80 miles of the charge left from Sunday night’s previous charge, I hooked it up ready for a Good Friday trip to the in-laws in Cambridgeshire. I enjoyed driving the iX3 over a mix of rural, country roads and motorway. The only time this BMW feels slightly out of its depth is in deep, undulating corners, where the weight of the batteries, along with this car’s standard 20in wheels, can make the iX3 feel unsettled.
Easter Saturday, clear skies and almost 20-degree heat tempt us outside to give the back garden its first attention in seven- months. With my lawn mower not quite up to the task of cutting the grass, the iX3’s practicality is called upon again. I have to borrow a friend’s lawn mower and wasn’t worried as the rear seat folds flat – increasing the space to 1,560 litres – more than enough to swallow a mower easily. Easter weekend was rounded off with a late Monday walk with the family in the country. My admiration for the iX3 grows the more I live with it, but sadly time with this BMW is going fast.
WEBSITE Please visit
www.businesscar.co.uk/tests/long-term-test/ for previous reports on our fleet
www.businesscar.co.uk | May 2022 | 43
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