I Took The BMW iX3 On A Range Test On One OF Europe’s Best Roads
by Andrei Nedelea · BMWBLOGArticle Summary
- The iX3 xDrive50 covered about 250 miles in a day, including two Transfagarasan climbs and a 87 mph highway run, and still had 16% left without charging.
- Hard mountain driving pushed consumption to 2.1 mi/kWh, while gentle country roads the day before returned 3.53 mi/kWh.
- Passive suspension and a low-mounted battery give the 5,000-pound SUV a chassis that's more fun than the combustion X3's.
Once should have been enough. I had already driven the BMW iX3 up Romania’s Transfăgărășan, reached Bâlea near the summit and descended to Cârțișoara for lunch. The sensible thing would have been to take it easy from there and just take the main road back home to Bucharest. Instead, I went back up to enjoy the car a second time. Going on that second climb, gaining roughly 5,200 feet (1,580 meters), tells you something about the BMW iX3. It’s entertaining enough to make you repeat a mountain road blast, and its range gives you the confidence to indulge in its plentiful performance.
By the time I reached Bucharest that evening, I had covered around 250 miles (400 kilometers), including both ascents and approximately 90 miles (150 km) of highway driving at 87 mph (140 km/h). The battery still showed 16%, and I hadn’t charged it once that day. Matching the official range figure didn’t concern me. I wanted to know whether the iX3 would let me enjoy a demanding drive without making energy conservation the main event.
Two Days, Every Kind Of Road
BMW Romania had invited me to drive from Bucharest to Șona, a small village in central Romania, with a return route over the country’s most famous mountain road. Across two days, the itinerary mixed highways, country roads, mountain switchbacks, and even a spot of off-roading, giving the iX3 xDrive50 far more to do than cruise gently between chargers.
The large 108.7-kilowatt-hour battery supplies two motors producing 463 horsepower, while quoted range reaches 500 miles (805 km) under Europe’s WLTP testing and up to 434 miles (698 km) on the EPA cycle. BMW also proved the car can even exceed 620 miles (1,000 km) if you avoid highways and keep speeds low, but those numbers don’t tell you how eager it is to change direction on a nice twisty road.
How The iX3 Handles The Transfăgărășan
On the Transfăgărășan, Sport mode was permanently on, although it doesn’t change much since the iX3 currently only comes with passive suspension. But it doesn’t roll much and admirably resists understeer while staying composed through the bends, and I could use the accelerator to adjust its line like in a proper sporty car.
Its low-mounted battery helped suppress the top-heavy feeling you might expect from an SUV weighing over 5,000 pounds. It can’t make that mass disappear, but it carries it remarkably well. I found its chassis more enjoyable than the combustion-powered X3.
Naturally, enthusiastic uphill corner carving in a big, heavy bus took its toll. After briefly reaching 1.64 miles/kWh (37.8 kWh/100 km), displayed consumption settled at 2.1 miles/kWh (29.6 kWh/100 km) as I emerged onto the mountain’s southern side. That included the journey from Sibiu, two climbs and the regenerative descent between them.
Yet roughly 100 miles (160 km) into the day, I still had 57% remaining. The subsequent descent and highway run brought me home with that comfortable reserve.
Day One Reveals The Frugal Side
The previous day showed the other side of the iX3’s personality. Leaving Bucharest with 97%, I initially saw a range prediction of 353 miles (568 km). After 112 miles (180.4 km), mostly on open roads at around 62 mph (100 km/h) and around 30 miles (50 km) of highway, it averaged 3.31 miles/kWh (18.8 kWh/100 km).
Slower country roads in the second part of the day improved that to 3.53 miles/kWh (17.6 kWh/100 km) by I reached the overnight stop. I had driven 217.5 miles (350.1 km), with 40% remaining and another 173 miles (279 km) indicated.
An overnight charge brought the battery to 98%, and with the previous day’s consumption, the range prediction jumped to 437 miles (703 km). On the gentle approach to the mountains, efficiency briefly averaged around 4.44 miles/kWh (14 kWh/100 km) before I hit the twisty bit.
Thinking About Corners, Not Chargers
This wasn’t a controlled range test, but it demonstrated something more immediately useful: I could drive normally, use the climate control, enjoy the performance and make an unnecessary second mountain climb without my range anxiety spiraling.
The iX3’s appeal is that those choices felt easy. It was frugal when the road allowed it, entertaining on the right roads and capable of getting me home afterward with zero worries. I spent more time thinking about the next corner than the next charger.
[Photos: Radu Chindris]
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