BMW iX3 and X3*** enjoy CLAR modular platform. It can be seen that the parts are nearly 99% similar, and even the official guide price of 469,900-509,900 yuan is the same as X3? XDrive30i is in the same interval. It is this high degree of similarity that makes iX3 inevitably fall into the topic of "changing oil into electricity". However, after two days of in-depth test drive experience, I found that under the appearance of "lack of innovation", there is an electric car with great sincerity and innovative spirit.
In fact, BMW's CLAR modular platform has considered the compatibility between fuel/plug-in hybrid vehicles and pure electric vehicles at the beginning of research and development. Keeping the upper body unchanged can reduce the research and development cost of new models, and also bring customers the most familiar and relaxed first impression.
But the other side of this familiarity is that iX3' s innovation field focuses on the lower body and chassis that ordinary people can't see or don't want to see. Therefore, most of the highlights of this pure tram are hidden deeply. As mentioned above, iX3 has been facing controversy from public opinion since its release. It can be said that the wine smells deep in the alley.
Given that there is no skin, there is really nothing to say about design. Only a few details have been modified, which are nothing more than a semi-closed air intake grille, a blue sky and white clouds LOGO with blue decorative strips, and some blue decorative pieces. Compared with the other two German luxury brands of pure electric vehicles, iX3 spends the least energy on the surface. I don't know if BMW is too sincere or the other two are too smart.
What is worth introducing in detail is the unique aerodynamic rim, which can reduce the air resistance of the wheel rotation. According to the official introduction, it can reduce the air resistance by 5%. In addition, the aerodynamic optimization of the whole vehicle realizes the drag coefficient of Cd0.29, which is much lower than that of X3, and can effectively improve the battery life and energy efficiency of electric vehicles.
And the pure electric BMW released earlier? Compared with i3, BMW? IX3 hides the radical, avant-garde and Cyberpunk posture of electric cars, and instead presents the popular lover's makeup with mainstream aesthetics: it is neither too fashionable nor conservative and boring, and it has both the sophistication and maturity of the mainstay models of medium-sized luxury SUVs and the freshness and uniqueness of a new generation of trams.
The layout of the car is the same as X3, except that the instrument interface is changed to electric blue theme, sky blue elements also appear on the start button and the "big chicken leg" gear handle, as well as the iX3 decorative board carved on the welcome pedal and center console, which is no different from BMW X3.
Thanks to the compatibility of CLAR modular architecture with pure electric vehicles, iX3 adopts the integrated architecture of power battery and chassis, so the floor height and interior space are almost the same as X3. The iX3 pioneer model of this test drive is equipped with front sports seats, adjustable backrest of rear seats and comfortable headrest, which makes it quieter to drive and has almost the same riding experience as X3.
In fact, it is not only the design look and feel and the ride experience, but also the driving quality that BMW is familiar with? X3 taste, including ecology? Pro, comfort and sport are three completely different driving modes, and BMW has always been good at driving pleasure and handling performance.
The integrated design of battery chassis reduces the center of gravity of iX3 by 75mm compared with X3. Although the curb weight has increased to 2.2 tons, the obedience and overall sense when cornering are still excellent. Thanks to the battery pack reinforced chassis, the torsional stiffness of the body-in-white is greatly improved, and the iX3 not only has good handling texture, but also has excellent riding quality and acoustic comfort.
In order not to make the electric car too quiet, BMW also hired Hollywood musician Hans Zimmer to customize the iX3 to take effect, as well as the sound simulation of the electric car. The pitch that rises with the depth of the accelerator pedal and the speed of the car is a bit like a spaceship that travels through time in a science fiction film. You can feel the smooth and powerful traction of the electric car in the extremely quiet carriage. With the sound simulation of science fiction, who says that electric cars can't have fun driving?
IX3 adopts the power arrangement scheme of single motor rear wheel drive. It adopts the most advanced fifth-generation eDrive electric drive assembly of BMW Group. The motor has compact structure and light weight, and does not occupy extra space in the rear axle subframe. At the same time, it has quite good power index and energy efficiency.
The maximum power of the motor is 2 10kW, and the maximum torque is 400 n m. The parameters are slightly stronger than the X3 of the high-power version of the 2.0T engine, and the officially announced zero-hundred-speed acceleration score is 6.8 seconds, which is similar to the X3? XDrive30i is of the same level, but the characteristics of electric vehicle acceleration without shifting gears and continuous force will appear faster, more stable and more comfortable in actual driving.
Unfortunately, iX3 has no dual-motor/four-wheel-drive models to choose from, so its acceleration performance is slightly worse than that of its peers in 4 seconds. However, the good side is that iX3 can achieve 500km NEDC battery life after the simplified drive structure, which runs further than pure electric SUVs such as Mercedes-Benz EQC and Audi e-tron.
The usable capacity of IX3' s power battery is 74kWh, and another 6kWh is reserved for endurance protection. The battery comes from Contemporary Ampere Technology Co., Ltd., which has cooperated with BMW for many years. 188 8 1 1 lithium ion batteries are arranged in 10 battery modules.
The energy density of iX3 power battery is only 154Wh/kg, which is not particularly prominent for brand-new electric vehicles in 2020. But when we see the internal structure of the battery pack, we can immediately understand the reason: BMW attaches great importance to safety, iX3 battery pack has redundancy of safety design far exceeding that of its peers, and crazy physical protection makes it the strongest battery pack in the industry.
There is a considerable buffer space between the battery module and the battery pack, and there are aluminum alloy reinforcement structures interwoven vertically and horizontally in the module; The liquid cooling system at the bottom of the battery cell also has a buffer space with the bottom plate of the battery pack, which means that the common bottom or side impact on the root will not hurt the lithium battery body.
The battery pack adopts steel-aluminum mixed structure and relies on a large number of aluminum alloy extrusions to provide very high rigidity. In addition, there is a well-shaped reinforcement structure between 10 battery modules. There is also a patented thermal insulation coating between the batteries to ensure that the batteries are foolproof in terms of physical safety and thermal management safety.
Thanks to the reinforcement of this powerful battery pack, the iX3' s vehicle stiffness is much higher than that of the fuel version, and its driving texture is as thick as an armored vehicle, while its low center of gravity makes it still have the control taste of BMW, and it is quite confident when driving fiercely. In addition to taking care of the heavier body, I don't need too much adaptation, and I am still familiar with the texture of BMW.
When braking suddenly or changing direction continuously and rapidly, you will feel the existence of 2.2 tons of physical inertia, but generally you will not feel the increased weight. In fact, through the kinetic energy recovery system, iX3 is even more handy than fuel vehicles in daily commuting driving scenarios.
Kinetic energy recovery can be adjusted in three gears, so that iX3 can slide comfortably like a fuel car, and it can also achieve single pedal driving with the strongest kinetic energy recovery. When parking, only the accelerator pedal can be used to control the vehicle to decelerate forward.
In addition, the iX3 is equipped with an adaptive mode, which can determine the driving mode of the vehicle according to the road conditions and driving style, and can also intelligently determine the energy recovery intensity according to the distance from the preceding vehicle, so as to cooperate with the automatic driving assistance system PRO, which not only brings the most worry-free driving experience, but also achieves the best level of comfort and energy consumption performance.
It is particularly worth mentioning that both the adaptive mode and the automatic driver assistance system PRO are standard configurations on iX3, and other technological configurations are also directly filled. IX3 is in the forefront of the X3 family.
The latest version of iDrive? 7.0 Man-machine interaction system, which can accurately understand voice commands, just say "Hello BMW" and summon BMW intelligent personal assistant to control the car without starting work.
In addition, iX3 also has near-field communication technology, and the authorized smart phone replaces the car key, which can realize the remote control of unlocking and starting the vehicle by the mobile phone.
These cutting-edge technologies make the iX3' s experience no less than that of those seemingly avant-garde and radical electric vehicles. Although iX3' s stable modeling scheme is not as "unconventional" as other I-series models, its familiarity with comfort and the internal and external design in the same strain as X3 are more attractive to consumers who are "pursuing stability".
Not all electric car users like Cyberpunk. I believe that the market does not exclude traditional luxury electric vehicles, but pure electric vehicles of other traditional luxury brands are either too expensive or the products are too strong. In the final analysis, it is the lack of products that can impress consumers.
BMW iX3 is expected to reverse this situation. Reasonable price, qualified endurance, excellent driving experience, advanced technology configuration and worry-free battery. It is a rare product with balanced performance in the luxury pure electric SUV produced by traditional automobile brands, which is also the advantage that traditional automobile manufacturers still retain when switching to pure electric track.
This article comes from car home, the author of the car manufacturer, and does not represent car home's position.