BMW iX comes in a new sports edition: M60 Electric SUV

M GmbH, as the Bavarian sports department, is now turning the controls on the BMW iX and bringing the SUV as the M60 sports model. It is visually inconspicuous but powerful.

M GmbH dares to flirt with electromobility again. After the i4, the BMW factory tuner is now also taking on the iX and launching the luxury SUV in the summer as the M60.

The power of 455 kW/619 hp and up to 1,100 Nm of torque make the off-road vehicle the most powerful electric model from Munich to date. However, the car also marks the top in terms of price. At at least 135,500 euros, it is around a third more expensive than the previous top model in the series.

The seat buzzes for a better driving experience

Above all, you can feel the difference. Accompanied by an artificial vibration in the seat, the M60 accelerates from zero to 100 km/h in 3.8 seconds despite its 2.6 tons and, according to the manufacturer, reaches a top speed of 250 km/h.

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That’s about a second less and 50 km/h more than the production model with 385 kW/523 hp. The range of the battery, which has a capacity of around 111 kWh, is 561 kilometers and the consumption is at best 21.9 kWh per 100 kilometers.

You can hardly see the difference. Because much more than the rims and the black type plates do not distinguish the iX M60 from its normal siblings from the outside.

BMW iX M60 in the driving report: Expensive E-SUV with even more power

A little more power, a different tuning and glamorous standard equipment characterize the expensive top model of the BMW iX. A first ride in the iX M60.

Exactly when exactly “abundant” becomes “too much” often depends on an individual point of view. Well, the base BMW iX model weighs 2440 kg empty and is capable of accelerating to 100 km/h in 6.1 seconds. Almost independently of the initial speed, this chunk of speed increases so spontaneously and emphatically that when you look at it in the light of day, the question inevitably arises as to what a further increase is actually supposed to be and where it could be used in the normal street thicket.

The majority of the target group of the iX M60 should be above such considerations. In the main sales markets of this SUV, it is neither about maximum speed nor about short acceleration times. What could it be? Unfortunately, a first driving report cannot finally clarify this question.

A little stronger

Because, of course, BMW puts the engine power of the M60 back up compared to the xDrive40. Instead of 240 kW it is 397 here, for a maximum of ten seconds even up to 455 kW. The empty top model, weighing 2659 kg, can rush to 100 km/h in 3.8 seconds and is not, like the other BMW iX, slowed down at 200, but only at 250 km/h, well, yes. If you call up the full power, you get breathtaking acceleration in the truest sense of the word. Especially in sport mode, the massive load always seems ready to jump forward. It is practically impossible to savor this in its entirety in public space.

Spontaneously great

In view of this, it is easy to lose sight of the fact that even the somewhat less powerful BMW iX can accelerate very quickly when needed. So once again it is more the spontaneity with which the performance is presented than the number of kW per se that has such a lasting effect on the driving impression. But BMW can rely on the fact that the old ways of thinking will continue unchanged. The top model will sell excellently around the world.

The drive is provided by two fifth-generation BMW electric motors, which are characterized, among other things, by the fact that they do not contain any rare earths. The front has a maximum of 190 kW, the rear up to 360. In sport mode, both together deliver 1015 Nm, with activated launch control it is 1100. In order to reach 250 km/h, the overall transmission was slightly extended, and the front motor is also allowed to do something turn up.

Storage

The battery is identical to that in the iX xDrive50. It is 105.2 kWh net, which can be filled with up to 195 kW charging power. BMW relies on NMC811 for this memory, i.e. eight parts nickel and one part each manganese and cobalt. This means that comparatively little cobalt is used, with BMW taking up the cause of taking a particularly critical look at suppliers when it comes to this raw material.

Range and consumption

BMW states a range of 502 to 561 km and consumption between 21.9 and 24.5 kWh/100 km, both measured in the WLTP. In this article we have explained why the energy content of the battery, consumption and range in the WLTP are not a simple rule of three. At the start of our trip, the on-board computer showed a range of 489 kilometers. In the end, a consumption of 24.4 kWh/100 km was read, to which the charging losses must be added. The latter are heavily dependent on the type of charging, with hardly anyone choosing the most inefficient way via the 10 A charging brick for the 230 volt socket in the BMW iX.

Handling

In the instruction leaflet, BMW promises “outstanding cornering dynamics” and “handling that can be precisely controlled at all times, even in highly dynamic situations”. In relation to the masses that have to be moved here, this story is definitely more than a castle in the air. M GmbH works with electronically controlled dampers, air springs and a stiffer anti-roll bar on the rear axle that are tailored to the requirements. Equipped like this, the massive load can actually be thrown around the corner surprisingly quickly, at least in comparison to similarly dimensioned e-SUVs. BMW manages to hide some of the weight without sacrificing comfort. The trade-off is unquestionably impressive, but one thing must always be clear: if you want the handling of a Mazda MX-5, you have to buy one – and not a 2.6-ton SUV.

Prices

The “M” extension has always had an appeal for fans of the brand that cannot be explained in a strictly rational way. Especially since BMW always prices them with a very self-confident premium. However, if you ignore the 455 kW peak output of the iX M60, which can be called up for a maximum of ten seconds, you could spontaneously think that the increase from 385 to 397 kW with an additional charge of 33,000 euros is a big announcement even by BMW M standards. However, that would neglect the fact that the standard equipment of the top model is considerably more extensive. Among other things, massage seats, a powerful sound system, a large hodgepodge of assistants, laser light and an adaptive 2-axle air suspension have to be paid for separately in the other BMW iX, but not in the M60.

Fringe phenomenon

At BMW, the discussion about prices should be taken lightly anyway for several reasons: Firstly, the added value does not just extend to the few kW more, but to the overall concept including the modified chassis. Models with the best value for money are rarely found at the higher end of the portfolio. After all, this fact is a subordinate aspect for the target group. So BMW simply picks up what a relevant number of solvent buyers are willing to pay.

The majority of interests probably do not ask themselves whether this is just “abundant” or “too much” – and BMW, as a market-based company with a striving for profit, certainly does not either. Everyone else should at least appease a little that the iX M60 will remain a marginal phenomenon among exotics in this country.