BMW announced the BMW iX - it's next-gen all-electric SUV - in November 2020, but has now gone further in giving us more details of exactly what you'll get, including two model names.

The naming structure will be familiar to BMW watchers and there seems to be broad equivalence with combustion models here: The iX xDrive40 has 300hp and a 0-62mph time of 6 seconds, which is close to the BMW X5 xDrive40i which has 333hp and a 5.7 second 0-62mph time.

The iX xDrive50 has 500hp and a 0-62mph time of under 5 seconds, while the X5 M50i has 530hp and a 0-62mph time of 4.3 seconds. That generally means you can look at the model number for the iX and know what position your car sits in.

Audi has done a similar thing on the e-tron, using monikers like 50 and 55 to represent the positioning within the family.

We also have a price for the BMW iX xDrive40 of £69,000 or €77,300. The entry-level Audi e-tron is cheaper, but there will be trim level differences to consider in the prices. We suspect BMW will come down to offer a more affordable model in the future.

BMW says that the BMW iX in is the final phases of development with market launch expected towards the end of 2021.

Moving onto the specifics. As the iX is an X model, these are all-wheel drive, meaning that they have two motors, here's how the specs break down.

Models and specs for BMW iX revealed: BMW iX xDrive40 and iX xDrive50 photo 1
BMW

BMW iX xDrive50

  • Battery: Over 100kWh
  • Range: 373 miles (WLTP)
  • Charging: 200kW
  • Motor: 370kW (500hp)
  • 0-62mph: under 5s
  • WLTP consumption: 2.9 miles per kWh (approx.)

There are some interesting details to pull out of these stats that BMW has supplied. The actual capacity of the battery isn't given, it's "over", just as the 0-62mph times aren't precise either.

The xDrive50 is the more powerful of the two models, clearly seen by the larger battery capacity and the more powerful motor. That means faster acceleration - but here the increased battery size also means greater range.

The ranges are WLTP and always need to be taken with a pinch of salt, but the 373 miles is long. That's the sort of range that Tesla Model X Long Range offers, which also has a battery capacity of about 100kWh.

BMW also gives an average consumption, saying "21kWh per 62 miles". If we divide the miles by the kWh, we get the average per kWh of 2.9 miles. Multiply those up and you arrive at 290 miles range, some way short of the cited 373 miles. (This is likely a reflection of specific WLTP tests conducted.)

That 2.9 miles per kWh can be compared to other models - and it’s a similar ballpark to averages we've got on the Audi e-tron. We suspect it can be pushed higher and this is where real world driving always brings differences to cited figures.

BMW iX xDrive40

  • Battery: Over 70kWh
  • Range: 249 miles (WLTP)
  • Charging: 150kW
  • Motor: 240kW (300hp)
  • 0-62mph: over 6s
  • WLTP consumption: 3.1 miles per kWh (approx.)

The xDrive40 takes a small step down with a little less power and again an "about" 70kWh battery. The range here takes a hit too - but interestingly, the average WLTP consumption is a little better - most likely because it won't be as heavy because of the smaller battery.

That - via a calculation - gives us 3.1 miles per kWh, which would be 217 miles of range compared to the cited 249 miles. Again, how you drive and the conditions you drive in, all have an impact here.

It's also worth noting that there's a difference in charging speeds accepted. The 50 gets 200kW charging, while the 40 gets 150kW charging.

This feels a little like a spec sheet differentiator, perhaps used to leverage difference in prices too - because in reality, both are fast charging and both will quickly get you back on the road quickly.

We're surprised that BMW didn't just plump for the fastest available charging, which is currently around 350kW, supported on some other models. But in reality, most will charge slowly overnight - and most won't notice a huge difference between charging on a 150kW or 200kW charger.