Where once we had the futuristic, revolutionary i3, we now have the BMW iX1. Yep, BMW is continuing with its plans to seemingly offer an all-electric version of every car it currently builds, the latest being its teeniest posh crossover. The words ‘selling’ and ‘hotcakes’ immediately come to mind.
The iX1 xDrive30 will launch later this year with a twin electric motor setup to provide four-wheel-drive and up to 309hp. It’ll be fairly rapid too, with 493Nm of torque and a 0-100kph time of 5.7sec. We don’t have that many details on the floor-mounted battery as of yet, but BMW says range will be between 414 and 438 kilometers.
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The iX1 launches alongside the new third-generation X1, which BMW says will kick off with a choice of two petrol and two diesel engines (although they may not all come to the UK) before a pair of plug-in hybrids and two mild-hybrids arrive later along the line. All ICE versions will use a seven-speed auto gearbox and there’ll be a choice of front- or four-wheel drive.
It’s a much chunkier-looking thing this time around, with a larger (and more square) kidney grille and a very aggressive bonnet. The wheel arches have been squared off to give it more of an SUV vibe and BMW reckons it has a “dynamically stretched silhouette,” whatever that means.
There’ll be xLine and M Sport models of the combustion-engined X1, and both that and the iX1 will get a raised seating position and BMW’s curved ‘Live Cockpit Plus’ as standard. That means a 10.25-inch dial display merged with a 10.7-inch infotainment unit for maximum screenage.
Thoughts, Internet?
NOTE: This article first appeared on TopGear.com. Minor edits have been made.
