2026 BMW iX3 launches as R2 competitor

[Cascadian]

L2 chargers in Europe do not have cords (which makes lots of sense if you think about it!). Every EV sold is required to have one of these so you can charge when you are out and about and station operators do not have to deal with this frequently breaking and expensive part.

The counter argument that I prefer is that I do not have take my own cable out of the car and put it away after charging.
I’m sure Europeans don’t enjoy coiling a wet cable up and stuffing it back in their cars.

Sponsored

 

[kvenom]

My folks have an IX and it’s been a wonderful vehicle for them. Smooth and quiet like few other vehicles and it just works! (never had to reset it once) If they can get the ix3 close to that level of refinement without air suspension/rear wheel steering then this is their next car, because the tech (800V, zonal architecture, cell to pack battery) is fantastic.

 

[Canthoney]

Honestly, if Rivian doesn’t take the opportunity to match the BMW’s charging performance with the R2 and R3 then I think they’re going to lose some sales from it. These look to be using the same 4695 battery cells so I don’t see why it wouldn’t be possible to get the 400kW charging performance.

Under $60K with 400 miles of range and that fast of charging is really compelling.

 

[emoore]

Honestly, if Rivian doesn’t take the opportunity to match the BMW’s charging performance with the R2 and R3 then I think they’re going to lose some sales from it. These look to be using the same 4695 battery cells so I don’t see why it wouldn’t be possible to get the 400kW charging performance.

Under $60K with 400 miles of range and that fast of charging is really compelling.

Agree. 400kW charging makes the difference between ICE and EV road tripping practically zero. Even 300kW+ would do the same.

 

[DuoRivians]

Honestly, if Rivian doesn’t take the opportunity to match the BMW’s charging performance with the R2 and R3 then I think they’re going to lose some sales from it. These look to be using the same 4695 battery cells so I don’t see why it wouldn’t be possible to get the 400kW charging performance.

Under $60K with 400 miles of range and that fast of charging is really compelling.

Yeah I think Rivian missed the boat big time by not having 800v charging in the R2.

 

[emoore]

Yeah I think Rivian missed the boat big time by not having 800v charging in the R2.

Hopefully Gen 3 R1 will have 800V.

 

[Canthoney]

Yeah I think Rivian missed the boat big time by not having 800v charging in the R2.

Yeah, honestly, all of their competitors are moving towards it. With the exception of Tesla, which has pretty much given up on vehicle development.

 

[SteveAZee]

I don't really track BMW. How are they for driver assist/self-driving tech? I didn't see anything in their spec sheet about it.

 

[DuoRivians]

I don't really track BMW. How are they for driver assist/self-driving tech? I didn't see anything in their spec sheet about it.

BMW has the knowledge. Their 7 series are capable of Level 3 self driving in certain situations

 

[kvenom]

I don't really track BMW. How are they for driver assist/self-driving tech? I didn't see anything in their spec sheet about it.

Long video, but here are all the new ADAS systems on the IX3

 

[mclark2112]

I am a day 1 R2 reservation holder, and my R1S lease is up in March. I have been a BMW owner since 2011. Two 335s, an X3 M40i and my wife currently has an X5. I am the goofy consumer that will be shopping BMW vs R2. Not liking this iX3 that much, but it could work for me.

 

[Gen(R3)Xer]

If Rivian sticks to the $40K base, I don't see this one being an issue for the R2, except perhaps for top-trim R2 shoppers who never go off-road. It's not very attractive to me, but I haven't been a fan of the newer edgy styling of BMW in recent years anyway.

It’s $45K and that’s for the model with 270 miles of range. That price was also announced almost two years before its release, the elimination of the tax credit, and tariffs. Most people will probably configure their R2 the $50,000s. As for the BMW, probably in the $70,000s, so $20K difference on average.

The big differentiators are 400V vs 800V for increased charging speed and 300+ miles of range vs 400 miles of range. The question is, will all of that be worth $20K extra?

Also you are correct, the BMW’s “grill” (a completely unnecessary feature on a EV) looks like a baboon’s ass.

 

[VSG]

The R1S had 5 production delays. There’s no chance Rivian will hold any claimed R2 production claims.

Baloney. The R1S was always scheduled to ship 6 months after the R1T. And it did.

The configurator opened up in November 2020, and at that time Rivian explicitly said only R1T Large Pack would ship initially. They said that six months after that they would announce the schedule for R1S and Max Pack.

R1T bulk shipments started in March 20222, and R1S bulk shipments followed 6 months later, in September 2022.

R1T was delayed for about six months. At the height of COVID. I think Rivian manged things far better than most companies, and the fact that they were *only* delayed by about six month was amazing.

 

[Revo]

Might as well buy a Subaru Outback if you want that look and you don't get the 2 buck teeth...

 

[Time2Roll]

I assume the $45K will be for reservation holders. Once production catches up I expect a 10% bump if sales seem strong.

Sponsored