Rival: 2026 BMW iX3 reviews are impressive... R2 has its work cut out

[Mark_AZR1T]

I can almost do that now in my R1T. I bet if they put the originally planned 180 kWh pack in there, 350 miles at highway speeds is achievable. I have all my fingers and toes crossed that the Gen3 R1 will have a bigger battery and 800V charging.

Exactly. I told myself back in 2018 that if someone built an electric truck that didn’t look like a Prius concept and could get me to San Diego non‑stop, I was in. That was Rivian’s promise at the LA Auto Show that December, where I signed on. Four hundred miles of range, which I figured would translate to about 325 miles at 75 mph. As we all know, they never delivered that at launch.

I’m with you on what comes next. Better battery tech and an 800V architecture are what I’m waiting for in my next EV. I have zero interest in Scout’s range‑extender setup. The efficiency of a gas generator will be poor, and you’d need a 15‑gallon tank plus EV charging just to get decent range. Sixty dollars in gas for every long one‑way trip isn’t appealing. I’m on the Scout EV list like a lot of people, but who knows.

iX3 will be interesting to watch, but I cannot see that thing at $60K at launch with 400 miles. I know what the brochures and websites say....

Sponsored

 

[sparked]

iX3 will be interesting to watch, but I cannot see that thing at $60K at launch with 400 miles. I know what the brochures and websites say....

I think the biggest problem will be BMW dealers adding absurd markups because BMW underestimated demand and limited production. The upside for Rivian is that they want to scale R2 as fast as they can.

 

[DuoRivian]

Exactly. I told myself back in 2018 that if someone built an electric truck that didn’t look like a Prius concept and could get me to San Diego non‑stop, I was in. That was Rivian’s promise at the LA Auto Show that December, where I signed on. Four hundred miles of range, which I figured would translate to about 325 miles at 75 mph. As we all know, they never delivered that at launch.

I’m with you on what comes next. Better battery tech and an 800V architecture are what I’m waiting for in my next EV. I have zero interest in Scout’s range‑extender setup. The efficiency of a gas generator will be poor, and you’d need a 15‑gallon tank plus EV charging just to get decent range. Sixty dollars in gas for every long one‑way trip isn’t appealing. I’m on the Scout EV list like a lot of people, but who knows.

iX3 will be interesting to watch, but I cannot see that thing at $60K at launch with 400 miles. I know what the brochures and websites say....

Not sure why you cannot see them doing what they have said they would do and ARE doing in Europe. The 50 model has c. 400 mile range, 400kWh charging and will be $60k (I would say $62k including destination).

I don’t get the skepticism when the vehicle is out there (not a 2028/2029 R3) and has been independently reviewed and is from a company that has an engineering and EV pedigree.

 

[Mark_AZR1T]

Not sure why you cannot see them doing what they have said they would do and ARE doing in Europe. The 50 model has c. 400 mile range, 400kWh charging and will be $60k (I would say $62k including destination).

I don’t get the skepticism when the vehicle is out there (not a 2028/2029 R3) and has been independently reviewed and is from a company that has an engineering and EV pedigree.

All U.S. bound iX3s in 2026 are coming from Hungary (maybe BMW USA will eat tariffs), which means the EU/UK pricing doesn’t really carry over here. BMW may list a ‘starting at $60K’ number, but it’s unlikely anyone will actually be able to buy one at that price this year. We’ll know soon enough. And if people can walk into a dealer and get one at that number, I’ll be the first to say I was completely wrong.

 

[DuoRivian]

All U.S. bound iX3s in 2026 are coming from Hungary (maybe BMW USA will eat tariffs), which means the EU/UK pricing doesn’t really carry over here. BMW may list a ‘starting at $60K’ number, but it’s unlikely anyone will actually be able to buy one at that price this year. We’ll know soon enough. And if people can walk into a dealer and get one at that number, I’ll be the first to say I was completely wrong.

I have been wondering how many will come from Hungary given the large demand in Europe. If demand is so high then I can see a small number come over and then in 2027 the Mexico factory supplies the US market.

Of course there will be ones with options for sale (just like the R2 starts at $45k but how many will be sold for that price). But if BMW says it starts at $60k ish then I believe them (they already know about tariffs). We will know in the next couple of months as I expect the configurator to be available by end of Q1.

 

[SASSquatch]

There is a large percentage of the population who cannot charge at home, and the maintenance on a ICEV is really not that bad. Oil changes every 10,000 miles means most people have to do it once per year. Not so bad. Most other maintenance isn't needed at all if you lease and return the vehicle after 3-5 years.

When driving long distances, I agree a ICEV is better. I think many people want that capability even if they rarely use it. It is much like buying a massive truck that can rock crawl and never ever driving it over rocks (or never even going off the pavement).

It will be interesting to see how the market develops and if you are correct. What we want and need is still TBD, but I know what I want: 500+ miles of range. 100%.

What the market develops is called EREV vehicles that combine a small to medium size battery with a small efficient ICE that only acts as an electricity generator to replenish the battery. It is still an electric vehicle with electric propulsion. This gives you the benefit of using the smaller battery for around town and close to home driving while still being able to extend your range and use gas on road trips.

Nearly every OEM not named Rivian, Tesla and Lucid is making one.

 

[Zorg]

What the market develops is called EREV vehicles that combine a small to medium size battery with a small efficient ICE that only acts as an electricity generator to replenish the battery. It is still an electric vehicle with electric propulsion. This gives you the benefit of using the smaller battery for around town and close to home driving while still being able to extend your range and use gas on road trips.

Nearly every OEM not named Rivian, Tesla and Lucid is making one.

EREV suck unless you really need the range. No more frunk, going to a gas station, oil change, cat converter will be stolen because they're barely used and full of expensive metals. But, if it gets people used to EVs then it's awesome.

 

[mkhuffman]

What the market develops is called EREV vehicles that combine a small to medium size battery with a small efficient ICE that only acts as an electricity generator to replenish the battery. It is still an electric vehicle with electric propulsion. This gives you the benefit of using the smaller battery for around town and close to home driving while still being able to extend your range and use gas on road trips.

Nearly every OEM not named Rivian, Tesla and Lucid is making one.

I agree, and it is a temporary step until pure BEVs with highway range equivalent to the ICEV competition are available and at reasonable prices.

That last part has been the biggest problem, IMO. GM has demonstrated you can shove a massive battery in a truck. But it has all the drawbacks you mentions regarding weight and efficiency, and it is very expensive to make. One day, they will be able to fit a 250 kWh battery inside a thimble.

EREV suck unless you really need the range. No more frunk, going to a gas station, oil change, cat converter will be stolen because they're barely used and full of expensive metals. But, if it gets people used to EVs then it's awesome.

I agree with you, which is why I am not interested in an EREV. I want a bigger battery in my R1T.

Gen3, 180 kWh. Gen3, 180 kWh. Gen3, 180 kWh!!!! If I say it enough, maybe it will come true.

 

[SASSquatch]

EREV suck unless you really need the range. No more frunk, going to a gas station, oil change, cat converter will be stolen because they're barely used and full of expensive metals. But, if it gets people used to EVs then it's awesome.

Tell that to the Chinese who have dominated the global EV market and the Chinese consumer can't get enough EREVs even though China can build the cheapest BEV in the world.

I own one of the first EREVs ever built - the BMW i3s REx. Since the engine in an EREV is never used for propulsion, the ICE operates under very low stress conditions. Oil changes once a year are the only maintenance I've done in 8 years of ownership. Seems like a reasonable tradeoff for effectively having unlimited range and the best of both worlds (all the benefits of EV almost none of the downsides of ICE) no?

Nobody has ever stolen my catalytic converter - probably because I don't have an obvious tailpipe and I look and sound like an EV because...the i3 (and every EREV) is .

 

[Zorg]

Tell that to the Chinese who have dominated the global EV market and the Chinese consumer can't get enough EREVs even though China can build the cheapest BEV in the world.

I own one of the first EREVs ever built - the BMW i3s REx. Since the engine in an EREV is never used for propulsion, the ICE operates under very low stress conditions. Oil changes once a year are the only maintenance I've done in 8 years of ownership. Seems like a reasonable tradeoff for effectively having unlimited range and the best of both worlds (all the benefits of EV almost none of the downsides of ICE) no?

Nobody has ever stolen my catalytic converter - probably because I don't have an obvious tailpipe and I look and sound like an EV because...the i3 (and every EREV) is .

It's definitely not the best of both worlds. Hello oil change, smog test, maintenance and gas station fill ups. No thank you. We got a dual max performance R1S. It has all the range I need. For me the perfect EV needs 400 miles of range and 15 mins fast charge 10-80. The Cayenne EV seems close, though unattainable due to high prices (at least for me). With the quick ramp on fast chargers between Tesla, Ionna and Walmart in the coming years, the infrastructure part is about to be solved.

But, if it makes you and others happy, and bring more people to experience EV driving, then it's great.

 

[SASSquatch]

It's definitely not the best of both worlds. Hello oil change, smog test, maintenance and gas station fill ups. No thank you. We got a dual max performance R1S. It has all the range I need. For me the perfect EV needs 400 miles of range and 15 mins fast charge 10-80. The Cayenne EV seems close, though unattainable due to high prices (at least for me). With the quick ramp on fast chargers between Tesla, Ionna and Walmart in the coming years, the infrastructure part is about to be solved.

But, if it makes you and others happy, and bring more people to experience EV driving, then it's great.

Oil change once a year. No emissions testing because you have a motorcycle sized engine and motorcycles typically don't undergo emissions testing. Yes gas is involved, but really only when you are on the highway which is typically the 20% use case scenario. You have an EV that when needed, can provide you unlimited range on the highway without having to carry around a huge, heavy inefficient battery that you aren't using 80% of the time.

Seems like a reasonable compromise.

Oh, but wait - there's more. It completely eliminates range anxiety which is one of the main reasons people are afraid to by an EV.

 

[Zorg]

Oil change once a year. No emissions testing because you have a motorcycle sized engine and motorcycles typically don't undergo emissions testing. Yes gas is involved, but really only when you are on the highway which is typically the 20% use case scenario. You have an EV that when needed, can provide you unlimited range on the highway without having to carry around a huge, heavy inefficient battery that you aren't using 80% of the time.

Seems like a reasonable compromise.

Oh, but wait - there's more. It completely eliminates range anxiety which is one of the main reasons people are afraid to by an EV.

I get the sales pitch for newbies. Us EV OGs understand don't have that range anxiety, especially with the growing charging infrastructure. EREV are a compromise whose only plus is to promise folks that they will never run out of battery range. In the last 100,000+ miles of BEV driving, that never happened to me.

An issue for EREV, is that smaller batteries have a short range (100-150 miles of highway range) and gas motors are smaller and not super powerful. So, while generator extends battery range, it may not be enough to stop the battery from depleting on a long drive (the issue I believe with the i3 Rex), and then you're stuck with a gutless gas engine to move the car. So, one may still have to fast charge the battery after all. Obviously, OEMs can build an EREV with a more powerful gas engine, but then you're stuck lugging around a big useless engine most of the time.

I prefer lugging a larger battery and have the benefits of an EV 100% of the time. Again, to each his own. To me, EREV are a fad that will mostly disappear in 5-10 years.

 

[mkhuffman]

I get the sales pitch for newbies. Us EV OGs understand don't have that range anxiety, especially with the growing charging infrastructure.
...

I think every single BEV owner who has traveled with it should have range anxiety. If you don't it probably has more to do with your personality than it does with reality.

You can't just get in the vehicle and go. You have to plan your stops. No ICEV drivers need to plan their stops. You just go. Huge difference.

Yes the charging infrastructure has improved but some stations suck for a multitude of reasons. Show up at one of those without checking it out in advance will result in pain and suffering. Which IMO leads directly to range anxiety.

I could fill a decent sized coffee table book with all my public charging problems from several years of driving a BEV. I can count on one hand all the problems I have had refueling a ICEV over many more years. It isn't even close.

Range anxiety is a rational emotional response to what I have experienced personally, many many times.

 

[Zorg]

I live in CA and previously drove a Tesla, which required almost zero planning. It's a bit more cumbersome on long road trips in the Rivian but that's about to disappear.

 

[macb00kemdanno]

I think every single BEV owner who has traveled with it should have range anxiety. If you don't it probably has more to do with your personality than it does with reality.

You can't just get in the vehicle and go. You have to plan your stops. No ICEV drivers need to plan their stops. You just go. Huge difference.

Yes the charging infrastructure has improved but some stations suck for a multitude of reasons. Show up at one of those without checking it out in advance will result in pain and suffering. Which IMO leads directly to range anxiety.

I could fill a decent sized coffee table book with all my public charging problems from several years of driving a BEV. I can count on one hand all the problems I have had refueling a ICEV over many more years. It isn't even close.

Range anxiety is a rational emotional response to what I have experienced personally, many many times.

I get in my EV and just “go.” 300+ miles with R2 or 400 miles with an iX3 will suit us just fine. We are an all-EV household having put a combined 130,000 miles across three EVs:

2021 Model 3 SR+ — 50,000 miles (sold 2024)
2023 Model Y — 47,106 miles currently (bought January 2023)
2024 Model 3 — 31,824 miles currently (bought June 2024)

I put 21,000 miles on my Model 3 in 2025 alone. I charge at home and Supercharge on road trips. The network has been ultra reliable since I bought my first EV in 2021. Even then, I still charge 90% of the time at home. I don’t have range anxiety because I get in my car, plug in my destination, and I know where my charging stops are along the way. It’s idiot proof, so why would I be anxious? It’s not rocket science. My breakdown for 21,000 miles worth of driving in my 3:

Sponsored