2026 BMW iX3 launches as R2 competitor

[mkhuffman]

iX3 1000 km range test

You will need to turn on English subtitles.

Good Cd, large battery, crossover size = long range. Nothing new there. Will be interesting to see if Tesla does something similar with a larger pack size. If the R2 had this and 800v, even as an option, it would slay the competition. You'd probably also convert some EREV fence sitters. People want range. They likely don't need it, but they want it. BMW is delivering so now we get to see how much cost is prohibitive or not. I'm guessing only a small fraction of people that find 500 miles very attractive, will be willing to pay these prices for what is otherwise essentially a very nice entry level vehicle that has great suspension and a somewhat polarizing look and feel.

I don't think the iX3 is a 500 mile EPA range vehicle. Definitely not at highway speeds. But I agree people want it. I personally need it, and range was a huge reason I bought my R1.

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[M3_R2]

If BMW says it will get 500 mile EPA range, it's highly likely that it will. They don't play games with their numbers like Tesla does. They just proved they can get 1000km/620 miles if they hypermile it so you'd think 500 would be fairly doable. Way more costly than an R2 though.

 

[mrdel]

I don't think the iX3 is a 500 mile EPA range vehicle. Definitely not at highway speeds. But I agree people want it. I personally need it, and range was a huge reason I bought my R1.

What do people think will be the efficiency of the R2? Range is based on battery capacity times efficiency. The BMW here has something like a 108 KwH battery. And appears designed for good efficiency. The R2 is going to have a smaller battery (most speculation is something in the 90s?) and will likely be less efficient. So I wish it weren't so, but I expect a much lower range from the R2.

 

[savethemanual]

BMW has not stated EPA range of 500 miles at all, everything I've read is saying 400 miles.

https://www.bmwusa.com/vehicles/x-series/ix3/bmw-ix3.html

 

[mkhuffman]

If BMW says it will get 500 mile EPA range, it's highly likely that it will. They don't play games with their numbers like Tesla does. They just proved they can get 1000km/620 miles if they hypermile it so you'd think 500 would be fairly doable. Way more costly than an R2 though.

Are, you sure that isn't WLTP range? Maybe you can share a link.

BMW has not stated EPA range of 500 miles at all, everything I've read is saying 400 miles.

https://www.bmwusa.com/vehicles/x-series/ix3/bmw-ix3.html

I bet that is the 2WD, slow version. 400 miles seems possible if it has 108 kWh usable capacity. A good comparison is the Gravity that has a larger battery, but it also has longer EPA range.

 

[M3_R2]

Yes you are right about that, my bad. I believe it was a YT video with a BMW exec. I forget which one. I'll try to find it. I do recall him mentioning EPA range, not WLTP but perhaps he got his metrics mixed up. The USA site says 400mi so I would believe that before one person's statement, for sure.

 

[Dark-Fx]

If BMW says it will get 500 mile EPA range, it's highly likely that it will. They don't play games with their numbers like Tesla does. They just proved they can get 1000km/620 miles if they hypermile it so you'd think 500 would be fairly doable. Way more costly than an R2 though.

And GM drove the Silverado over 1000 miles on a single charge, more than double the EPA rating. These hypermiling experiments are incredibly useless to the consumer.

 

[mkhuffman]

What do people think will be the efficiency of the R2? Range is based on battery capacity times efficiency. The BMW here has something like a 108 KwH battery. And appears designed for good efficiency. The R2 is going to have a smaller battery (most speculation is something in the 90s?) and will likely be less efficient. So I wish it weren't so, but I expect a much lower range from the R2.

Gravity drivers are reporting 2.8-3.0 mi/kWh at highway speeds. Sometimes lower. It is a good benchmark, as the Gravity is likely more aerodynamic than the R2.

Certainly the R2 will be more efficient than the R1. If I project between the R1 and the Gravity, my guess is the R2 will get around 2.6 mi/kWh at highway speeds (70-75 mph).

 

[M3_R2]

And GM drove the Silverado over 1000 miles on a single charge, more than double the EPA rating. These hypermiling experiments are incredibly useless to the consumer.

The Silverado "stuck to 20-25 mph whenever possible, didn't use the climate control and made modifications to reduce rolling resistance and drag."

The BMW iX3’s 1,000 km hypermile test was conducted using standard, unmodified equipment and typical driving speeds, primarily on secondary roads while following normal traffic flow. Climate control was off.

Good to know if you are caught needing some range.

 

[M3_R2]

Yes, 2.8-3.0 mi/kWh for Lucid Gravity on large wheels and fairly high temps and speeds.

At 70 mph, mi/kWh really tightens up compared to EPA, making the difference between the Tesla Model Y LR, the iX3 (next) and the R2 (last) very minimal.

So if the R2 has a battery pack that's close in size to the iX3, I would expect it's range at 70 mph to be within about 30 miles or so as a rough guess.

Not a big difference at all. But at much lower speeds, that gap would widen.

 

[Zorg]

Cayenne EV did about 3.2-3.3 miles per KWh at 70mph. Assuming a 95KWh usable battery for the R2, it would get about 300 miles at similar efficiency on highway. I don't see the R2 get 3.5 mpk at 70mph.

 

[Zorg]

For comparison, model Y does 3.6 mpk at 70mph, and it's more aerodynamic.

 

[elektrode]

I still feel discomfort and rage every time I check this thread and see that pointless asymmetric screen.

Bad designer. Bad.

 

[savethemanual]

iX3 1000 km range test

You will need to turn on English subtitles.

Yes, they were hypermiling but not as extreme as the GM test. Of course slowing down has a huge impact...but still impressive.

https://insideevs.com/news/779566/bmw-ix3-range-test-626-miles/

 

[M3_R2]

" Being in a BMW, they had a good excuse to keep turn signal usage to a minimum, too. "

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