Having spent considerable time behind the wheels of various electric vehicles navigating South African roads, I’ve grown accustomed to a familiar trade-off.
Heavy battery packs usually require firm suspension setups to keep body roll in check, resulting in a ride that can feel brittle over broken asphalt, expansion joints and the occasional unexpected pothole.
The BMW iX xdrive60 completely upends that dynamic.
I’ve been driving this car for a few days now and there’s just something about it that screams premium electric. To put it simply, it floats. The dual-axle air suspension swallows high-frequency road imperfections before they ever reach your seat, turning chaotic daily commutes into a quiet, effortless glide.
That tranquil composure easily tricks you into forgetting what’s under your right foot. But the moment you decide to flatten your foot, the car responds instantly with violence. Packing 400 kW and 765 Nm of pure, unfiltered electric torque, it pinned me into the seat so hard I genuinely wondered if I’d wake up with a touch of whiplash the next morning. There’s no wind-up, no gearbox hesitation—just a violent, instantaneous surge that slingshots 2.5 tonnes of SUV forward like a lightweight hypercar.
The hexagonal steering shape might look odd at first glance but I adjusted to it almost immediately. It’s light, direct and easy to turn, while the flat top and bottom give you an unobstructed view of the digital display. Paired with rear-wheel steering, the bulky iX maneuvers through tight spaces with surprisingly light-footed agility.
Despite that explosive power, it manages its energy with impressive composure. Sitting mid-week with 40% battery left and a comfortable 250 km of range remaining on the dashboard, it proves that a realistic 600 km total range is well within reach—taking the anxiety out of long-distance EV travel.
Step inside, though and the experience reaches a whole new tier. Sitting in the cabin genuinely made me feel like I was piloting a luxurious spaceship.
Designed as a sweeping, open-plan lounge rather than a cramped cockpit, the plush seats make long distances fade into the background.
Dominating the dashboard is the magnificent BMW Curved Display, a massive, continuous piece of glass that combines a 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster with a sprawling 14.9-inch central touchscreen.
It floats almost weightlessly above the dash, serving as the command centre for iDrive, which is BMW's proprietary operating system that manages everything from cloud-based navigation and vehicle telemetry to ambient lighting and media.
Where many modern luxury EVs stumble is digital distraction, forcing you to stare at a screen just to adjust basic driving controls. The iX comes dangerously close to this trap with its software but saves itself with one brilliant piece of hardware: the glass iDrive rotary dial set into the open-pored wood centre console. Having that physical controller lets you navigate the massive curved display completely by muscle memory. You don't have to take your eyes off the road to change tracks, which is a massive win for real-world usability.
However, the digital experience is not entirely smooth sailing. The climate control menu remains a genuine annoyance. You have to open a touchscreen sub-menu on the iDrive screen just to alter direct airflow and in essence, takes away the purpose of the glass rotary dial which is meant to keep your eyes on the road.
The main app wall is similarly overcrowded, presenting a sea of icons that looks more like a cluttered smartphone than a clean interface. Luckily, pinning your daily essentials to the swipe-down shortcuts tray remedies most of that friction.
The verdict
As someone who prioritises comfort and ride quality above all else, the BMW iX xDrive60 sets a remarkably high benchmark.
Despite a cluttered app menu and climate sub-menus that test your patience, its serene air-carpet ride, intuitive rotary controller and neck-snapping power make it feel less like a mechanical machine and more like a spaceship experience woven together.
It proves that even with EVs there’s levels to it.
BMW has taken a lovely approach of incorporating everything into one focus and that is luxury.
However, that luxury comes at a price. The BMW iX xdrive60 is priced at R2 689 000 but spend an hour in the vehicle and you will understand exactly why.