[Stormbitch]

I know this is a bad time to buy an iX40 due to the upcoming refresh. However, in the UK, used models are currently around £42k.

I'm coming from a 740d xDrive, and in my initial review of the iX (video linked below), I was blown away. But to be fair:
a) I wasn’t paying for it at the time.
b) I didn’t really take it on proper road trips.

I do a lot of road trips in my spare time (not for work), and I can charge at home. Typical routes include:

Wiltshire to London
Brighton to Bristol
Trips to the beach, etc.

I’m considering buying an iX40 now for the following reasons:

1. ICE cars are increasingly rare and offer poor value for money.
2. ICE options these days are often low-spec and high-mileage.
3. I feel immense pressure to switch to an EV before Keir Starmer comes round my house with a group of immigrants.

There are no business incentives or tax advantages for me, but I’d trade in my 7 Series and add cash. I’m estimating the OEM GFV to gauge potential resale when I’m ready to move on.

However, I’ve read posts suggesting you shouldn’t expect more than 100 miles of range in winter on a road trip. That’s been a bit of a reality check.

My video review of the car is here if you're interested: I know this is a bad time to buy an iX40 due to the upcoming refresh. However, in the UK, used models are currently around £42k.

I'm coming from a 740d xDrive, and in my initial review of the iX (video linked below), I was blown away. But to be fair:
a) I wasn’t paying for it at the time.
b) I didn’t really take it on proper road trips.

I do a lot of road trips in my spare time (not for work), and I can charge at home. Typical routes include:

Wiltshire to London
Brighton to Bristol
Trips to the beach, etc.
I’m considering buying an iX40 now for the following reasons:

ICE cars are increasingly rare and offer poor value for money.
ICE options these days are often low-spec and high-mileage.
I feel immense pressure to switch to an EV (cue Keir Starmer showing up with a gang of youths).
There are no business incentives or tax advantages for me, but I’d trade in my 7 Series and add cash. I’m estimating the OEM GFV to gauge potential resale when I’m ready to move on.
However, I’ve read posts suggesting you shouldn’t expect more than 100 miles of range in winter on a road trip. That’s been a bit of a reality check.

My video review of the car is here if you're interested:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=de...nn0UsOk&t=150s

Would appreciate any thoughts or advice, especially from current owners or those considering the iX40. Is it still worth it despite the timing?

[jono987654321]

Definitely will get more than 100 miles in a UK Winter in the iX40 (Had one prior to my M60).

The timing's never great with any car as there's always something else on the horizon; go for it. (I'm impulsive, mind).

Try to get one that has iDrive 8.5 if you can. Memory seats are useful if there's more than one of you that'll be driving. Comfort access is also a must for me, together with Driving & Parking Assist Pro packages. Comfort Access opens up other features, I believe, such as Digital Key+.

Having had an iX without air suspension and now having one with air suspension, I can't really say I notice much difference in the UK. Others sing air's praises, so it may just be me.

Heated seats with radiant heat should be on your list of requirements. (The radiant heat warms the arm rests on both sides of the driver & passenger, together with the dash near all 4 knees). Ventilated seats are a bit meh..

H/K audio was great in my 40; don't get a car with anything other than H/K or B&W, though.

I'd probably have one without the glass roof if you can find one.

I have never noticed a button, as shown in your video, to drop the back of the middle rear seat; I will have to have a look tomorrow. Great colour for the iX in your video. I can't say I've seen one that colour on the roads.

[Fru T Bunn]

Originally Posted by Stormbitch

1. I feel immense pressure to switch to an EV before Keir Starmer comes round my house with a group of immigrants.

I'm not sure what you mean. Are these immigrants your worried about going to be using your charger?

[exxxviii]

That's a lot, but I think it distills down to 2 questions:

1. Is £42K a fair price for a used iX xDrive40?
2. Is the range of an xDrive40 sufficient for your use cases?

If RRP of a new iX xDrive40 is £70K, then I don't think £42K is a great price, unless it is a 2024 or 2025 model year. That is 60% of new, and I would not start looking until they are less than 50% of new.


In a cold winter day around 0° C, you will probably get on the order of 150 miles on a highway drive. If that works, then go for it. If not, hold out for an xDrive45 that will have at least 10% more range. Or, jump to the xDrive50 with about 40% more range.

[RichardInCA]

I think two key questions here are 1) will you instal home charging (a must for EV purchasers in my mind) 2) do you have ready availability of DC fast charging at your desition? My sense is that the UK isn’t doing badly in the 2nd category, but as a Brit living in the US, I don’t have enough datapoints to comment. You can often download apps from the various DCFC networks and look at where they have chargers setup.

I’m sure that Keir approves of your thread ;-)

[JK479]

Originally Posted by jono987654321

Definitely will get more than 100 miles in a UK Winter in the iX40 (Had one prior to my M60).

The timing's never great with any car as there's always something else on the horizon; go for it. (I'm impulsive, mind).

Try to get one that has iDrive 8.5 if you can. Memory seats are useful if there's more than one of you that'll be driving. Comfort access is also a must for me, together with Driving & Parking Assist Pro packages. Comfort Access opens up other features, I believe, such as Digital Key+.

Having had an iX without air suspension and now having one with air suspension, I can't really say I notice much difference in the UK. Others sing air's praises, so it may just be me.

Heated seats with radiant heat should be on your list of requirements. (The radiant heat warms the arm rests on both sides of the driver & passenger, together with the dash near all 4 knees). Ventilated seats are a bit meh..

H/K audio was great in my 40; don't get a car with anything other than H/K or B&W, though.

I'd probably have one without the glass roof if you can find one.

I have never noticed a button, as shown in your video, to drop the back of the middle rear seat; I will have to have a look tomorrow. Great colour for the iX in your video. I can't say I've seen one that colour on the roads.

Cooled seats work well on the ix too

[jono987654321]

They’re ventilated not cooled in the iX.

[Stormbitch]

Thanks very much for considering my OP.

Great responses.

The 150 miles is a really useful and valuable bit of honesty. Thank you v much.


Most of my favourite road trips are largely 100 miles each way. So a modern 220 minimum in something like the EC40 would deliver that, albiet not quite the righr car and price.

Also appreciate the note on price, yes still too expensive now you mention it.

The Tesla Y ( albiet ) quite awful to drive is the better option especially with the new model whenever that might be.

150 miles!? I would be better off in an i3 - cute cheap and honest.

[jono987654321]

Originally Posted by Stormbitch

150 miles!? I would be better off in an i3 - cute cheap and honest.

Closer to 200 in my experience in a 40 (which was Winter 2022-23)

[electric_journey]

Stormbitch

I've had a iX40 in the UK for over 2 years.

Your video review was one of the things that convinced me to test drive one when I was looking for something different in 2022.

I'm on 22" wheels and in winter (say 0-5C), I'm getting over 200 miles of range on the motorway at 70mph with the heating on.

If I pop the car on driver assistance mode on the M25 and cruise at a steady 70mph, I would get 3 miles per kwh.

I don't know where 100 or 150 miles is coming from.

Summertime, on motorways, I will get 250-280, depending upon how flat the route is.

Best I ever got out of my iX40 was over 320 miles, but that was cruising at 55mph with no climate control on in perfect summer temps.

Charging infrastructure has improved massively in the UK so even with the relatively small battery, I've had no issues on long road trips this year.

Charging is even better over in parts of Western Europe, so driving over to Netherlands, France etc with the iX40 is pretty easy. I'm planning a 4,000 mile road trip this summer.

2 key features BMW should have included as default with the iX40 (given the price point) are rear wheel steering and air suspension. Those are 2 features I'm going make sure I get on my next car when I replace my iX.

Brand new iX (any model) are being discounted heavily by BMW dealers, e.g. iX40 Sport is up for £55k and that's before even negotiations with the dealer begins.

Personally, unless you are desperate to have a used iX40 now, and you plan to keep the used iX40 for 10 years etc, I would not suggest dumping £42k cash into a vehicle that in my opinion is likely to depreciate significantly more over the next few years. I'm so glad I leased.

There is no way I would dump significant amounts of cash on a new or used EV in the UK until the technology matures.

However, if you really do "feel" immense pressure to switch to an EV right now, I would suggest getting a stopgap EV, something way cheaper and older that isn't likely to depreciate significantly in the year ahead, park most of your cash that can generate a return, and see what your options are in 12-24 months time (in terms of a luxury EV) as there are going to be so many changes in the next few years in the UK market.

[thebishman]

electric_journey: you make good points above, except I think there is real value in looking at a lightly used, 1-2 year old iX regardless of what might/is going to happen in the somewhat near future with EVs. Of course the next big thing is the Solid State battery and the specter of 500 mile range at 100% SoC. But that doesn’t really detract from a throughly modern EV such as the iX still being a fantastic daily driver over the next 5+ years for a second owner, as you’re still getting over 300+ mile range today; massive depreciation would have already taken place in a 1-2 year old vehicle so amortised over the next 5+ years the cost of purchasing ‘Used’ isn’t devastating, and you’re getting to drive what many of us consider to be the best BEV on the market. I fear that with these modern EVs one can get trapped in the Audio-Video electronic ‘game’, whereby one always knows/fears that next year’s model will have more/better features and might well be cheaper. So you wait a year, and then you hear that if you wait one more year, that the new products will be even ‘better’. Frankly you end up with major inertia, and by the time you are somewhat forced to make a purchase, you’ve missed out on years of watching/listening, (or in our case, driving) pleasure.

I purchased my very lightly used ‘24 M60 for a >20% discount off of MSRP in lieu of leasing it even though I knew it would continue to shed value rapidly, but I wouldn’t change the decision for a second. After all, we all know the depreciation curve of high-line German 4 door sedans! ��