[JonoNZ]

     Featured on BIMMERPOST.com

The embargo has been lifted. Excited for mine now. ��

From what I've been able to quickly see the reviews are pretty positive and there are more differences with the M60 than expected.

ARTICLES

Auto Express
Autoblog
Autocar
Car and Driver
Carexpert
Chasing Cars
CNET
InsideEVs
Motortrend
The Drive
Which Car




VIDEOS

Youtube search: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=bmw+ix+m60

[LittleJoe]

[pL86]

The best thing about this video are the Autobahn drivers who move voluntarily out of the left-most lane as the M60 approaches behind them. USA drivers can only dream, 250 kph/155 mph - not bad.

BTW, can anyone who has an M60 order confirm whether the feature deletes like the passenger lumbar and hands-free tailgate are also being removed from their builds?

[Paladin1]

[JonoNZ]

Originally Posted by pL86

The best thing about this video are the Autobahn drivers who move voluntarily out of the left-most lane as the M60 approaches behind them. USA drivers can only dream, 250 kph/155 mph - not bad.

BTW, can anyone who has an M60 order confirm whether the feature deletes like the passenger lumbar and hands-free tailgate are also being removed from their builds?

My M60 has the 48Z Lumbar delete, but no other deletions. Build date was 29/3.

[JonoNZ]

BMW posted some new press assets for the M60 today: https://www.press.bmwgroup.com/globa...l-media-assets

[Germanauto]

Reviews across the board are lukewarm. General consensus is that there is not enough "M" in this product to justify the massive price hike and range compromises relative to the basic iX. I'm sure it will sell just fine regardless.

EVs are inherently difficult to differentiate from one another in their driving experience. And some reviews commented on the lack of visceral theatre present in ICE M models. Maybe manufacturers will figure things out with time...

[JonoNZ]

Originally Posted by Germanauto

Reviews across the board are lukewarm. General consensus is that there is not enough "M" in this product to justify the massive price hike and range compromises relative to the basic iX. I'm sure it will sell just fine regardless.

EVs are inherently difficult to differentiate from one another in their driving experience. And some reviews commented on the lack of visceral theatre present in ICE M models. Maybe manufacturers will figure things out with time...

I think you're being a bit harsh there, but that is fine. I've watched a few of the reviews and they say the performance is noticeable, suspension is sharper and less floaty, iconic sounds are better, range is not really compromised, iDrive 8 enhancements are nice (some of those coming to all models via OTA updates), but yeah maybe not a "true M car"....surely we already knew it's not a "real" M car though?

I'm very happy with my decision to jump on an available M60 for delivery in July/August, and after seeing these reviews I'm pretty sure others will do the same if they are considering a fully optioned a 50, there really is not any downside to the M60 and price is very similar.

[Germanauto]

Originally Posted by JonoNZ

I think you're being a bit harsh there, but that is fine. I've watched a few of the reviews and they say the performance is noticeable, suspension is sharper and less floaty, iconic sounds are better, range is not really compromised, iDrive 8 enhancements are nice (some of those coming to all models via OTA updates), but yeah maybe not a "true M car"....surely we already knew it's not a "real" M car though?

I'm very happy with my decision to jump on an available M60 for delivery in July/August, and after seeing these reviews I'm pretty sure others will do the same if they are considering a fully optioned a 50, there really is not any downside to the M60 and price is very similar.

I'm commenting on the written reviews from American sites, haven't watched any videos. Congrats on your purchase.

[760Lifan]

Originally Posted by Germanauto

General consensus is that there is not enough "M" in this product to justify the massive price hike and range compromises relative to the basic iX....

This also heavily depends on the options you are going with. Comparing a fully loaded 50i to 60i, there certainly is no massive price hike.

[sor]

Originally Posted by 760Lifan

This also heavily depends on the options you are going with. Comparing a fully loaded 50i to 60i, there certainly is no massive price hike.

Range difference also narrows when you match a comparatively optioned xDrive50 to an M60.

[ggalanis]

Originally Posted by Germanauto

EVs are inherently difficult to differentiate from one another in their driving experience.

As I have heard mentioned by some professional reviewers, with EVs you don't really feel differences in the powertrain when you option a more powerful car. A similarly equipped ix 40 will feel the same under normal driving as the 50 until you ask the engine for more power than the 40 can deliver. With a traditional gas engine, you get that different feeling from different power bands, you get different sounds. This just means that even when you don't ask the more powerful engine for more power than the lesser engine can provide, it still feels different and more special.

I feel that car companies will need to make less subtle styling differences between models to entice people to get the more sporty variants because as the base EVs can be decently powerful, a rational buyer will just get that one instead... Unless of course they purposely do something like giving the lesser powered version a smaller battery to force some people into getting the bigger battery version that come with a more powerful engine... But that would be mean right BMW?

[khoa@x-ph.com]

[DocWeatherington]

Great post...however I want a real test with metrics vs. The competition set including ICE motors lol...

[GOLFFRR]

sounds like most the reviews seem to be pretty balanced. Nothing super over the top but also not overly negative. Curious to see once customers here on the forums start to get them and give their feedback.

[techwhiz1]

As a person that has owned multiple M cars; what do people think it takes to call a car M?

Is an M5 a "real" M if so why?
Is an X5 M a "real" M car?

If they are real then why isn't the i4 M50 or the iX M60 not?

We are talking heavy sedans and SUVs with similar driving dynamics.

[sor]

Originally Posted by techwhiz1

As a person that has owned multiple M cars; what do people think it takes to call a car M?

Is an M5 a "real" M if so why?
Is an X5 M a "real" M car?

If they are real then why isn't the i4 M50 or the iX M60 not?

We are talking heavy sedans and SUVs with similar driving dynamics.

Well technically M is whatever BMW wants it to be. But there are different tiers such as "M Sport". I would say that the iX M60 has been sported up (which is what BMW means when they use M), but when people say "real M" they just mean it's not the top of the line, pure. Sort of splitting hairs.

What another forum member said is that in order for it to count as a "real M" car it has to show up on the BMW website under "M models". These are usually models that have the simpler naming like "X3M", not "X3 M40i" and are the highest performance tier. They can't just have M styling or M dynamics or perform well enough to embarrass the super cars you admired as a kid.

Maybe "M model" is the better term these people are looking for rather than "real M". The M means a car is sported up, but only some cars are actually "M models". This is the distinction the website makes.

[ChiTownM]

Originally Posted by techwhiz1

As a person that has owned multiple M cars; what do people think it takes to call a car M?

Is an M5 a "real" M if so why?
Is an X5 M a "real" M car?

If they are real then why isn't the i4 M50 or the iX M60 not?

We are talking heavy sedans and SUVs with similar driving dynamics.

It comes down to Marketing using the Motorsport heritage to maximize the profits - which means it has become a corporate strategy. All other manufacturers are doing so as well, it is the sign of changing times in the market. That's why we have a plethora of GTS, CSL, CS - or for other brands AMGs, RS, GT, etc.

At the end we vote with our wallets and more choice tends to be good for us as consumers. Similar to you I own(ed) several M cars including a X5M. The X5M was awesome and cool but I felt that it was too much for that type of vehicle, made it less usable as a SAV, but it was a TON OF FUN and looked amazing (e70). It was to be expected that M will trickle down to EVs now.

[sor]

Originally Posted by ChiTownM

It comes down to Marketing using the Motorsport heritage to maximize the profits - which means it has become a corporate strategy. All other manufacturers are doing so as well, it is the sign of changing times in the market. That's why we have a plethora of GTS, CSL, CS - or for other brands AMGs, RS, GT, etc.

At the end we vote with our wallets and more choice tends to be good for us as consumers. Similar to you I own(ed) several M cars including a X5M. The X5M was awesome and cool but I felt that it was too much for that type of vehicle, made it less usable as a SAV, but it was a TON OF FUN and looked amazing (e70). It was to be expected that M will trickle down to EVs now.

That's a good point, a lot of people feel that any M SUV isn't a real M car, because it doesn't meet their standard of track dynamics and it's too heavy and large to be an M.

[Paladin1]

Originally Posted by techwhiz1

As a person that has owned multiple M cars; what do people think it takes to call a car M?

Is an M5 a "real" M if so why?
Is an X5 M a "real" M car?

If they are real then why isn't the i4 M50 or the iX M60 not?

We are talking heavy sedans and SUVs with similar driving dynamics.

Previous M5/M3 driver as well, and actually where it was practical, on the German Autobahn (and without the US-limited electronics) . The M badge was once a way of getting a factory-produced car pre-tuned and mated for engine, suspension, steering and overall handling without having to hoonigan a stock car from aftermarket parts. And still is to some extent. BMW's "driver's car" hallmark. But that ability to put a honed and ready performance machine in the hands of someone who has no idea how a gasoline engine works, or any knowledge or ability to modify one because they could afford one off the production line has now sometimes made the "M" badge a piece of jewelry to paste on the side of a car to show "it's really fast and I paid a lot for it." To the extent it's pasted on cars that aren't even BMWs.

The M Division itself has evolved over time, and still fortunately produces cars that have been modified from stock - sometimes a little and sometimes a lot - to produce a machine that enhances those qualities a BMW was classically famous for - performance and handling. Not "better" or "worse" than stock, but a machine specifically designed for a specific purpose. If you like a comfy ride, economical operation, and even sometimes practicality, you don't need that badge. If you want the (usually) faster response, speed and handling of a factory-modified and tuned BMW, for whatever reason, the M badge tells you what you're going to get, often at the expense of those previous attributes. I think the M60 genuinely delivers that from the reviews, and merits the badge.

[prei1978]

Originally Posted by sor

What another forum member said is that in order for it to count as a "real M" car it has to show up on the BMW website under "M models". These are usually models that have the simpler naming like "X3M", not "X3 M40i" and are the highest performance tier. They can't just have M styling or M dynamics or perform well enough to embarrass the super cars you admired as a kid.

In Germany they listed all M cars, including the likes of M340i, i4 M50, etc., under M:

View post on imgur.com

[techwhiz1]

Originally Posted by Paladin1

Previous M5/M3 driver as well, and actually where it was practical, on the German Autobahn (and without the US-limited electronics) . The M badge was once a way of getting a factory-produced car pre-tuned and mated for engine, suspension, steering and overall handling without having to hoonigan a stock car from aftermarket parts. And still is to some extent. BMW's "driver's car" hallmark. But that ability to put a honed and ready performance machine in the hands of someone who has no idea how a gasoline engine works, or any knowledge or ability to modify one because they could afford one off the production line has now sometimes made the "M" badge a piece of jewelry to paste on the side of a car to show "it's really fast and I paid a lot for it." To the extent it's pasted on cars that aren't even BMWs.

The M Division itself has evolved over time, and still fortunately produces cars that have been modified from stock - sometimes a little and sometimes a lot - to produce a machine that enhances those qualities a BMW was classically famous for - performance and handling. Not "better" or "worse" than stock, but a machine specifically designed for a specific purpose. If you like a comfy ride, economical operation, and even sometimes practicality, you don't need that badge. If you want the (usually) faster response, speed and handling of a factory-modified and tuned BMW, for whatever reason, the M badge tells you what you're going to get, often at the expense of those previous attributes. I think the M60 genuinely delivers that from the reviews, and merits the badge.

And there is my argument.
The i4 M50 is different than the i4 eDrive40.
Yeah, you can add some bits to make the 40 more sporty just like the iX, but both models are unique unto themselves where they offer features that no other vehicle has. The M50 has brakes if you opt for 20" wheels that cannot be had on the eDrive40 along with a second motor and the M60 offers performance and tuning not offered on the iX.

To me both define an M. Are they an M2/M3/M4? No but neither is an M5 or X5M. Neither of those are track vehicles.

I'm still torn about the look of the iX. In so e.colors it's okay. In others it's just hideous.