[Mani59]

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Carwow tests electric vs petrol in this BMW test of the iX 50 vs the mighty X7 M50i.

[spool twice]

Wow, the X7 looks dated compared to the iX!

[usmabmass]

Originally Posted by spool twice

Wow, the X7 looks dated compared to the iX!

Give me the front of the X7 and the rear of the iX and we're golden

[xmanpro]

Will iX60 be crazier than this?

Damn - I see an electric m in my future.

[Ibiza]

Originally Posted by xmanpro

Will iX60 be crazier than this?

Damn - I see an electric m in my future.

Looking forward to the XM vs iX M60.

[Bahn360Photo]

Bmw electric is very impressive

M model lineup will be sad, quiet and very fast

[Jimjamz]

Originally Posted by Bahn360Photo

Bmw electric is very impressive

M model lineup will be sad, quiet and very fast

Engineering good. Interior design good. Exterior Design?

[Luminor513]

I was actually impressed with the X7 in the standing 1/4 mi race, I thought the iX was going to be much faster. In the 1 mi the iX electronic limiter prohibited a real run. Overall I'm impressed that the X7 held its own, however I can see the writing on the wall. Electric is our future whether we like it or not. The iX is clearly the faster car but I think the X7 did a respectable job attempting to keep pace.

[LittleJoe]

I own an X7 50i and it's as fast as any car should ever need to be in the US. So the iX being faster means little to me. The problem is the amount of premium gasoline it takes to move the X7. Compared to an iX or any other EV, it's wasting fuel and polluting the air. When millions and millions of buyers eventually switched to an EV, there will be a measurable difference in pollution and oil companies will become dinosaurs (ironic). As the previous poster stated, "Electric is our future whether we like it or not." He's right!

[Doctor///M]

Originally Posted by LittleJoe

I own an X7 50i and it's as fast as any car should ever need to be in the US. So the iX being faster means little to me. The problem is the amount of premium gasoline it takes to move the X7. Compared to an iX or any other EV, it's wasting fuel and polluting the air. When millions and millions of buyers eventually switched to an EV, there will be a measurable difference in pollution and oil companies will become dinosaurs (ironic). As the previous poster stated, "Electric is our future whether we like it or not." He's right!

As it stands today, natural gas and coal are the main sources for electricity generation. Not to mention the scale of surface mining required to produce the batteries and convert the transportation fleet to electric. Getting off fossil fuels is a little more complicated than that, and still has a very important role to play in the transition, wherever it may take us.

[Achievement Tracker]

Oh man, I kept asking myself, why is he sitting in a Toyota Minivan? Then I realized that was the iX, that side profile is no good :-(

[XsltAnalyst]

I was very surprised on how hard iX was pulling all the way to 125. I thought the X7 would win.

Not sure why they won't put a 2 speed transmission in any of the electric models like in Audi/Porsche models. Currently you'll be lucky to get 180 miles doing 75.
If I wanted a 7 seater couch on wheels then fully loaded 6 cylinder X7 (28 MPG at 75MPH) or merc GLS (24 MPG at 75MPH) would be my choice. Even the 8 cylinder X7 will get 24 MPG at 75MPH, which easily nets 450 miles range

[PhilD]

Originally Posted by Doctor///M

As it stands today, natural gas and coal are the main sources for electricity generation. Not to mention the scale of surface mining required to produce the batteries and convert the transportation fleet to electric. Getting off fossil fuels is a little more complicated than that, and still has a very important role to play in the transition, wherever it may take us.

I agree on the battery materials, there's no getting around that but as EVs scale up, recycling of those materials is improving significantly.

In regards to the sources of electricity generation, it's much better to generate electricity from fossil fuels and then power EVs than it is to burn fossil fuels in an ICE. EVs are *really* efficient for the energy used and you can produce electricity really well at scale in power plants. As a rough example, a US gallon of gasoline has about 33 kWh of power ('gasoline gallon equivalent'). So an X5's full tank has ~700 kWh of 'energy' in it compared to the iX's ~100 kWh. I don't know how accurate these numbers are and there are obviously losses throughout the energy system but it's widely accepted that the efficiency of EVs is significantly better than ICEs, which are quite inefficient at turning raw resources into driving force.

It'll all work a lot better as national power generation moves more to renewable sources, of course. There's been a *huge* change here in the UK over the last few years with renewables accounting for 43% of the power in 2020, double what it was in 2014 and renewables now account for more energy generation than fossil fuels here. Obviously, the US has a way to go yet and is going about it a lot slower than the rest of the developed world but c'est la vie.

[Needsdecaf]

Originally Posted by PhilD

I agree on the battery materials, there's no getting around that but as EVs scale up, recycling of those materials is improving significantly.

In regards to the sources of electricity generation, it's much better to generate electricity from fossil fuels and then power EVs than it is to burn fossil fuels in an ICE. EVs are *really* efficient for the energy used and you can produce electricity really well at scale in power plants. As a rough example, a US gallon of gasoline has about 33 kWh of power ('gasoline gallon equivalent'). So an X5's full tank has ~700 kWh of 'energy' in it compared to the iX's ~100 kWh. I don't know how accurate these numbers are and there are obviously losses throughout the energy system but it's widely accepted that the efficiency of EVs is significantly better than ICEs, which are quite inefficient at turning raw resources into driving force.

It'll all work a lot better as national power generation moves more to renewable sources, of course. There's been a *huge* change here in the UK over the last few years with renewables accounting for 43% of the power in 2020, double what it was in 2014 and renewables now account for more energy generation than fossil fuels here. Obviously, the US has a way to go yet and is going about it a lot slower than the rest of the developed world but c'est la vie.

This.

[xmanpro]

Electric or something else is the future. ICE is going away for good. There's gonna be a generation of drivers (very soon if not here already) that dgaf about what an engine sounds like or any of that. Im looking forward to it.

Hopefully we'll still all have the sound of rubber on road.

[GOLFFRR]

car wow is the place for BMW drag races it seems

[PhilD]

Originally Posted by xmanpro

Electric or something else is the future. ICE is going away for good. There's gonna be a generation of drivers (very soon if not here already) that dgaf about what an engine sounds like or any of that. Im looking forward to it.

Hopefully we'll still all have the sound of rubber on road.

Hah! Speak for yourself, I hope the rubber becomes inaudible too! I didn't realise *quite* how much quieter modern EVs are until I test drove the iX (first full EV I've been in). Cabin volume isn't something I ever used to care about but in the last couple of years it's become so much more important to me, after the birth of my son. When it was just the wife and I, we'd be able to have conversations in the car just fine because she'd be in the front passenger seat. Since my son was born, she'll usually be in the back seat with him and it's a *lot* harder to chat. Obviously, I'm facing away from her so it makes it harder in general but I have to raise my voice, which feels unnatural and I can't hear what she's saying unless she raises her voice too. Now admittedly, our current ICE is quite old and newer cars are better but not significantly so. The silence of the iX was a *significant* factor in my decision to go with an EV. I think as our kids get older, it'll be more and more important.

The silence and smoothness of my first drive as a passenger in the iX (he handed over to me after a few minutes) was genuinely shocking and I had an initial jolt of travel sickness because I my brain couldn't understand how we were moving.

[Doctor///M]

Originally Posted by PhilD

I agree on the battery materials, there's no getting around that but as EVs scale up, recycling of those materials is improving significantly.

In regards to the sources of electricity generation, it's much better to generate electricity from fossil fuels and then power EVs than it is to burn fossil fuels in an ICE. EVs are *really* efficient for the energy used and you can produce electricity really well at scale in power plants. As a rough example, a US gallon of gasoline has about 33 kWh of power ('gasoline gallon equivalent'). So an X5's full tank has ~700 kWh of 'energy' in it compared to the iX's ~100 kWh. I don't know how accurate these numbers are and there are obviously losses throughout the energy system but it's widely accepted that the efficiency of EVs is significantly better than ICEs, which are quite inefficient at turning raw resources into driving force.

It'll all work a lot better as national power generation moves more to renewable sources, of course. There's been a *huge* change here in the UK over the last few years with renewables accounting for 43% of the power in 2020, double what it was in 2014 and renewables now account for more energy generation than fossil fuels here. Obviously, the US has a way to go yet and is going about it a lot slower than the rest of the developed world but c'est la vie.

Agreed with all of the above. The UK has also seen record increases run energy costs during the same period. Recognizing the validity of all of your points, from a policy standpoint the US is not prepared to power the grid exclusively on renewables. At least not in a way that the majority of Americans can afford. Same goes for the raw materials to support infrastructure and the transportation fleet. There is a happy medium to be found that combines all the market forces at play.

[Bahn360Photo]

Originally Posted by Jimjamz

Engineering good. Interior design good. Exterior Design?

Ehh I know

Maybe the hope is that people will get used to it.

Now offer with that color changing paint and people will overlook its roughness

[PhilD]

Originally Posted by Bahn360Photo

Ehh I know

Maybe the hope is that people will get used to it.

Now offer with that color changing paint and people will overlook its roughness

I know it's hard to believe but honestly, when you see an iX in person, you'll likely be surprised at how 'normal' it looks. Almost all of the reviewers have said it looks better in person and the sentiment is shared by most potential buyers that have seen one. The production shots and the 3d rendering in the configurator in particular make it look much more 'out there' than it actually is. The one I test drove was a white one, which is one of the most 'out there' colours and I was genuinely surprised at how normal the car looked. I saw a black one out driving a couple of days ago and it completely blended in with all the other cars, I only noticed because I like to try to work out which X model BMW SUVs are (a stupid 'game' that I'm terrible at).

[Needsdecaf]

I was actually shocked at how the iX was pulling away as they went down the line. Normally the EV gets the jump off the line due to the instant response and strong torque, and then gets reeled in before either winning by a bit or ultimately losing.

Strong showing by the iX.

[CERF04ZHP]

Looks like that X7 needs the N63 software update!