[sor]

     Featured on BIMMERPOST.com

Not as epic as the thread’s namesake, but I took an 800 mile journey from SLC to Vegas and back this week and wanted to share some of my observations.



First, the parameters. A family of four, with more luggage than necessary for a three day trip, embarked on a warm 75°F fall afternoon in an Oxide Grey iX M60. The iX was equipped with 22” wheels, a battery charged to 97%, and 39psi front/46psi rear tire pressure.



The goal was to make it to St George in one driving session (~280 miles), but the will of the iX outlasted the family’s will to continue driving and we needed a break, so we made a dinner stop in Cedar City. We had driven 227 miles in a little over three hours and gained 800 feet of elevation, through hilly terrain with mostly 80 mph speed limit, with cruise set to 82mph. Despite this, we still had 24% battery left, indicating we could have comfortably made it another 53 miles to St George - especially with the coming elevation drop.

While the iX charged up its batteries, we charged up our bellies, and then embarked again with 79% charge. We dropped down from Cedar City at an elevation of nearly 6000 ft, through St. George and across the corner of Arizona to land in the tip of Nevada at roughly 2000 ft above sea level. Unsurprisingly, this proved amazingly beneficial for range - after driving another 174 miles we still retained 37% charge. This worked out to an amazing 27.1kWh/100 miles (3.7 miles/kWh).



The family spent the next few days of what is known as “Fall break” lounging in the lazy river at the MGM Grand. Then we packed up and hit the road again on a relatively hot, 90°F Vegas morning. We stopped at the outlet mall in South Vegas to top off. Here, our iX “Quicksilver” was nestled between “Polestar McPoleface” and “Fahrfegnugen the Grey”, with an antisocial Ioniq 5 (who refused to be named) keeping its distance. It was here that I first witnessed peak charging rate of 192kW, I hadn’t stuck around in Cedar City to monitor the charging rate there. Surprisingly, this happened with no preconditioning whatsoever - we had literally just gotten the car from the valet. This indicated to me that preconditioning may only be necessary in cold temps. We grabbed some lunch at the outlet mall and headed out of town.




Right around Mesquite, NV, we ran into a very short, minor slowdown where a bridge was being replaced. It was here that I got my first taste of the “Assisted Driving Plus”. I had read on the forum recently that all you have to do is remove your hands from the wheel, which I did, and immediately got a warning that “assisted driving features partially disabled”, or something to that effect. So I started over, tried again, and got the same error. It was then that I realized - it won’t work if you have sunglasses on :-). The feature tracks your attention to the road, rather than your hands on the wheel, so the third time was a charm, without sunglasses. It works great.

In fact, I’d say that all of the assisted driving features are an incremental improvement over my G01 and my Audi e-tron. Neither of those cars really seemed to know how to enter or exit a corner, either turning in late or overcompensating and continuing to turn at the end, but the iX seems markedly better when it comes to steering assist. I also enjoyed being able to change lanes by simply signaling, and the “just right” assertive lane change.

On the way back, we stopped again in Cedar City. This time, we had climbed nearly 4k feet in elevation and it showed. Over 177 miles we had averaged 38.8kWh/100Mi (2.6 miles/kWh). We had left the outlet mall at 94% charge and arrived with 31% - we could have easily continued on to Beaver, UT but again we needed to stop and take a break before the iX did.

As I hopped out and connected to the charger in Cedar City, a rough looking man approached and said “ah, you can only drive a little ways with those things before needing to charge up, right?”. I replied, “Actually this one seems pretty good, we could probably go up to 300 miles or more in the right conditions”. He retorted “haha, well I usually get 1000 miles out of this one”, motioning to an early 2000s Honda CR-V. I gave an incredulous chuckle and just said, “well, I wouldn’t be able to drive *that* far in one sitting!”. He then began to say something I didn’t quite make out - maybe about loving to drive 1000 miles at a time, as my family and I moved along to take our break.

We made quick work of the final 230ish miles home, arriving after dark but before the kids were due for bed.

All said, we averaged 34.7 kWh/100Miles, or 2.88 Miles/kWh, which puts the estimated total range at about 303 Miles. I thought that was really good, considering the car is rated for ~284 miles at a much slower speed. I fully believe we could get up to 340 miles at the 70-75mph speeds that are more common in less desolate areas. Of course environmental factors like temperature and elevation change will affect each trip for varying results.

[Electric Sloth]

Originally Posted by sor

It was then that I realized - it won’t work if you have sunglasses on :-). The feature tracks your attention to the road, rather than your hands on the wheel, so the third time was a charm, without sunglasses. It works great.

Do you happen to have polarized sunglasses? My understanding is that it should be able to see through standard sunglasses, but not polarized.

Also, awesome post / story telling!

[sor]

Originally Posted by Electric Sloth

Do you happen to have polarized sunglasses? My understanding is that it should be able to see through standard sunglasses, but not polarized.

Also, awesome post / story telling!

Thanks!

No, I got non polarized lenses specifically for HUD viewing. They do have a mirror finish though so maybe that messes with the IR or whatever.

[quasar81]

Nice review.

[awhk]

Amazing write up and amazing efficiency. Now I feel more comfortable for ordering a M60 over a 50.

[Greg Staten]

Great writeup!

I'll be taking a trip from Houston to Fayetteville AK in about six weeks to see my brother run in a marathon there (which will be the 50th state he's run marathons in, wrapping up his 50-state goal!). It is about 560 miles, but not much of a climb. Still, will be the first long trip we'll take in the iX. Don't think I can do as good of a job of chronicling, but maybe I'll try!

[Raman335i]

Originally Posted by sor

Not as epic as the thread’s namesake, but I took an 800 mile journey from SLC to Vegas and back this week and wanted to share some of my observations.

Great info, thanks for sharing!

[WattyB]

Appreciate you sharing.

Interested in the sunglasses bit as I have two pairs I've worn in the iX. One polarized and one not. Both work with with the traffic assist plus feature and both I can see the HUD, though polarized do make it noticeably more dim.

Will say the only time I get the disabled message for the assist is when I have one hand on the top of the wheel, obscuring the main sensor to monitor attention.

[sor]

Originally Posted by WattyB

Appreciate you sharing.

Interested in the sunglasses bit as I have two pairs I've worn in the iX. One polarized and one not. Both work with with the traffic assist plus feature and both I can see the HUD, though polarized do make it noticeably more dim.

Will say the only time I get the disabled message for the assist is when I have one hand on the top of the wheel, obscuring the main sensor to monitor attention.

Thanks. My sunglasses must just be incompatible in some way, then!

[SteveIsles]

Originally Posted by sor

Thanks. My sunglasses must just be incompatible in some way, then!

I am guessing it is the mirror coating… I had polarized lenses and they worked but made the HUD too dark (a HUD is by definition a reflection and thus all good polarized lenses would block it) and then got the same lenses but not polarized and they work well with assisted plus too…

Great post by the way!

[patrikr]

Originally Posted by sor

Thanks!

No, I got non polarized lenses specifically for HUD viewing. They do have a mirror finish though so maybe that messes with the IR or whatever.

That could be it. I have a 2020 X5 with the same system and it works great with sunglasses but my lenses are just dark, no reflection.

[unfoundnemo]

Originally Posted by sor

Here, our iX “Quicksilver” was nestled between “Polestar McPoleface” and “Fahrfegnugen the Grey”, with an antisocial Ioniq 5 (who refused to be named) keeping its distance.

I wish the Ioniq 5s on my trips were more antisocial. Every one I have encountered came with a man standing outside his car proudly waiting for someone to make eye contact and spark up a conversation.

Did you know that their rear window is at just about the right angle to not require a rear wiper, but then they put a little lip over that window which prohibits any water from rolling down to help clear it like a sedan? I do...

[BardG]

Great post, extremely informative, I've had this on my radar for a while. Also, I must say you're a very good writer!

[cfm56d7b]

Fantastic write up. Thank you for such detailed notes.

[chris@kilter]

Originally Posted by sor

Great write-up! Where did you take this photo? I live in SLC and am always looking for new places to visit.

[sor]

Originally Posted by chris@kilter

Great write-up! Where did you take this photo? I live in SLC and am always looking for new places to visit.

Alpine loop (AF canyon to Provo canyon)

[deutsch100]

INCREDIBLE WRITE UP! Thank you for taking the time to do this with us!

[Boatguy54]

FWIW, in my 2018 Tesla Model S, with a considerably lower CD, cruising at 70-80mph, I use about 310-330 kw/100 mi. The iX did quite well at 347 considering the less airflow friendly CD.

Great report.