I got this fantastic and top of the line BMW iX M60 as a loaner for 3-days when I dropped my Bimmer for a brake pads replacement job :
BHPian mobike008 recently shared this with other enthusiasts:
Details of that is on my ownership thread:
BMW Seattle folks first offered me an X1 which is the typical loaner car and I looked at them in amazement that how can they give me a smaller car for my X3 M40i so I requested for an equal or bigger vehicle. They scanned through their key bunch and next offered me a regular X3 30i and I was not too happy but, I thought it’s better than the smaller X1.
I asked them to look again to find a bigger car and as I was mentally making up my mind for the X3 30I, one advisor came in and said they just got the BMW IX which they can offer if interested (Typically they give an EV to an EV customer) and I immediately jumped at it. They normally hand over the keys and I would be on my way but, they made me do some paperwork and I was like- Why? Then they said this the top of the line- BMW IX M60 the M of their EV line-up.
I almost jumped with joy as I had previously driven the BMW IX 50 (525 Horsepower) and was reasonably impressed. I had a brief impression of that as well on the forum.
I immediately looked up its specs. This monster of a car comes with a beastly 610 horsepower and 1100NM of torque. What the heck !!
I signed all papers which was in a nutshell don’t drive more than 100 miles/day and not cross the state of Washington. Moreover, this was a brand new vehicle with a little over 400 clicks on the odometer.
They said the charge is super low (28% or 90 miles) and I was ok with it as I didn’t want to miss the opportunity to get my hands on the M60 for 3 full days.
I will make some references and comparisons with my cars even though it may not be apple to apple but, just to get things in a perspective.
What Amazed me :
1. Brutal acceleration in Sports Mode despite being a 2500kgs (6000 pounds) car.
2. Air Suspension felt like sitting on a feather bed.
3. Typical BMW Dynamics- Not sharp enough but, reasonable for such a large vehicle.
4. Range- 290 miles but, I noticed it stuck to the numbers quoted when driven in efficiency which surprised me.
5. Luxury, Luxury, Luxury- Everything inside reeked of luxury.
6. Space- It felt like sitting on a comfortable recliner and pretty high from ground.
7. Driving Modes (Personal, Efficient, Relax, Immersive, Sports)- Relax and Immersive modes when engaged will massage your back and bottom- It was a lovely surprise.
What didn’t amaze me :
1. Single most drawback is the charging network which is pathetic.
2. Does not feel like a real M as there is no typical “tight” feeling that we are used from a BMW.
3. Brakes were spongy and didn’t have an immediate bite that is needed to stop this monster.
4. Steering wheel has a good feel and responsive to input but, it’s too big and feels awkward to hold it. But, loved the M sticking through out.
5. Handling is decent and, you will feel the weight and side to side movement of such a massive car.
6. Cost is $140K which I feel is too expensive and not worth the price.
Some finer Observations after driving the car for almost 400 miles :
1. I charged the car twice (Once just before reaching home) and then next day. Both times, it was a major struggle. Finding “Electrify America” and many of them don’t work. So I spent a considerable time searching for it (on my phone) and driving off course just to charge. When we reach there, there is a long wait as there are a maximum of 4 stalls (8 ports) and a few of them always don’t work and there are so many cars waiting to charge. Unpleasant experience for sure.
Why would anyone buy this car and wander around searching for charging stations. I tried others as well (EVGo) which was even more pathetic and has just AC charging (110kwH) and many of their ports don’t work as well. FYI-DC charging is around 300kwH which is way lower than a Tesla which has 500+ KwH supercharging speeds.
2. The charging cost at Electrify America is insane. It was $0.56/KwH. It’s rare to see a Tesla Supercharger in Washington that is more than $0.35/KwH and once that are more expensive are the fastest superchargers which is always limited. BMW IX M60 comes with a massive battery pack of 105KWH which means it will drain your pocket. Between both charges I paid $82 ($26 + $56) which is a lot for the miles covered. I’m just thinking how much would a full charge cost an Electric Hummer (saw a few when charging), I am sure it will go above $100 for a single charge.
I was totally frustrated looking for chargers as they are limited and many of them either don’t work or have just 4 stalls where there are other EV’s lined up- Ioniq5, Toyotas, vW’s etc….I type in an Electrify America charger it would be in a different route with no confirmation that it will work. Tesla’s guide you to a supercharger enroute and gives you vital info like – Charge left, ports working, ports available etc. This is invaluable when you are driving around and looking to charge the car on the fly.
A fun fact- Electrify America has only 900 charging stations across America with only 4,300 charging ports. Compare that to a Tesla which has 2,500 charging stations across America and a whopping 26,000 fast charging ports. This is the single most reason for the lower sales of Non-Tesla EV’s in America.
3. Acceleration is excellent and is 3.6 seconds from 0-60 MPH which is slower than my Tesla Model 3 Performance. Naturally, the feeling is not enthralling (No eye popping out of your sockets feeling) as pulling a 2500kgs car in 3.6 seconds to 60mph isn’t the same feeling of a 520 Horsepower 1800 kgs Tesla Model 3 Performance which does it quicker at 3.1 seconds.
4. Dynamics is pretty good and feels like a BMW. However, the handling is not sharp and feels a bit wallow. I reckon it has to do with the size. This car was also driven by my friend who came along with me to the dealership. He recently bought the Audi Q8 E-Tron and he immediately commented this drives so much better than the Audi and feels more solid as well. What I missed was chucking the car like a sports car in corners which is what I am used to with a Tesla.
5. Range was impressive at almost 300 miles with a 105 KwH battery pack. but, like all EV’s efficient mode gives better range and it drops dismally when you slot to Sports mode (There is no Sports + which is rather unfortunate).
6. Loved the seat massage function. It really makes you feel special.
7. Regen option is when you choose the “B” in the drive selector. I tried it briefly but, I didn’t enjoy the abrupt way the car slows down so I quickly turned it off and drove it like a regular car.
8. Braking is not impressive for an M car (My BMW has much more sharper and immediate bite and I usually don’t even have to press the brakes as I feather it for slowing down) and felt spongy. Maybe it’s an EV thing. Even my Tesla’s brakes which are superior than regular Teslas due to being a Performance is not too impressive.
9. Interior cabin is not only spacious but, luxurious. The best part was the sound deadening. It feels like using an Apple AirPods Max Noise Cancelling headset. Excellent sound deadening.
10. I hated the fake sound when you accelerate. This is a common phenomena with most EV’s other than the Tesla. I wonder why infuse fake sounds, silence is good enough.
Final Comments : Would I buy this car if I had the money?
The answer is a big “No”. For the same price, my choice would be an X6M or an X5M (money saved to be used for gas…lol). This is luxurious BMW Electric Vehicle that is for people who want luxury, cushy ride and some performance thrown in. BMW electric vehicles are not a patch when compared to their gas performance vehicles.
When I handed the keys over and sat in my BMW X3M40i, I immediately felt poor.
Then when I started driving it back home, My poor feeling was compensated with a wide grin that got plastered on my face which was missing since last 3-days.
Cheers & Thanks for reading !!!
BMW IX M60- Ready to be picked up at the dealership.
We stopped enroute at the park for flying drones with amazing views of the cascade mountains and Mt. Rainier.
https://youtube.com/shorts/Tc-etmV7YN4
https://youtube.com/shorts/zX1b5mU4feY
Had to wait for 30 minutes to get our slot. As typically only 4 stalls for Electrify America in any given location.
High Cost of fast charging.
Different driving modes in BMW IX M60
Night view of the cabin. It’s super luxurious and lovely.
https://youtube.com/shorts/P-vfT8xJFtA
Spacious cabin. The charge ports are behind the seats.
Tons of apps- This is really good.
Loved the beautiful, glossy high definition curved display. Response is also snappy
No complaints with respect to charging. It was a wee bit slower than a Tesla supercharger but, it’s pretty good.
Copious amounts of space in the boot.
And, in the rear seats too..
Ambient lighting is wonderful. High quality and bright.
M Stiching all over the steering wheel. Feels luxurious to hold. But, I found it too big.
I tried to set the configuration to the maximum sporty setting most of the time. But, the range drop made me quite anxious..lol!
Final odometer when I dropped the car off. Just a lovely experience of driving a brand new M Electric car.
Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.
