Rival: 2026 BMW iX3 reviews are impressive... R2 has its work cut out

[Great Gatsby]

Performance doesn't matter? I keep seeing this come up. For people paying for a A-B ride, sure. Plenty of cars that can do that for $40k. Once you are paying more than that for a vehicle, you either want luxury or performance. That is the divide I see more of here, rather than price. And both have a sizable camp.

I'm leaning R2 because it is quicker. I can live with the slower charging speeds and range. Under 30 minute fill up to 80 and 300 miles is good enough for me. If I wanted something more akin to the luxury experience, I'd find the BMW and Volvo more alluring. And anyone who would is likely not really considering an R2.

I've come to the conclusion that these are likely different camps. I'm sure some cross shopping will be done, but the R2 will be fighting with the Model Y and Ioniq 5 while the Volvo, BMW and Mercedes are off shooting a new class of compact/midsize luxury EVs that start around 60k, where the other class ends.

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[tate16t]

The BMW has definitely got me thinking. It is a well-rounded vehicle and for me I don’t do off-road and at my age I don’t really care about 0-60, especially the second difference between the two vehicles. One reservation I have is it will be a first year for the iX3 and it has a lot of new changes with the infotainment but I love what I see. I also love my R1S however, my daughter will be off to college soon, and I won’t need the size anymore and I’m hoping the BMW or R2 are less complicated EV platforms.

 

[mkg3]

Performance doesn't matter? I keep seeing this come up. For people paying for a A-B ride, sure. Plenty of cars that can do that for $40k. Once you are paying more than that for a vehicle, you either want luxury or performance. That is the divide I see more of here, rather than price. And both have a sizable camp.....

None of us are saying performance doesn't matter. Performance is not only measured in 0-60 time - there's much more to performance than a low speed acceleration.

Don't know what a A-B ride in this context means. Plenty of vehicle can do what for $40K? Since the average new car price in US is now over $51K, does A-B ride mean some slow entry level vehicle?

 

[MaskedRacerX]

Performance doesn't matter? I keep seeing this come up. For people paying for a A-B ride, sure. Plenty of cars that can do that for $40k.

I don't believe anybody is saying it doesn't matter, more that these two vehicles (the R2 Dual / iX3 xDrive50), are both very quick, and that the difference between the two isn't that significant (for the market segment).

The iX3 has a BMW published 0-60 of 4.7, that's likely a touch high (not unlike a lot of BMW vehicles), some initial testing has shown 4.3-4.6. The R2 might be right on, a little quicker, or even a little slower (depending on a ton of factors), it might wind up being that the real world difference is closer to just a 1/2 second or so.

If you do value the few ticks on a stop-watch faster 0-60 with the R2, that's awesome, and I don't think anyone is denying that as a total legit priority.

The point being, the performance numbers of the iX3 are hardly in the "A-B ride" category, and the handling, charging, range, tech, options, etc., puts it WAY out of that category.

 

[Great Gatsby]

None of us are saying performance doesn't matter. Performance is not only measured in 0-60 time - there's much more to performance than a low speed acceleration.

Don't know what a A-B ride in this context means. Plenty of vehicle can do what for $40K? Since the average new car price in US is now over $51K, does A-B ride mean some slow entry level vehicle?

A-B = A commuter car. You can still get a CR-V, RAV4 or equivalent for under $40k. Reliable, fuel efficient, smart and safe choice. Why would anyone pay more for a car?

My argument was that people pay more for luxury, performance or both. Also for space, but that is not necessarily at hand with regards to these cars. And agreed, there is more to performance than 0-60. That is where the test drive will also separate these.

 

[TexasBob]

A-B = A commuter car. You can still get a CR-V, RAV4 or equivalent for under $40k. Reliable, fuel efficient, smart and safe choice. Why would anyone pay more for a car?

My argument was that people pay more for luxury, performance or both. Also for space, but that is not necessarily at hand with regards to these cars. And agreed, there is more to performance than 0-60. That is where the test drive will also separate these.

People pay more for technology as well. Performance, Luxury, Technology. "Tech forward vehicles" has been Tesla's central proposition. Leading ADAS, leading software features and AI, leading connectivity, etc. Tech forward has been driving leaders in China and is a central proposition of Rivian's AI-defined vehicle platform.

 

[Great Gatsby]

People pay more for technology as well. Performance, Luxury, Technology. "Tech forward vehicles" has been Tesla's central proposition. Leading ADAS, leading software features and AI, leading connectivity, etc. Tech forward has been driving leaders in China and is a central proposition of Rivian's AI-defined vehicle platform.

Good point! Forgot that about. Certainly a differentiator.

 

[mellowthecat]

I was messing around with the iX3 configurator in Canada and noticed it didn’t have pricing. What are the chances the US configurator goes live on Wednesday and doesn’t have pricing? That would be a bummer

also what color is everybody thinking? I thought I had my color with eucalyptus green, buts it’s too silver. The blue is very blueberry. We settled on the polarized grey is awesome because it has a lot of blue and purple in it. The Brooklyn grey looked nice too if you wanted a lighter color

 

[MaskedRacerX]

I was messing around with the iX3 configurator in Canada and noticed it didn’t have pricing. What are the chances the US configurator goes live on Wednesday and doesn’t have pricing? That would be a bummer

Wow, the Canadian configurator REALLY wants you to know this ...

Hahaha, it pops up every time I make a change

 

[Great Gatsby]

I was messing around with the iX3 configurator in Canada and noticed it didn’t have pricing. What are the chances the US configurator goes live on Wednesday and doesn’t have pricing? That would be a bummer

also what color is everybody thinking? I thought I had my color with eucalyptus green, buts it’s too silver. The blue is very blueberry. We settled on the polarized grey is awesome because it has a lot of blue and purple in it

At this point, I'd take any car in red. So glad the iX3 at least comes in that. The better question is white or brown interior?

But yeah, I noticed on the CAN configurator. Really hoping not the same here.

 

[Kipa]

Bjorn Nyland's review of the ix3 interior.

TLDR: He's not a fan at all, especially the steering wheel haptics.

 

[TexasBob]

I was messing around with the iX3 configurator in Canada and noticed it didn’t have pricing. What are the chances the US configurator goes live on Wednesday and doesn’t have pricing? That would be a bummer

also what color is everybody thinking? I thought I had my color with eucalyptus green, buts it’s too silver. The blue is very blueberry. We settled on the polarized grey is awesome because it has a lot of blue and purple in it. The Brooklyn grey looked nice too if you wanted a lighter color

The need forest green. Blue is best IMO.

 

[tate16t]

Bjorn Nyland's review of the ix3 interior.

TLDR: He's not a fan at all, especially the steering wheel haptics.

@RemoveBeforeRace wasn’t a fan of the steering wheel either.

 

[manitou202]

Just got this email from my dealership. Looks like the online configurator will open Wednesday (as others have noted) and then sending your dealership the order, they will enter it into BMWs system. At that point the $1000 deposit is due, and is refundable until the vehicle enters production. Makes sense I guess.

Still not sure on timing as this could come much earlier than we need.

 

[mellowthecat]

your dealership the order, they will enter it into BMWs system. At that point the $1000 deposit is due, and is refundable until the vehicle enters production. Makes sense I guess.

good info. This makes is sound exactly like the Canadian configurator. Do they mention how we will get the price? through the dealer?

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