BMW Ireland has confirmed that an updated version of the iX3 will arrive on Irish shores at the very end of 2021. It will come with the same visual updates inside and out as its petrol, diesel and plug-in hybrid X3 siblings, and will be offered to Irish buyers in M Sport or M Sport Pro grades.
Exterior makeover
Although BMW's press release attempts to draw parallels between the updated iX3's styling and the BMW iX, thankfully the design influence from the range-topping electric SUV is minimal.
Up front, the BMW kidney grille is larger than before (of course it is...) and has a single-piece frame with the blue accent to identify the iX3 as a BMW i car. Within is a stylised mesh with a BMW i badge. The LED headlights are slimmer than before, too.
Below all that, there's a new bumper, with a larger air opening flanked by new L-shaped 'air curtains' with blue accents. The main air inlet features a ten-stage active air flap to minimise aerodynamic drag when cooling of the components behind is not required.
You may spot that the blue side sill detail has been removed, while the air breathers aft of the front wheels have also been redesigned. A set of black 19-inch alloy wheels will be included as standard; the pictured car wears 20-inch rims.
At the back, the new LED light design is more obviously new. It's complemented by a stylised aerodynamic diffuser with large blue sections to emphasise the lack of exhaust outlets.
Any spec so long as it's M Sport
Irish buyers of the iX3 can choose between M Sport and M Sport Pro specifications, four Vernasca leather colours and four paint colours: Carbon Black, Mineral White, Phytonic Blue and Sophisto Grey.
The iX3 M Sport comes with an automatic tailgate, adaptive damping, heated steering wheel and seats, panoramic sunroof, electrically adjusted seats, ambient lighting, wireless phone charger, Driving Assistant Professional, Parking Assistant and BMW Live Cockpit Professional.
Upgrading to the iX3 M Sport Pro adds head-up display, a Harman Kardon surround system, gesture control, Parking Assistant Plus, automatic high-beam assistant and a few other bits and pieces, including 'BMW IconicSounds Electric', a sound synthesiser developed in conjunction with Hans Zimmer.
No change to the mechanicals
Underneath, the iX3 is unchanged. It features a single 210kW electric motor, driving the rear wheels only. That's 286hp, while maximum torque of 400Nm is available. BMW quotes a 0-100km/h time of 6.8 seconds.
The lithium-ion battery pack has 74kWh of usable capacity allowing a range between charges of up to 460 kilometres on the benchmark WLTP cycle, representing an average energy consumption figure of 18.5kWh/100km.
AC charging at up to 11kW is possible, while rapid charging at a DC station can be done at up to 150kW, theoretically allowing 100km of range for 10 minutes of charging.
BMW iX3 Irish pricing
BMW Ireland has confirmed that the iX3 M Sport will cost €73,295 on-the-road, while the M Sport Pro model is priced at €76,985. They're available to order now for first deliveries in December this year.