It didn’t take long for BMW to give its all-new iX electric sport-ute the fabled M Performance treatment. Behold the 2023 iX M60, packing 610 horseys and a thoroughly-impressive 811 pound-feet of muscley torque.
Click your trusty Tag-Heuer stopwatch and you’ll see zero-to-60mph sprinting in a very zippy 3.6 seconds, with the ferocious acceleration carried all the way to an electronically-limited 155mph max.
And to give the X5-sized M60 a little bit of aural M Performance character, BMW has come-up with a digitized, Tron-on-steroids soundtrack that’s piped through the speakers. Watts not to love about that?
Sticking with the numbers game, BMW reckons this new M should be good for an OK-but-not-great 280 miles on a single charge – depending, of course, on the lead in your right foot.
But find yourself a DC fast-charger delivering 250kW of juice, and you’ll get back up to an 80 percent charge in around 35 minutes. Or, in only 49 minutes with a more common 250-amp charger that delivers 100kW of power.
Imagery courtesy of BMW.
Imagery courtesy of BMW.
Imagery courtesy of BMW.
Imagery courtesy of BMW.
Exterior-wise, there’s a disappointing lack of visual difference between this new M60 and the entry iX50. Same crazy, blacked-out, swollen-kidney grilles, same angry-appliance front-end. Only the murdered-out 21-inch rims covering some serious M Sport brakes set it apart.
Inside, it’s the same, with little M Sport uniqueness. No sports seats, no unique badging, no special stitching. Just the same oddball “squircle” steering wheel and plastic-covered pedals. And that ugly piece of faux wood on the center console wouldn’t look out of place in an ’80s Camry.
But this new iX should really lend itself to performance driving, courtesy of having its hefty battery pack set low down between the front and rear axles, lowering the center of gravity.
Add to that the iX’s lightweight, super-stiff, aluminum spaceframe chassis, carbon-fiber cage, carbon roof, and carbon body panels. Having electric motors on both the front and rear axles also provide handling-enhancing all-wheel drive.
And let’s not forget the effect that launch control and 811 pound-feet of instant torque should have on forward motion. We can’t wait to drive it.
Imagery courtesy of BMW.
Imagery courtesy of BMW.
Imagery courtesy of BMW.
Imagery courtesy of BMW.
Expect this hard-charging new iX M60 to land in dealerships by June. As for pricing, it kicks-off at $106,095, which might sound rich, but it reflects the impressive level of standard equipment.
The long list includes two-axle air suspension, Bowers & Wilkins surround sound, a panoramic “sky lounge” LED roof, ventilated leather seats up front, laser headlights, that very cool-looking curved-glass dashboard display and, naturally, a plug.
