TEST: BMW iX3 with excellent range. Better than Lucid Gravity [NAF/Motor.no]. BMW is restoring confidence in European automotive industry

The Norwegian Automobile Association and Motor.no conducted a test of the BMW iX3 as part of a large summer test of electric vehicles. The German electric car lost to the Lucid Air, a streamlined sedan that sets world records, but it performed better than the Lucid Gravity, a competitor with an SUV body style. In Norwegian conditions similar to urban and suburban driving in Poland, the actual range of the BMW iX3 xDrive 50 was 781 kilometers.

Actual ranges of electric vehicles as summer approaches. NAF/Motor.no test

The test conducted by the Norwegians is professional, and its undeniable advantage is that various types of vehicles are included in the convoy. The drawbacks are certainly the conditions: strict regulations and road restrictions mean that electric vehicles achieve ranges similar to those measured under WLTP standards, which in Poland is only possible under very specific conditions and usually without long stretches on highways. This year’s complete ranking looked as follows (source: worth clicking to view):

BMW iX3 xDrive 50 113.4 (~108.4) kWh – 781 kilometers,

Lucid Gravity 123 (~117) kWh – 720 kilometers,

Mercedes CLA EQ Tech 350 4Matic ~90 (85) kWh – 675 kilometers,

Mercedes GLC EQ Tech 400 4Matic ~100 (94) kWh – 665 kilometers,

Xpeng X9 110 (~104) kWh – 646 kilometers,

Polestar 3 106 (103) kWh – 601 kilometers,

Mercedes GLB EQ Tech 350 4Matic ~90 (85) kWh – 593 kilometers,

Toyota C-HR+ 77 (72) kWh – 587 kilometers,

Kia EV4 81.4 (78) kWh – 575 kilometers,

Hyundai Ioniq 9 110 (~104) kWh – 562 kilometers,

Smart #5 100 (94) kWh – 556 kilometers,

Kia EV5 81.4 (78) kWh – 509 kilometers,

Toyota bZ4X 73.1 (69) kWh – 506 kilometers,

MG S6 77 (74.3) kWh – 502 kilometers,

Citroen E-C5 Aircross 79.9 (74.8) kWh – 500 kilometers,

Mazda 6e ~71 (68.8) kWh – 485 kilometers,

BYD Atto 3 Evo ~77 (74.8) kWh – 460 kilometers,

MG IM6 100 (96.5) kWh – 446 kilometers,

Changan Deepal S05 68.8 (~66) kWh – 431 kilometers,

Kia PV5 71.2 (69.1) kWh – 420 kilometers,

Hyundai Ioniq 5 49 (~46) kWh – 373 kilometers,

KGM Musso ~85 (80.4) kWh – 369 kilometers,

Dongfeng Vigo 51.9 (~50) kWh – 348 kilometers,

Kia EV2 42.2 (~40) kWh – 325 kilometers.

It’s worth noting that we’re talking about the BMW iX3 with all-wheel drive, as a rear-wheel-drive version is still not available. There’s also no BMW i3, which, with the same battery capacity, should be able to travel at least a few percent further without issue. For comparison, the Lucid Air tested a year earlier on the same route managed to cover 832 kilometers before coming to a complete stop.

The Hyundai Ioniq 9, Toyota C-HR+, and Hyundai Ister are marked in italics because their drivers missed the correct exit, causing these two vehicles to take a different route toward the end of the test. The testers note that for the Ioniq 9, the figure should be considered approximate. They also emphasize that range alone isn’t the most important factor for them; rather, it’s the actual range that is as close as possible to WLTP (or better). In winter, at -30 degrees Celsius, electric vehicles covered 29 to 46 percent less distance than indicated by WLTP.

The Xpeng X9 and Kia EV2 had the smallest deviation between their actual range and WLTP values. The minivan will officially debut in Poland on June 19 (c) Motor.no/NAF

All cars would have gone a little further in low-power mode, but the procedure requires stopping as soon as the vehicle stops responding to pressing the accelerator pedal and is unable to reach the required top speed. The test started after 9 a.m., with the last car, the BMW iX3, stopping at 10:21 p.m. Everyone took one break, while the drivers of the BMW and Lucid models had to take two.

The engineers at Mercedes seemed to aim for their cars to cover similar distances on charge, as the CLA Shooting Brake and GLC EQ Tech stopped after almost identical distances. The BYD Atto 3 Evo maintained high power until it suddenly stopped — this can happen with models using LFP batteries. The full video in Norwegian can be watched here, but we advise against it

Article rating

Reader ratings

[Total: 5 votes Average: 5]

Don’t miss new content—CLICK and FOLLOW Elektrowoz.pl on Google News. You might also be interested in the following ads: