2022 BMW iX M60 review: International first drive

Electric vehicles, this BMW iX M60 being a case in point, are nothing new to the marque from Munich. When it launched in 2014, the i3 was certainly ahead of its time as one of the first serious series-production battery-powered cars but, when viewed in the luxury vehicle context, it had the global stage largely to itself.

Indeed, it had enough competitive influence to snare it the Wheels Car of the Year in its first year on sale in Australia. But finding the German carmaker’s true electric foray requires a trip all the way back to 1972 when it produced an experimental version of the 1602.

Prepare to be underwhelmed. Power from its single motor was just 32kW but ‘aha!’ I hear you say, ‘the charismatic ’02 was such a lightweight little thing that it didn’t need huge horsepower to return some entertaining performance’.

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That’s certainly true of the production models that offered spirited driving thanks to the company’s versatile M10 four-cylinder, but the electric 1602 carried a monstrous lead-acid battery pack that weighed about 1.3 tons.

Acceleration, therefore, was denoted not in the traditional 0-100km/h, but a half-scale 0-50km/h which took a glacial 8.0 seconds. It also had no way of charging without removing the battery pack entirely and needed heating prior to use to liberate the full disappointing performance.

A gallant effort to evaluate a concept but promptly thrown out as a complete failure. At the time, the notion of a series-production BMW EV that people would actually put their hand up for seemed several times less likely than a pipedream.

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Had you tried to suggest that not only would exactly that become a reality 40 years later, but an EV would eventually wear the coveted BMW M colours, you would probably be accused of getting on the acid – and not the kind in the 1602’s battery.

But BMW did, in fact, not give up and that’s where we are in BMW’s timeline right now. The iX M60 you see here is not the first pure electric vehicle to get an M badge on its boot (that milestone was passed by the i4 M50) but the latest pure-electric BMW is the first M model to roll on a dedicated EV platform.

That, if nothing else, is a statement of intent from the manufacturer and a demonstration that it is serious about battery power and performance in unison.

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In Australia, the iX range was introduced with three variants including a pair of xDrive 40 versions and a single xDrive 50, but the new M60 ups the ante in all areas – including the price. The current range-topper will set you back $169,900 but when it arrives later this year, BMW will ask $222,900 (both before on-road costs).

For that cash, you get a lot more thrown into the deal but let’s start with what’s not included – a bigger battery. For the new version, the M60 carries over the same 112kWh lithium-ion unit from the 50 but through a little M-agic, performance has been significantly boosted.

We’ll come to exactly how shortly but the compromise is in range. Compared to the 50’s 620km max, the M60 offers a still marathon-like 566km, although the former rating is ADR while the latter is under the WLTP system. When it’s time for a top-up, the 400-volt system supports up to 195kW charging for a 10-80 per cent charge in 35 minutes or about 150km of range pumped in every 10 minutes when using the fastest charging hardware.

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It’s also worth noting that ultra-fast 350kW charging is not possible, so the speed of replenishing the battery is limited by the external charging infrastructure available. Most iX owners are expected to adopt a smartphone charging regime of plugging in every evening using home charging facilities, but for those rare occasions out and about, BMW is throwing in five years of Chargefox public charging included in the price.

Like the three other iX siblings, the M60 is based on BMW’s CLAR cluster architecture which minimises weight through extensive use of aluminium and carbonfibre composite. Despite this, the M60 still has to haul about 2500kg in kerb mass wherever it goes.

The exotic construction certainly does add stiffness and rigidity to the spaceframe construction but from the outset, it’s clear the real science in the iX range is in hiding kilos rather than banishing them in the first place. Like the 40 and 50, ride quality is excellent – or perhaps it’s more down to the exemplary German roads we’re cruising near Berlin.

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Either way, the front wishbone, rear multi-link and air spring suspension is a brilliant partnership for a plush ride. For the transformation into an M iX, the chassis was retuned with M-specific adaptive dampers and self-levelling suspension, while steering is also adaptive.

Compared with the 40, which rolls on relatively conventional steel springs, the air-riding M60 has dialled out some of the restlessness but has unfortunately not revealed any more feel or personality to the handling. There’s enormous grip and confidence to sail through corners with speed but I sense that something in the M60’s nature is being hidden rather than enhanced.

Minimal roll, an eagerness to change direction and impressive body control are all feathers in the cap of a seriously hefty high-rider but we were expecting a little more charisma over the sub-M options.

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For a more complete driver’s car conversion we would have also appreciated the hexagonal steering wheel being thrown on a lathe and turning out all the weird bumps.

Corner-carving aggression might not be the M60’s strong point, but to spend each drive in the M60 hunting apexes and terrorising other road users would be to ignore another side to the iX repertoire, not to mention its styling and technology package.

Little has changed on either the exterior or cabin of the M60 in the graduation to M status and most interesting are the black M badges. In a bid to explore new aesthetic possibilities, BMW has not included the classic three-colour flashes in favour of a new more subtle look.

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The traditionalist in me wants to hate it, but you can’t deny it looks pretty damn sharp, especially combined with classy Aventurine Red and frosted bronze exterior trims. The iX’s design will always polarise opinion and its unapologetically blunt nose is no less bold on the front of the M60 but BMW deserves praise for signing off on a design that’s arguably more daring than even the Bangle era models.

Despite the slab-fronted look, the M60 manages to be relatively aerodynamic with a drag coefficient of just 0.26 in Sport mode when the suspension is at its lowest. Frameless doors create an air of exclusivity on your way into the cabin and there’s certainly no lack of surprise and delight once you’re there.

Diamond-quilted upholstery is as pleasant to sit on as it is to look at, crystal controls for iDrive, electric seats and stereo volume carefully stay on the tasteful side of ostentatious and there’s no shortage of space. We still have a few qualms regarding the intuitiveness of the iDrive information and entertainment system with some options buried in submenus, but nothing can detract entirely from the stunning digital displays.

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Paired with the wood-touch control panel, it’s a pleasure sifting through the various pretty screens which include new graphics specific to the M60. Along with technology and brave design, comfort and cruising definitely is the M60’s strength.

Near-silent running despite 22-inch wheels and performance tyres (you can have a 21-inch low-drag option), takes relaxation levels up a rung and the flagship iX is immensely compliant.

Throttle modulation has also been carefully developed but maximum ‘gas’ appears a little too early on in the travel – perhaps to try and create a sense of even more pace – while slowing down is also just as noteworthy.

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Under normal circumstances, regenerative braking seems almost nonexistent, but a clever adaptive system uses speed signs and traffic conditions to apply the power-saving technology in a more intelligent way. It’s one of many features owners will love realising, but we haven’t come to the best bit yet.

Power, as you might expect, is also part of the performance enhancements and if the M60 deserves an M badge, it’s here that it earns it. While all M models previously brought comprehensive upgrades to all areas, the defining feature traditionally lay at the heart with a significantly reworked engine, and the M60 is no exception.

As denoted by the X in its name, all versions of the iX are all-wheel drive, enabled by an electric motor on each axle. The rear unit however has undergone significant modification to liberate extra poke. Rather than permanent magnets, the M-specific motor is ‘current energised’ and requires no rare earth materials in the rotor construction.

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Not only does that mean the unit is more sustainably built, but it has six-phase operation powered by a double inverter, compared with the three-phase single inverter of the rest of the iX range.

Subsequently, efficiency is boosted to as much as 93 per cent with a power consumption of as little as 21.9kWh per 100km, while power density is significantly increased. Peak power rises to a mighty 455W and, with launch control activated, torque peaks at a massive 1100Nm.

It’s this unique fettling of the rear drive unit that imparts a true spirit of the M brand and the results are spectacular. BMW claims a zero-to-100km/h acceleration time of just 3.8 seconds and a limited top speed that increases to 250km/h – 50km/h faster than the xDrive50.

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Without track time, there was no opportunity to test the tantalising launch control mode that includes an intriguing ‘powershake’ function that pulsates the driver’s seat when primed. But there was still plenty of time to appreciate the M60’s monstrous performance. More impressive than off-the-mark acceleration is the iX’s ability to gain speed when on the run.

Instant is a word frequently used to describe EV punch, but the enhanced powertrain exemplifies the point. Each time the throttle is prodded the cabin is filled with noise but it’s not the sound of a 24-valve straight-six turning fossilised sea life into power, it’s a special soundtrack by composed Hans Zimmer.

Lesser variants also play the bizarrely likeable sound into the interior depending on the driving mode and manner but, once again, it’s a unique version for the M60.

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For an SUV that weighs about 2.5 tonnes, the way the M60 moves is a truly impressive accolade. But as I’m mulling over my notes later, I keep coming back to the same problem and whether a version of any BMW model deserves almost the highest order in company ranks simply because it’s faster.

In the end, the answer comes in a distant but vivid memory and a model almost as old as BMW’s deeply flawed 1602 experiment. Years ago, I was lucky enough to drive an example of the E12 M535i – arguably the grandfather of all M Performance (but not full M Power) cars and the pioneer of the path that now leads to the M60.

It didn’t have a bespoke M-Power engine like the M1 or M5 but it did have significantly improved power, a unique soundtrack, modified suspension and more aggressive looks. In many ways, therefore, the iX M60 has nailed exactly the same brief as the car that started it all.

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The counter argument to this is that composing an artificial sound for a vehicle that would otherwise make none, and synthesising vibrations from a piston engine that’s no longer under the bonnet serves not to advance the modern car but acknowledge and highlight what’s missing compared with more traditional M cars.

Either way, the iX M60 is not trying to masquerade as a full-blown M car and hoping no one notices it’s actually not. That infinitely harder job falls to the imminent XM when it weighs into the market later this year powered by the same V8 plug-in hybrid powertrain as the next-generation M5.

Instead, the latest version to join the iX family lays the final foundation ahead of the company’s first electric full-fat M car with performance that bridges a gap between regular variants and an altogether direction-affirming BMW M model.