BMW iX M60 unveiled — price, range, torque and more

BMW 9 M60 unveiled — cost, range, torque and more

(Image credit: BMW)

Nosotros already know a off-white bit about the BMW 9, due to go far one-time this summer in xDrive forty and xDrive l configurations. But the German automaker has announced an even more powerful model, the BMW iX M60, at CES 2022.

BMW'south 'M' Serial spun out of the automaker's racing ambitions, and the focus is all almost performance — while maintaining the luxury feel that sends people to BMW. The BMW iX M60 packs in 610 horsepower, and similar the BMW i4 M50 before it, is going to be 100% electric.

BMW iX M60: Cost and release appointment

The BMW nine M60 is prepare to arrive in June, with a starting price of $106,095. That's significantly more than the xDrive 50 model, which is confirmed to first at $83,200 when information technology launches afterwards this twelvemonth.

BMW iX M60: Design and interior

From the outside the 9 M60 isn't that much different to the xDrive twoscore or xDrive 50. The car is made up of an aluminum frame, carbon cage and carbon fiber reinforcements in the roof, side and rear. Information technology'southward also available with 22-inch wheels, and in a variety of exclusive colors, which the xDrive models are non.

Within the automobile is a environment sound system powered by Bowers & Wilkins, a panoramic 'Heaven Lounge' LED roof and privacy glass. If the xDrive iX models are anything to go by, the interior is also likely to come in either leather, fake leather or microfiber cloth.

BMW ix M60: Power and operation

BMW's Chiliad series is all about performance, and information technology'south no surprise that the iX M60 is set up to deliver some pretty impressive power nether the hood. The automobile has 610 horsepower to tap into, significantly higher than the i4 M50'south 544hp, and up to 811 ft-lbs of torque.

All that volition ship you from 0-threescore in three.6 seconds, which isn't bad going for a vehicle that weighs almost 3 and a half tons. For reference the iX xDrive fifty takes 5 seconds to reach the same speed, and the xDrive xl takes half-dozen. However, the i4 M50 takes three.7 seconds to hit that speed, which is just fractionally slower.

In terms of top speed, you lot're looking at 155 mph, which is significantly faster than the i4 M50'due south 124 mph. And then if yous e'er observe yourself on a German autobahn, or a rail, you can get some serious speed upwardly.

BMW also has current-energized motors in the iX M60, which means rotational speed is based on how much electricity has been applied rather than turning the wheels with a magnetic field. According to the automaker, this improves ability density and summit power output, while also removing rare globe metals from the equation.

BMW iX M60: Range and charging

The BMW 9 M60 has a 111.five kWh battery pack, of which 106 kWh is usable. That translates to 280 miles of range with 21-inch wheels. That'due south slightly less than the 300 miles BMW says the xDrive 50 offers, though a drop in range is non unexpected in a performance-centric car like this.

Charging is available at speeds upwards to 195 kW, which will become from 0-fourscore pct in just 35 minutes. Air conditioning charging tops out at eleven kW, and a full charge will take you lot x.5 hours. The bombardment'south size means you're going to desire to get a faster AC charger installed at dwelling house.

A standard 7.4 kW charger takes 16 hours to fully charge, while the slower 3.7 kW speeds take an insane 33 hours. Though it is worth pointing out that charging beyond 80% takes a lot longer, and information technology's meliorate for long-term battery wellness to avoid doing that whenever possible.

BMW iX M60: Engineering and features

BMW hasn't said a great deal about the engineering in the iX M60, only we can expect it to come with some of the automaker's elevation-tier equipment for you lot to use mid-drive.

Common features similar heated seats and a wireless charging pad are confirmed. BMW also says that the car will come up with 5G connectivity, adaptive LED headlights and an interior camera. It'south too fix to characteristic something called "BMW Natural Integration" which lets yous use voice commands and hand gestures to control the car'south infotainment arrangement.

Judging from that, and the images BMW has shown off, it looks similar the car won't be coming with many buttons. Which is a shame, because how useless touchscreens are when you take to pay attention to the road. Hopefully those hand gestures will integrate with the interior photographic camera, and don't involve much blindly tapping at the screen.

That infotainment screen will likely be powered by the iDrive operating system, which BMW has already confirmed for the iX xDrive models.

Naturally, the BMW iX M60 wouldn't be a modern EV without autonomous driving features, confirming a myriad of driver and traffic monitoring equipment. The announcement besides confirms that dynamic prowl control and park assistance will be packaged with the car equally standard.

The less powerful nine models are set up to come with level iii autonomous driving hardware built in, which we presume will besides exist truthful for the iX. However, level 3 autonomy, which allows the driver to take their optics off the road for cursory periods, notwithstanding faces a number of legal and regulatory hurdles. So don't expect more than level ii autonomous features to be bachelor at launch.

BMW 9 M60: Outlook

At a glance the BMW nine M60 doesn't seem as well different from the xDrive 40 and xDrive 50 variants. Expect a little deeper, however, and you'll see that the latest M series automobile has plenty more to offer — especially if you similar the thrill of speed and hard acceleration in a automobile that looks like it has plenty of infinite.

Sure the BMW nine M60'due south range could be better, especially since the starting cost is well over $100,000. Just 280 miles is still a pretty significant amount of distance to cover, and you generally shouldn't buy a powerful performance car and expect great mileage. Only information technology'southward yet another example of just how practiced operation EVs can be, and I just wonder what BMW could manage if the iX M60 didn't have all the SUV bulk weighing it downwardly.

Tom is the Tom'south Guide's Automotive Editor, which ways he can normally be found knee joint deep in stats the latest and best electric cars, or checking out some sort of driving gadget. It's long fashion from his days as editor of Gizmodo Great britain, when pretty much everything was on the table. He's usually found trying to squeeze another giant Lego set onto the shelf, draining very big cups of coffee, or complaining that Ikea won't let him purchase the stuff he actually needs online.