2027 BMW iX4 - Top 5 Things You Should Know

I'm here in the south of France to drive the new BMW 3 Series, but while I'm here, BMW gave us a special opportunity to check out this, the new iX4, and I don't think anybody on our side of the Atlantic has really had the chance to do that yet. So, this car is really based on the iX3, but it's a successor to the X4, so let's check out five important things you need to know about this vehicle. Now, it might look pretty boxy, but this vehicle is actually incredibly aerodynamic. I will point out that the sloping roofline does impact the headroom a little bit, but not as much as it used to and not as much as you might think. But you don't buy a machine like this for second row headroom. All versions of the iX4 will get a BMW M Performance Aero Kit plus active air flaps for an impressive 0.23 drag coefficient. Now, the vehicle itself is 3 centimeters or 1.2 inches lower than the iX3, but compared to the old X4, it actually has more rear headroom. Aerodynamics are critical when it comes to range, and like the iX3, this is fully electric. This iX450 xDrive model comes with a 112.2kWh battery pack, enabling 428 miles or 680km of range, and with a 400kW DC fast charger, it can add 184 miles or 296km in just 10 minutes, 21 minutes for the 10-80% charge. Performance behind the wheel is impressive. It is a BMW after all. The vehicle uses a dual-motor electric setup to make 463 horsepower and 475 foot-pounds of torque. That allows for a 0-60 time of 4.7 seconds. It also makes use of what BMW calls the heart of joy, which is one of four processors in the car. This one is dedicated to the driving functions like acceleration, braking, and the dynamics tied into those, and it is 10 times faster than the previous system. Inside, it makes use of BMW's new panoramic vision, which is this bar that you can see right at the bottom of the windscreen, right at the top of the dash. Super unique. It's not really a heads-up display. You can actually get a heads-up display as well, but it actually allows for all the important information to be there. Now, you've got your driver's information, that's static right in front of you, but the other elements, you can actually bring widgets from the main screen up there and change what you want to see. And I have to point out two things that every modern car should have. First, it has an enormous screen, 17.9 inches, a beautiful system here, really quite impressive. And of course, it has AI. It uses Amazon Alexa Plus, a new AI system. It can actually interpret and have conversations with you, so you're not just barking out commands at the car. And finally, more power is coming. BMW is promising an iX4 M60 xDrive with loads more performance. It will make 603 horsepower and 645 foot-pounds of torque enabling a 0-60 time of 3.7 seconds or 3.9 seconds to 100 kilometers an hour. It will also get the racing inspired M yellow lights, adaptive M suspension and M sport differential to handle better than any SUV probably should. I also love that BMW has numerous of their matte colors available for this car. There's the Frozen Pure Red, Frozen Ocean Wave Blue, and Frozen Space Silver. I just feel like a matte color in a style like this is a perfect fit. And finally, price. The vehicle will cost $66,300 in the U.S. or $79,900 in Canada, and it'll be available at dealers this January.