The ugly duckling has been given a facelift. Albeit a small one. The BMW iX stirred up a lot of controversy when it arrived at dealerships because it looked nothing like any other BMW vehicle on sale and it put some people off. But despite its looks, it turned out to be a good car. Now for the 2026 model year, the BMW iX is receiving a mid-cycle update, or life cycle impulse as BMW calls it, with more range, power, and a tweak to its design.
Performance
Motors – The 2026 BMW iX sees a change to the names of the trim levels. There’s now the xDrive45, xDrive60, and M70 xDrive. Essentially, they’re the same as before but just higher numbers. This demo car is the xDrive60 and it has two electric motors powering each axle. The front motor produces 255 hp and 269 lb-ft of torque (190 kW & 365 Nm) with the rear motor producing 308 hp and 295 lb-ft of torque (230 kW & 400 Nm). The total output is 536 hp and 564 lb-ft of torque (400 kW & 765 Nm) which is up by 20 hp over the pre-facelift model. This allows the BMW iX to accelerate from a stop to 100 km/h in 4.6 seconds. Pretty quick for a small house that tips the scales at 2,582 kg (5,692 lbs).
Despite its weight, the BMW iX accelerates very aggressively. Top speed is only 200 km/h (125 mph) but the way that it reaches that speed is ferocious. If you’re not bracing your head against the headrest, it could be a whiplash inducing experience. This is how the car feels in Sport mode. In the normal, Personal drive mode, the first half of accelerator pedal travel is smooth. The SUV gradually builds up speed. But the second half of pedal travel provides instant power and response.
Battery & Charging – The iX has a slightly larger 113.4 kWh battery pack for 2026. Depending on what wheels the BMW iX is riding on, the electric range can be as little as 512 km (318 miles) to as much as 586 km (364 miles). The 2026 iX can be optioned with 20-inch all the way up to 23-inch wheels but all of these driving ranges are higher than the previous model year. Should you want to get the most range out of a single charge, Eco mode is the one for you. The car changes its estimation for the driving range by about another 50-70 km and it can increase further still by selecting the maximum range option. With a full charge, the car was estimating over 700 km of range with that mode activated while I had it on demo.
Recharging the BMW iX can be done through level 1, 2 and 3 chargers. The car can be bought with a 240 volt charging adaptor cable so if you have a plug like that at home, it can be recharged a bit more quickly. But from a level 3 DC fast charger, the iX can recharge in 35 minutes from 10% to 80% at a maximum speed of 200kW. Those types of chargers are few and far between so from a 50kW charger, it’ll take just over an hour and a half for the same charge. From a level 2, 9.6 kW charger, it will take approximately 13 hours to recharge the SUV from 0% to 100%.
Braking – The 2026 BMW iX has Low, Mid, and High regenerative braking with the latter being close to a one-pedal drive mode but you still need to press the brake pedal to bring the car to a complete stop. Selecting “B” on the gear selector will provide max regen braking with one-pedal driving. The iX also had an adaptive regen braking mode. This uses GPS data and other vehicle sensors to provide more regen braking when the car is in an urban environment and less of it when it’s on clear highways for example.
The physical brakes are large 4-piston calipers on the front axle that provide the bulk of the stopping force. In conjunction with regen braking, the iX stops ferociously. Under more normal driving conditions, the brake pedal provides smooth deceleration and the brakes don’t feel too grabby or sensitive. It’s a smooth transition from regenerative braking to the physical brakes.
Handling – Unfortunately there is no getting away from the fact that the BMW iX is a heavy vehicle. Although parts of it are made out of aluminum and carbon reinforced plastic, the weight is still high. The batteries are mounted in the floor like all other bespoke EVs but that doesn’t make the iX any more agile than others. Having said that, it drives like a BMW should. The sterling is sharp and the steering weight is perfect whether you’re in the city or on a mountain road. It’s almost as though you’re driving a BMW X5 that is fully loaded with 5 occupants and a trunk full of cargo. That’s the best way to describe the handling dynamics of the BMW iX.
Aiding the driving dynamics of this big SUV are an air suspension system and rear wheel steering. Both of these features are now optional on the iX 60. In the past, they were standard. The air suspension adjusts automatically whether you’re in the normal drive mode or in Sport mode. There is a raised ride height mode which you can activate with a button on the center console. The rear wheel steering helps keep the iX stable when changing lanes at highway speeds and it makes the car more maneuverable at parking lot speeds.
Comfort
Ride Comfort – With the air suspension, the 2026 BMW iX is a comfortable electric SUV. It doesn’t have a firm ride but it’s also not floaty over road undulations. It is perfectly tuned to absorb bumps and still provide good driving dynamics when the mood takes you. Should you want a bit more damping from the roads, the optional 23-inch wheels of this demo car should be left on the options list and instead stick with the standard 20-inch wheels.
The seats further aid to the overall comfort. They are plush with enough adjustments for different body types. If optioned with the Premium Essential or Premium Enhanced packages, the front seats are also massaging with a few different programs to choose from.
Interior Space – Because the BMW iX was designed to be an electric vehicle from the start, it does not have intrusions into the cabin such as a transmission tunnel or driveshaft tube. This means that there is more space for occupants and there is a lot of it. The car is roughly the same size as the X5 but it has more space on the inside. At 6’4”, I can’t complain with the amount of space I have both in the front and in the back behind my driving position.
Behind the seats, the trunk has 1,005 L (35.5 cu-ft) of space. There is a small storage compartment beneath the floor for small items or the charging cable. And it is a thick charging cable; again, it does allow for 240V charging. Folding the rear seats is done by an electric release in the trunk or buttons to either side of the seats and they can fold 40/20/40. Cargo capacity increases to 2,205 L (77.9 cu-ft). The BMW iX does not have a frunk because the hood does not open.
Noise, Vibration, & Harshness – Like many electric cars, the BMW iX is quiet. Actually, it’s a little bit quieter than others. On highways, there’s less road noise intruding into the cabin from the tires. Wind noise is but a whisper on highways and there is no powertrain noise. As standard, the iX comes equipped with BMW IconicSounds Electric. These are electric sounds that were in part composed by Academy Award winner Hans Zimmer. These sounds really do give the iX a sense of theater and emotion as the accelerator pedal goes down and speed builds up. They don’t replace the glorious symphony of a V8 or an inline-6 but it is a step in the right direction when it comes to making EVs more exhilarating.
Odds and Ends
Pricing – The 2026 BMW iX starts at $89,900 CAD ($75,150 USD) for the iX 45. This iX 60 starts at $94,900 CAD ($88,500 USD) and this demo vehicle is equipped to the price of $123,200 CAD ($110,700 USD). The more powerful iX M70 starts at $129,900 CAD ($111,500 USD).
Gadgets – For a vehicle with a 6-figure price tag, you’d expect a lot of gadgets and this BMW iX does not disappoint. It has the usual stuff such as satellite navigation, heated seats all round, heated steering wheel, optional ventilated front seats, power liftgate, a head-up display, surround view cameras, wireless phone charging and so on.
But the iX takes things up a notch. It has panel heating which can bathe the cabin in warmth during the winter months. These radiate heat from the lower portion of the dash and the armrests. The moonroof is a fixed piece of glass but the “shade” is actually an electrochromatic transition between opaque and transparent. The car can park itself, pull out of a parking spot, and it can remember the last 200m of a forward maneuver and then proceed to reverse in that exact manner. There are also soft-close doors, a built-in dashcam, adaptive cruise control with a good lane centering system and optional is a hands-free driving system. The hands-free system works on most highways and it incorporates automatic lane changes. Best of all, the driver does not need to touch the indicator stalk to initiate the lane change. If a slower moving vehicle ahead is in the way and there’s a clear spot in the left passing lane, the iX will prompt the driver to check the left blind-zone. Once it “sees” that the driver turned their head to the left, it will automatically initiate the lane change. However, I never got it to work for the right lane changes. I had to use the indicator stalk.
Then there’s the optional Bowers & Wilkins sound system which is one of the best in any car. It has a demo mode which shows off its impressive power and it has a feature where you can literally feel the bass of a song through the seat. Personally, I found that annoying and distracting and had to turn it off but it’s a cool feature nonetheless.
Interior Design – The design of the interior is much more minimalistic than any previous BMW vehicle. It’s a bit too minimalistic for my liking. There are literally only 3 buttons on the entire dashboard for the hazards, and front & rear defog. Every other function is now built into the infotainment system.
The rest of the dashboard looks great with the curved dual screens that are mounted on thin stilts. One minor thing to note is that if you option the iX with the red or blue leather options, the dashboard reflects these colours in direct sunlight onto the windshield making it difficult to see out of the car. Something else that reflects a lot of light inside the cabin are all of the crystal controls. The seat controls on the doors and the iDrive controller on the center console shine colorful rainbows into your eyes in direct sunlight.
Sticking with the center console, it has a good design in theory. In reality, it’s a bit more cumbersome to use. The cupholders, for example, are mounted low down and make it awkward to grab cups. The cell phone holder at the very tip of the console is great for holding a smartphone. But if you live in a country where just having a cellphone within easy reach of the driver is an offense, it makes that slot useless.
Exterior Design – Ok, let’s talk about that exterior. BMW has addressed the … unique styling of the iX a little bit. Most notably, the headlights now have vertical LED daytime running lights instead of horizontal ones. The kidney grille retains its overall shape as before but it can now be illuminated and the pattern inside the grille feature vertical lines instead of the web-like design of before. To the side and back, the 2026 iX doesn’t see any changes.
Overall, the slight update to the 2026 BMW iX does make it a bit nicer to look at but it’s still not the prettiest BMW on sale today. If anything, we’ve probably grown accustomed to seeing the iX on city streets because there are so many of them.
Safety – The SUV comes with a lot of driver and safety aids. It utilizes the onboard cameras to the full extent and can not only recognize speed signs but it can automatically adjust the adaptive cruise control speed based on the sign. It can also detect wrong way signs to alert the driver and it can keep to its lane. The iX can aid the driver with evasive steering if it detects an oncoming vehicle or a vehicle in the blind zone. The only optional safety & driver aid package is the Advanced Driver Assistance Pack for $1,500 CAD ($2,550 USD).
Warranty – The 2026 BMW iX xDrive60 is covered by a 4 year / 80,000 km new vehicle warranty just like any other new BMW model. The battery pack is covered by an 8 year / 160,000 km warranty. For more information on Canadian BMW warranty, click here. For information on USA warranty information, click here.
Conclusion – In the end, the mid-cycle updates to this BMW iX keep it as one of, if not, the best luxury electric 2-row SUV on sale today. The exterior tweaks have improved its design slightly but it’s still far from being the queen of the ball. But looking past that, this is a fabulous electric SUV.
Thank you to BMW Canada for providing the vehicle. www.BMW.ca
2026 BMW iX xDrive60 Gallery
