A year on from the launch of the BMW iX in Malaysia, the electric SUV is now available in a more powerful version, the xDrive50 Sport. This variant looks almost exactly the same as the xDrive40 Sport but offers greater performance and range…with a steep price hike to match.
BMW iX xDrive50 Malaysia pricing and availability
How steep, you ask? Well, the iX starts at RM403,800 for the xDrive40, but the xDrive50 Sport is a whopping RM143,000 more expensive at RM546,800 on-the-road without insurance. That’s RM99,000 pricier than even the mid-spec xDrive40 Sport, which comes with less power and range but an almost identical level of standard equipment.
Included in the price is a five-year, unlimited-mileage warranty, an eight-year/160,000km battery warranty and a six-year service package. The warranty and service package is an option that costs RM18,370, meaning that the xDrive50 Sport can be had at RM528,430 with the standard two-year warranty. A wallbox charger is not included in the price; you can purchase an 11kW BMW i unit for RM4,556.
44% more power, 48% longer range
Like all iXs, the xDrive50 is powered by an electric motor on the front and rear axle to provide all-wheel drive. Here, however, the power output has been boosted by 144hp to 516hp, while peak torque has been bumped up by 135Nm to 765Nm. This trims a second and a half off the zero-to-100km/h acceleration time, which is now completed in just 4.6 seconds; the top speed remains electronically limited to 200km/h.
The addition of a larger 111.5kWh lithium-ion battery—up from 76.6kW in the xDrive40—also sees the range being increased by an impressive 205km to 630km. Despite the 46% jump in capacity, the much higher 195kW DC fast charging support means that charging the xDrive50 from 10 to 80% takes only marginally longer at 35 minutes. On the flip side, a full charge from an 11kW AC charger takes three hours longer at around 11 hours.
No extra kit for the money
It should be noted that the significantly higher price buys you only a faster car with a longer range, not a better-equipped one. The Sport trim on the xDrive50 is practically identical to the one on the xDrive40, incorporating a more aggressive X-shaped front bumper, a prominent body-coloured diffuser and gloss black exterior trim.
The 22-inch Style 1021 alloy wheels are also very similar to the xDrive40’s Style 1020 rollers, albeit in a different two-tone finish. The only surefire way to tell the xDrive50 apart is the Titanium Bronze window and door mirror trim. Interior accoutrements are also the same and include leather upholstery, gold interior trim, sustainable wood veneer on the centre console and a crystal iDrive rotary controller.
To be fair, the xDrive40 Sport is already very well equipped. Standard kit carried over from that car includes Laserlight headlamps, keyless entry, push-button start, four-zone automatic air-conditioning, power-adjustable front seats with driver’s side memory, a Sky Lounge panoramic glass roof with electrochromic tinting, a Qi wireless charger and a hands-free powered tailgate.
In terms of infotainment, the xDrive50 continues to come with the BMW Live Cockpit Professional system, consisting of a 12.3-inch instrument display and a 14.9-inch centre touchscreen—both housed on a curved widescreen display panel. It runs on the latest BMW Operating System 8 and, in line with BMW Malaysia’s announcement today, comes with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as standard. It also pipes music through an 18-speaker, 655-watt Harman Kardon sound system.
Safety-wise, the iX xDrive50 is fitted with the Driving Assistant Professional package, adding evasive steering assist, adaptive cruise control with stop and go and lane centring assist to provide Level 2 semi-autonomous driving capabilities. It also comes as standard with autonomous emergency braking, blind spot monitoring, rear cross traffic alert and high beam assist.
Also standard is the Parking Assistant Plus package, which throws in automated parallel and perpendicular parking and a 360-degree camera system with a remote 3D viewing function via a smartphone app.
