Honest review of BMW IX M50

[Dirty Dog]

A little long but what else do I have to do except write on a Tesla forum to strangers

Waiting for my Model S for about 9 months, no rush hoping they have a real wheel option before I get it. Drove my friends plaid several times, not a hater, just like a wheel for tight spaces. A little background, I'm 50, I have a 2018 M3LR and a 2020 MYLR. Past - 3 Toyota Landruisers, Lexus Rx, Mercedes 300E, Genesis, VW SUV, 2 - Porsche 911's, Driven my dads BMW 440 many times.

The BMW IX M50 SUV is very comfortable. The seats are great. The visibility is very good. There are a few cool features. The roof is very cool how you can hit a button and fog it. The proclaimed self healing scratch front grill (if it works). The screen is very nice, but almost too much going on. The parking system with all of the views and the back up images are amazing!! I went over some train tracks and it took them very well. Quiet cabin, but loud motors, which I will revist later. The back of the car is extremely ugly. If it didn't have a BMW badge is looks like a Mitsubishi trick from the 90's. I don't get that. The front is okay, but the regular BMW X is much better looking.

So if your looking for a BMW truck basically, this is for you with one caveat. It doesn't drive like a BMW truck. No where close to a gas X5

The drive, experience, etc

The forward / reverse etc was very easy to use and driver friendly.The front of the SUV feels very loose. Like a Ford Explorer I would rent to go skiing from like 5 years ago. The car actually felt like it was floating. I couldn't understand the set up. The accelerator (gas pedal) and brake driving, I felt like I was taking out my flip phone. I had this didn't we move on from this driving? It felt very old and dated. When you step on the accelerator (gas pedal), it moves, but at the same time feels like it is struggling to get the power. Then the engine was kind of loud on top of it. Maybe it's not enough power for the weight. It is no where the same feeling as my M3LR or MYLR. Besides the cushion suspension, it is not a great experience. You do not have that Tesla excitement when you step on the pedal and that whoosh feeling. The one pedal driving is a much better experience(IMO). With the Tesla, you almost feel like you are vacuumed to the road, here I felt I was ready to dock my boat at a restaurant.

If I were to sum up the experience.

Beautiful truck inside and great space. Outside is objectional but I think it's a big miss. BMW makes good looking cars/suv's, I don't get this boxy look.
Also, to me BMW is known for handling, and here it is awful.

Here is "my bottom line opinion" of the IX -Tesla comparision.

The BMW IX feels like a regular gas powered SUV but they put an underpowered electric engine in it.

The Tesla is an entirely different experience. It was built as an electric car and feels futuristic.

I would bet, if you put someone in this BMW suv that never drove a Tesla and didn't tell them it was electric, they would never know it was electric.

Where as if they drove the Tesla they would be blown away by how it drives.


Additional information.

They want $10,000 Premium Service Fee over sticker for the car. A loaded IXM50 all in with tax was $112k (with the Premium Fee of course and the lease was $4500 down $2000 per month!!! 3yrs/12k miles per

 

[Dirty Dog]

A little long but what else do I have to do except write on a Tesla forum to strangers

Waiting for my Model S for about 9 months, no rush hoping they have a real wheel option before I get it. Drove my friends plaid several times, not a hater, just like a wheel for tight spaces. A little background, I'm 50, I have a 2018 M3LR and a 2020 MYLR. Past - 3 Toyota Landruisers, Lexus Rx, Mercedes 300E, Genesis, VW SUV, 2 - Porsche 911's, Driven my dads BMW 440 many times.

The BMW IX M50 SUV is very comfortable. The seats are great. The visibility is very good. There are a few cool features. The roof is very cool how you can hit a button and fog it. The proclaimed self healing scratch front grill (if it works). The screen is very nice, but almost too much going on. The parking system with all of the views and the back up images are amazing!! I went over some train tracks and it took them very well. Quiet cabin, but loud motors, which I will revist later. The back of the car is extremely ugly. If it didn't have a BMW badge is looks like a Mitsubishi trick from the 90's. I don't get that. The front is okay, but the regular BMW X is much better looking.

So if your looking for a BMW truck basically, this is for you with one caveat. It doesn't drive like a BMW truck. No where close to a gas X5

The drive, experience, etc

The forward / reverse etc was very easy to use and driver friendly.The front of the SUV feels very loose. Like a Ford Explorer I would rent to go skiing from like 5 years ago. The car actually felt like it was floating. I couldn't understand the set up. The accelerator (gas pedal) and brake driving, I felt like I was taking out my flip phone. I had this didn't we move on from this driving? It felt very old and dated. When you step on the accelerator (gas pedal), it moves, but at the same time feels like it is struggling to get the power. Then the engine was kind of loud on top of it. Maybe it's not enough power for the weight. It is no where the same feeling as my M3LR or MYLR. Besides the cushion suspension, it is not a great experience. You do not have that Tesla excitement when you step on the pedal and that whoosh feeling. The one pedal driving is a much better experience(IMO). With the Tesla, you almost feel like you are vacuumed to the road, here I felt I was ready to dock my boat at a restaurant.

If I were to sum up the experience.

Beautiful truck inside and great space. Outside is objectional but I think it's a big miss. BMW makes good looking cars/suv's, I don't get this boxy look.
Also, to me BMW is known for handling, and here it is awful.

Here is "my bottom line opinion" of the IX -Tesla comparision.

The BMW IX feels like a regular gas powered SUV but they put an underpowered electric engine in it.

The Tesla is an entirely different experience. It was built as an electric car and feels futuristic.

I would bet, if you put someone in this BMW suv that never drove a Tesla and didn't tell them it was electric, they would never know it was electric.

Where as if they drove the Tesla they would be blown away by how it drives.


Additional information.

They want $10,000 Premium Service Fee over sticker for the car. A loaded IXM50 all in with tax was $112k (with the Premium Fee of course and the lease was $4500 down $2000 per month!!! 3yrs/12k miles per

Very important part of the story that I left out. They also had an I4 Car, but it wouldn't drive because it had a software update they couldn't figure out how to update. I asked if they could do it over the air and they said they could not and were waiting for someone to do it manually. Not a good sign for many reasons.

 

[Kandiru]

The hideous quad exhaust faux cutouts on the i4 M50 sedan also shows how stuck in the past BMW is.

 

[mangrove79]

The hideous quad exhaust faux cutouts on the i4 M50 sedan also shows how stuck in the past BMW is.

Tradition is a heavy burden to bear. I think it's the same reason Ford decided to attach the Mustang brand to the Mach E, even though it looks, sounds, and feels nothing like a Mustang. They try to appeal to the aesthetics of the old-fashioned rather than forward-looking to the younger generations.

 

[Dirty Dog]

Tradition is a heavy burden to bear. I think it's the same reason Ford decided to attach the Mustang brand to the Mach E, even though it looks, sounds, and feels nothing like a Mustang. They try to appeal to the aesthetics of the old-fashioned rather than forward-looking to the younger generations.

It’s all marketing

 

[Jabbahop]

thank you for taking the time to write this up. Very helpful.

 

[Dirty Dog]

thank you for taking the time to write this up. Very helpful.

You're welcome. I'm driving myself nuts deciding if I should take the MSLR I have on order. Love my M3LR, but the yoke and gear shifters are making me hesitate. But also want a different experience because I love Tesla's. Wow, I sound like an idiot, these aren't real problems. Lol

 

[strider]

Would be interested to hear if the M60 solves the underpowered problem.

 

[Venom21]

I don't understand how 0-60 under 5.0sec is slow. Maybe you've had your brain warped by Tesla or just had it in efficient mode, but the IX is plenty fast enough for its intended purpose. We don't need 6000 pound SUVs with supercar acceleration.

 

[Kiomon]

I had a very different experience in a iX 50. I felt the power was excellent. Is it possible you were in the Eco mode. The modes on the car change it dramatically. Even more so than Tesla Chill mode vs Sport. In the sport mode, it felt every bit as quick as my 2020 Model X LR+. Also, the way that BMW biases toward the rear axle, the acceleration feels dramatic. The interior is one of the quietest in any car. Car and Driver just confirmed this. Its incredibly quiet inside. The motor sounds you heard are synthesized and customizable. Its possible they turned them up in your car maybe.

Its so odd because I loved the car. I had one on order, and almost decided to give up my Model X Plaid reservation for it. The tech in the BMW (e.g. heads up display, curved screen, roof) and the amazing interior build were winners for me. The only negatives I had on the BMW were no frunk (lazy engineering), smaller cargo space with the seats up. I personally loved the styling.

But ultimately i ended up taking delivery of my Model X Plaid two days ago. The BMW dealer didn't want to give me as much on my trade, and I was walking into equity in the Model X Plaid purchase. But I am definitely going to keep watching the iX evolve over the years. I think BMW has a winner on their hands.

Also you definitely dont need to pay over sticker for the iX. You can find customer canceled orders out there at MSRP and take delivery in a matter of weeks.

OP, I totally respect your experience, but also wanted to provide another data point. I think you got a baby copy for sure, or one that was set in a customized mode.

 

[Dirty Dog]

I had a very different experience in a iX 50. I felt the power was excellent. Is it possible you were in the Eco mode. The modes on the car change it dramatically. Even more so than Tesla Chill mode vs Sport. In the sport mode, it felt every bit as quick as my 2020 Model X LR+. Also, the way that BMW biases toward the rear axle, the acceleration feels dramatic. The interior is one of the quietest in any car. Car and Driver just confirmed this. Its incredibly quiet inside. The motor sounds you heard are synthesized and customizable. Its possible they turned them up in your car maybe.

Its so odd because I loved the car. I had one on order, and almost decided to give up my Model X Plaid reservation for it. The tech in the BMW (e.g. heads up display, curved screen, roof) and the amazing interior build were winners for me. The only negatives I had on the BMW were no frunk (lazy engineering), smaller cargo space with the seats up. I personally loved the styling.

But ultimately i ended up taking delivery of my Model X Plaid two days ago. The BMW dealer didn't want to give me as much on my trade, and I was walking into equity in the Model X Plaid purchase. But I am definitely going to keep watching the iX evolve over the years. I think BMW has a winner on their hands.

Also you definitely dont need to pay over sticker for the iX. You can find customer canceled orders out there at MSRP and take delivery in a matter of weeks.

OP, I totally respect your experience, but also wanted to provide another data point. I think you got a baby copy for sure, or one that was set in a customized mode.

Your assessment is fair as well. I went there wanting to like it. I’ll put it like this, I just felt like it was a BMW , Tesla feels like a different experience. It’s like I phone and Android both work so similar but to me who was an android user until this year, iPhone just feels right and better. Neither of us are right just opinions.

 

[BMWY]

Also keep in mind this is not the M or even the "M-lite" version of the car. The iX M60 will be the M-lite version and I'm sure will blow the doors off of most anything out there.

 

[waittoolong]

I test drove IX50 a while back and really liked IX:
1. front looks better when in person, and totally fine for me.
2. interior is better than any Tesla. This could be personal preference.
3. very fast, driving experience is very good. Driving wise I like IX better comparing to Tesla.
4. it has more autopilot features than Tesla autopilot; but Tesla FSD is probably better.
5. BMW has always been falling behind on software front, Tesla beats it by a mile.
6. Charging: long distance might be challenging until Elon allows non-Tesla to use Super Charger. EA and other networks have less charging points.

As a long time lux sports car manufacturer, BMW definitely added some success facts into their EV. IX is well made.

I probably will purchase 2nd or 3rd iteration of IX. Very promising EV.

 

[advocate8]

I found the iX a much better-made car than, say the Y, in many, many ways though it felt a tad heavy.
If it weight 500 less and ... had an even faintly comparable charging network it would be great. Its def the best competitor out there with possible exception of the porches which I haven’t driven.