2027 BMW iX3: The SUV Leading BMW’s Biggest Reinvention Since the ’60s
The new SUV is the first model of the crucial Neue Klasse family.
Alisa PriddleWriterManufacturerPhotographerSep 05, 2025
18 2027 BMW iX3 first look
We’ve been waiting so long to see the first of BMW’s next-generation family of vehicles—known as Neue Klasse—in production form, we could form an argument for dropping the “Neue.” But we get it: This is the future of BMW, and the 2027 iX3 electric SUV is in fact all new and all important.
BMW says this is the biggest investment in the automaker’s history, a reinvention similar to the one it undertook in the 1960s when the original Neue Klasse cars launched. The decision to move forward in every aspect—design, architecture, technology, software, and manufacturing—was made five years ago.
The 2027 BMW iX3 is just the start. The new Neue Klasse architecture will start out with EVs only, but aspects of this new vision will be adopted by 40 vehicles—SUVs, sedans, coupes, maybe even a supercar—with an assortment of powertrains by the end of 2027. In other words, Neue Klasse will touch and influence everything BMW does going forward.
First out of the gate is the luxury compact five-passenger iX3 50 xDrive, which had its global debut at the 2025 IAA Mobility auto show in Munich. Why the iX3 first? Cadence-wise, it fit the timetable, plus it competes in the biggest segment. BMW needed a big-volume, global car for this major investment.
20 2027 BMW iX3 first look
The iX3 uses the new Gen 6 platform and embodies all aspects of Neue Klasse. By comparison, the new BMW X3 coming soon will continue to ride on the CLAR platform but adopt the looks and tech of Neue Klasse. The iX3 is BMW’s first software-defined vehicle, meaning it can use over-the-air updates to fix problems and add features and functions, keeping it fresh over its lifetime with software that BMW developed itself.
Jumping Ahead in Design
The design philosophy for the Neue Klasse vehicles is that they should look like they skipped an entire generation. We’ve been teased with a steady stream of concepts including the I Vision DEE in 2023, the Vision Neue Klasse, and, last year, the Vision X SUV that was a close-to-production preview of the iX3.
Head of design Oliver Heilmer says he wanted a clean but robust exterior with few but precise lines, flush door handles, strong shoulders, and a solid stance. The new face replaces chrome with animated lighting. The vertical kidneys—a nod to the Neue Klasse models from the 1960s—are reined in compared to those of today’s BMWs and illuminated. The aerodynamic rear has new taillights to emphasize its width. Large windows and a glass roof create an airy cabin. The tow hitch telegraphs utility.
Inside the 2027 BMW iX3
We previewed an iX3 50 iDrive with a two-tone black and white interior. It has a fair amount of hard black plastic, but the armrests are softer leatherette. The dash is made from a 3D knit created using recycled plastics and old fishing nets; sustainable materials are also part of the seat upholstery. The M Sport package changes some of the materials, introducing leather trim and microsuedes. Futuristic headrests on the front seats complete the somewhat spartan, high-tech overall appearance.
The big feature is the Panoramic Vision 43.3-inch screen that reflects on the lower portion of the windshield, displaying a plethora of information and apps with crisp graphics that are visible from all seats. Widgets can be dragged and dropped to customize the screen. Or tap to remove items for a clean screen.
Functions are controlled on a cool angular center control screen that looks like a chevron pointing at the driver and is easier to see with matrix backlit technology. Persistent commands along the bottom control temperature, music, phone, navigation, and vehicle functions.
29 2027 BMW iX3 first look
The 3D head-up display integrates navigation and automated driving displays into a single view in the driver’s field of vision.
The squared-off, multifunction steering wheel has haptic controls that replace the old iDrive controller. The ones on the left side of the wheel handle driver assist functions and park assist. Functions only illuminate in front of the driver when they are available. The controls on the right are for infotainment.
Even the cupholders have been rethought, using a triangular shape to hold beverages in place. The sliding gearshift creates more space in the center console, and the design makes room for a second phone in the center console beside the charging pad.
When you start a new drive, touching the vehicle icon prompts the system to check that all systems are go—for example, that nothing is left open that shouldn’t be. My Modes changes cabin ambiance with colors and images to match the chosen theme.
2 2027 BMW iX3 first look
BMW’s Expressive Personal Assistant
The new operating system uses data from roughly 10 million BMWs on the road. There’s an avatar for the intelligent personal assistant, activated by saying, “Hey, BMW.” The BMW roundel morphs into a blue circle with big, expressive eyes and eyebrows. It looks like an amiable alien that turns to face the person addressing it, and it’s programmed to wink, blush, and more, as well as to not stare too long at anyone. The assistant is quick to respond, using Alexa tech and a male or female voice to provide directions, answer questions, and perform functions.
There are still physical buttons on the roof, door, and center console—places where people expect them. But you must use the screen to adjust the air vents.
Other legacy luxuries including a regular rearview mirror, Apple CarPlay, and Android Auto remain standard.
Second-row passengers have air vents and USB ports but no cargo pouches on the backs of the front seats. There’s a cargo net to keep things in place when the second-row seats fold flat, as well as a passthrough for skis.
A frunk offers an additional 2 cubic feet of storage, perfect to store the charging cable. Most interesting: It features an engine cover of sorts, complete with the BMW roundel, to keep the dust out.
13 2027 BMW iX3 first look
Brainiac
Key to everything is the switch to zonal architecture with four superbrains in what BMW touts as a masterpiece of engineering, where everything connects and reacts 10 times faster for a smoother and safer driving experience. It manifests itself in braking that’s not as harsh even in a sudden lane change, faster shifting, and less oversteer on curves, for example.
The Heart of Joy brain controls driving dynamics (drivetrain, brakes, energy recuperation, and steering) with a digital chassis and a mission to provide ultimate agility and smoother stops with precise control of the motors so there’s virtually no friction braking and increased efficiency with brake regeneration including one-pedal drive.
A second superbrain controls the advanced driver assist functions and is said to be 20 times faster than those found in previous BMW models for a more seamless transition, so that even when the vehicle is helping out, it feels natural. It also means automated parking is quick so the car behind you doesn’t start impatiently honking.
The other superbrains control infotainment and basic comfort functions.
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New Drivetrain, More Range
A new and lighter sixth-generation eDrive powertrain makes its debut, too. In the iX3, output is 470 horsepower and 475 lb-ft of torque, giving it a claimed 0–60-mph time of less than 4.9 seconds and a top speed of 130 mph. The drivetrain can shift torque to the rear axle to accelerate more crisply out of curves. Single-motor models put the motor in the rear, but every iX3 in the U.S. will be all-wheel drive. The architecture can run up to four motors, which would work well for an M performance variant in the future.
The new cylindrical battery cells are 20 percent denser and combine for a lower-cost, more energy-rich battery pack, size for size. There’s a slight increase in weight, but the new chemistry provides up to 400 miles of range.
The 50 XDrive will have a 108-kWh battery that serves as the vehicle’s floor, reducing components, weight, and cost while improving structural integrity, lowering the roofline, and increasing aerodynamics. There will be different battery sizes for different trims. The goal is to maximize range in all conditions with active grille vents that shut at speed, optional aerodynamic performance wheels in all sizes, and air curtains to manage airflow around the wheels and wheel arches. The iX3 has a stated coefficient of drag of 0.24.
45 2027 BMW iX3 first look
The new architecture is 800-volt, giving the iX3 a 400-kW charging rate. BMW says it charges three times faster and can add 217 miles of range in 10 minutes and top up from 10 to 80 percent in 21 minutes. The vehicles can use both 400- and 800-volt chargers; an internal switch adjusts on the fly so the iX3, which comes with a NACS port, can use the 400-volt Tesla Supercharger network.
Route planning factors in the specifics of the car and battery preconditioning, the drive mode chosen—Eco mode and coaching can increase range by 10 percent—and the particulars of the chargers en route to pick the fastest place to stop and juice up based on BMW’s own data. It provides information on the charger with pictures and ratings and nearby amenities. The car uses AI to accurately locate the chargers—many mapping systems are notoriously off in their calculations of location and charging rates.
The SUV has an intelligent charging flap that opens automatically when you get out of the car at the designated charging station. If you did not use navigation, the flap will open when it sees you walking toward it. There’s a manual button, as well.
The iX3 also has bidirectional charging, which allows you to use your car to power your home or up to three devices. In Europe, it allows owners to send power to the grid to earn money back.
9 2027 BMW iX3 first look
When Can I Get a BMW iX3?
Production begins this fall at the new Debrecen plant in Hungary, with volume ramping up in 2026. The iX3 launches first in Europe in March with a starting price of €68,900, which translates to about $80,200. That, however, will not be the price when it arrives in the U.S. in the summer of 2026; we understand our version will open at about $60,000. China will get a local version of the vehicle next year, as well.
BMW says more variants will follow starting next year, including an entry-level model for Europe starting at €60,000 (almost $70,000).
Plans are to build Neue Klasse models for North America in Spartanburg and Mexico by 2027. Spartanburg will build its first EV in late 2026, but BMW is not saying which model it will be. By the end of 2030, BMW intends to be producing six EVs in the U.S.
March 2026 (Europe); summer 2026 (North America)
Alisa Priddle
Alisa Priddle joined MotorTrend in 2016 as the Detroit Editor. A Canadian, she received her Bachelor of Journalism degree from Carleton University in Ottawa, Ontario, and has been a reporter for 40 years, most of it covering the auto industry because there is no more fascinating arena to cover. It has it all: the vehicles, the people, the plants, the competition, the drama. Alisa has had a wonderfully varied work history as a reporter for four daily newspapers including the Detroit Free Press where she was auto editor, and the Detroit News where she covered the GM and Chrysler bankruptcies, as well as auto trade publication Wards, and two enthusiast magazines: Car & Driver and now MotorTrend. At MotorTrend Alisa is a judge for the MotorTrend Car, Truck, SUV and Person of the Year. She loves seeing a new model for the first time, driving it for the first time, and grilling executives for the stories behind them. In her spare time, she loves to swim, boat, sauna, and then jump into a cold lake or pile of snow.
