CES 2022: BMW presents iX M60

And yet another automotive news from the floor of this year’s CES. BMW has unveiled its iX M60, a massive SUV with an electric motor. The sight of the “battleship” makes it clear that the Bavarian engine works apparently want to stick to the motto “more is more”.

Impressive Performance Edition

Anyone who knows a little about BMW’s vehicle lineup will certainly be familiar with the additional letter “M”. These are the sports versions of the respective cars. With the iX M60, the traditional German company doesn’t seem to do things by halves. This is reflected above all in the sheer size. But it is not only the dimensions of the electric car that seem to be over the top. A look at the published spec sheet also makes for big eyes.

This already starts with the maximum power that the road tank should be able to deliver. A proud 455 kW of maximum power is supposed to ensure that the E-SUV can pull off impressive sprints. Even apart from this sprint function, which is limited to ten seconds, the system output of 397 kW makes the hearts of E-SUV fans beat faster. The “normal” iX xDrive50, on the other hand, “only” manages a maximum of 385 kW with its boost function.

Torque in the four-digit range

The power may already be impressive. But if you take a look at the torque, this downright declasses many other vehicles. According to the preliminary data sheet, for example, the iX M60 manages 1,015 Nm and 619 hp. When the sprint function is activated, the torque even rises to 1,100 Nm. The Bavarian carmaker has yet to put anything comparable on its feet or wheels. If you compare the torque with the iX xDrive50, the colossal difference seems almost laughable. The latter achieves just 765 Nm. While laymen can’t do much with numbers like kW and Nm, the acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h is a comprehensible value for everyone.

And here, too, BMW is not spilling the beans, but making a huge splash. According to the manufacturer, it takes just 3.8 seconds to accelerate the massive vehicle, which weighs almost 2.5 tons, from 0 to 100. Fans of high speeds will be pleased that BMW has decided to limit acceleration to 250 km/h in its M-performance battleship. The iX Drive50 already stops at 200 km/h. Even though these are not final data, it can be assumed that they at least come close to reality. In this case, there should be a gigantic performance beast coming our way, but its suitability for everyday use must be questioned.

BMW promises energy-efficient battery

For drivers of an electric car, the endurance of the installed battery usually plays a bigger role than performance. BMW itself describes its iX M60 as an economical vehicle. The battery of the E-SUV has a size of a proud 111.5 kWh. Under normal circumstances, this should be enough for a distance of 566 km, according to the Bavarian engine works. And this is where the xDrive50 comes out on top for the first time. BMW’s somewhat smaller e-SUV namely shines with a maximum range of 631 km. Compared to the Mercedes study also presented at CES 2022 (we reported), however, both values seem laughable. After all, the Vision EQXX is supposed to be able to last more than 1,000 km on just one battery charge. However, the racecar-look e-car also weighs just under a ton less than the M60.

Also fast at the charging station

The short range of an electric car can easily be compensated for with a fast charging process. After all, temporarily plugging into a charging station is a found way to take a quick coffee break. Accordingly, BMW has apparently focused on making the M60 a very fast charger. At least the spec sheet already reads promising in this regard. It should be possible to charge the e-SUV with up to 200 kW. By comparison, the current Model S has a maximum charging power of 135 kW. The high charging power should result in a correspondingly short charging time.

For example, it should be possible to charge the giant e-SUV from 10% to 80% battery capacity in just over half an hour. According to BMW, if you ever need to go fast, you should be able to benefit from the fast charging function. Thus, it is ideally possible to provide for 150 more driving kilometers within ten minutes. Despite the high charging power, the German car manufacturer wants to rely on a maximum of 11 kW at a charging station with alternating current. This is a bit surprising. In view of the charging columns with 22 kW available in many places, it would in fact be advisable for BMW to increase to 22 kW.

Pure luxury in the interior

As befits an M package, BMW does not do things by halves when it comes to the interior of the iX M60. So you should not only be able to enjoy the highest quality materials and a chic design here. On top of that, there doesn’t seem to be a fly in the ointment in terms of technology.

The infotainment looks wonderfully modern and the assistance systems also seem to leave nothing to be desired. In particular, BMW emphasizes the capabilities of the installed sensors. These should not only provide a lot of safety and overview. On top of that, BMW wants to enable autonomous driving with them. However, only on level 3.

Price and availability

So, now please sit down if you can’t handle big numbers. That’s because the iX M60 is anything but a bargain. The starting price of the road-legal tank is said to be 130,200 euros. Depending on the equipment requirements, there is certainly still a lot of room for improvement. The exclusive E-SUV from BMW is scheduled to be launched in June. We assume that the traditional Bavarian company does not necessarily have the German market in mind, but also clearly wants to pounce on SUV fans in the US. Since Tesla is still waiting with its Cybertruck, there is a huge demand on the other side of the pond that wants to be met. We are curious whether BMW will succeed with its high-priced SUV.