Who says BMW iX3 is only suitable for cities? This time we drove it into the deep mountains and forests

Does everyone dare not even think about driving electric cars into the mountains?

We did it this time.

Driving off the highway, running on the national highway, in the magical ecology of southern Qiannan, people will not help being full of awe of nature. In this southwest, known for its diversity of terrain, culture, flora and fauna, even 4G signals are difficult to search.

But BMW iX3's agile steering, clear sense of road, and on-call motivation all gave me great confidence to walk on the edge of the cliff-if I was driving those soft "big boats", I might Really will be scared.

Yes, on the first day of my trip to Qiannan, I was accompanied by this new BMW iX3 powered by pure electric power.

Drive electric cars into the mountains

You may be wondering, is this new product of the pure electric era really suitable for mountainous areas?

At first, I also had some doubts about the 500km endurance of this new iX3. In the spirit of "Follow him, I don't need to charge it anyway" and set off.

But the final result proved that my worries were superfluous-I ran for a day from morning to night, and in the end I still had a cruising range of 32 kilometers. This 500 kilometers is not "virtual".

During the period, a BMW Elite Driving Trainer who accompanied the team asked me: Do you know why BMW only has a cruising range of 500 kilometers?

Different from other manufacturers' practice of squeezing space in the battery compartment, BMW believes that 500 kilometers of battery life is a "sweet spot" of electric vehicles, which can fully meet the daily needs of users. Compared with longer battery life, BMW is more Concerned about the other two points: safety and handling.

Let me talk about security first. BMW added an insulating coat to each cell through a spraying process, and a layer of insulating film was added between the two cells, and the distance between each cell was increased by an isolation pad to ensure the cell There will be no risk of heat accumulation and short circuit. At the same time, BMW also left enough room for crumples around the battery, effectively avoiding safety problems caused by collisions.

On the other hand, the restraint of the cruising range also means that the weight of the car is effectively controlled. With the lowest possible battery layout, the iX3 also brings us an excellent handling experience in its class.

Uphill and downhill are not the same wonderful

Talking about control, just running on the national road is not enough.

In the planned route, there is such a small road built against the mountain, and the new iX3 will give full play to its handling performance on this road.

The new iX3 is equipped with the fifth-generation BMW eDrive electric drive technology. The data of 281 horsepower and 400N·m are the confidence to go up the mountain. No matter how steep the slope is, the power is available as soon as you step on it. There is no roar of internal combustion engine, and no throttle. Lag, this lightness and calmness is difficult to experience on a fuel vehicle.

In terms of acceleration experience, although the 6.8 seconds of acceleration time of 100 kilometers is not outstanding among trams, it is also a good result for this B-class SUV.

At the same time, the harder suspension also provides better lateral support and road information on mountain roads. Not only does it perform well on paved roads, but also on gravel roads, the stones under your feet are also distinct.

After half an hour, we successfully climbed to the top. On the cliff at 1,600 meters above sea level, I finally had time to take a good look at this iX3.

The biggest difference in appearance between iX3 and X3 lies in its grille and wheels.

Although this is a tram, BMW has retained the "kidney grille" in a new way. Whenever this tension-filled front face appears in your rearview mirror, you can recognize it as a BMW at a glance.

At the same time, the blue elements in many parts of the body are ready to come out, highlighting the pure electric core of the "i" logo on the front of the car. The new 20-inch aerodynamic wheel has a sharp shape, which not only highlights the iX3's robust sporty style, but also effectively reduces the drag coefficient.

At noon, after the meal, we drove down the mountain. The coach reminded us that we can put the gear into B gear to better recover kinetic energy.

In addition to the original P, R, N, and D gears, BMW has added a B gear to the iX3. After being engaged in this gear, BMW will adjust the energy recovery level to the highest. If you suddenly release the accelerator pedal while driving, you will obviously feel that the vehicle is decelerating until the vehicle stops.

Yes, this is the same as Tesla's "hold" mode, which is the "single pedal mode" among many people.

Many people sneered at the logic of this operation, but the simple operation of "depress the pedal to accelerate, release the pedal to decelerate" did reduce the frequency of switching between the acceleration/brake pedal of the right foot, and let me go down the mountain. A lot easier.

Another surprise is that after coming down from the mountain, this iX3's apparent cruising range has increased by 30 kilometers.

This kind of feeling is like: When you were a kid, you spent a dollar to buy snacks, and after touching it for a long time, you found that there was 5 hairs in your pocket.

Saying goodbye to the mountains, the convoy returned to the national highway, rainy Guizhou, the entire tunnel was foggy.

At this time, the coach reminded us: "On the left side of the steering wheel, there are three rows of buttons. Press the button in the middle of the third row to activate the automatic driving assistance system Pro, which is very convenient for following the car."

From the actual experience, BMW's autonomous driving assistance system Pro has a very high degree of completion, but its experience is not much different from other assisted driving systems.

For this system, the only thing I am not satisfied with is its collision prevention.

This is a lane change to the left. I confirmed the safety of the rear left (there is a car, but the distance is not close, and it is not approaching) through the rearview mirror, so I turned on the turn signal and started to change lanes. But at this time, the steering wheel suddenly had its own thoughts and dragged me back into the driveway. I knew that this was the active safety system.

In the follow-up exchanges with other media, a colleague also said that he encountered the same situation as me, and finally we reached a consensus to turn off this function when driving.

iX3 is so good, how should X3 be positioned?

This question has to be opened before I know it. It's all in the mountains. How can you not be unrestrained?

This is a new X3 xDrive30i premium model. You can understand it by looking at the front face. We drove it for a while.

Like iX3, the new X3 equipped with a 2.0T inline four-cylinder turbocharged engine also has 6.8 seconds of acceleration to 100 kilometers, and what impressed me the most is that the matching 8AT gearbox is very active in downshifting. Respond quickly when you step on the accelerator deeply.

Of course, these characteristics are not worth talking about in the face of the pure electric drive iX3, but the above four-wheel drive system is different.

I believe everyone is already familiar with this xDrive intelligent all-wheel drive system. It is one of its major functions to distribute power flexibly and smoothly between the front and rear axles.

BMW Development Director Frank Weber once said in an interview that the key to the electrification of cars is not when the internal combustion engine will end. "The overnight transition is meaningless. It must be ensured that this transition can be played out. Perfect function."

X3 proves that iX3 is not an all-rounder at present. Before the latter "grows up", the former must ensure that BMW's electrification transition will not affect every consumer's travel.

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