[silent ninja]

I was surprised to learn the X1 has more headroom and legroom than the X3. Shoulder room is only 0.8 inches better on the X3 so not significant. Boot/cargo space in the iX1 is 490 litres vs iX3 510 litres so a bit more daylight between the two on that front.

With the new iX1 coming out and predicted to have better internal dimensions - I haven't seen the official numbers - I'm questioning whether buying the iX3 is a good choice. Rear space is really important to me with 3 kids. The price difference is also massive. I could buy the iX1, get a bigger car (minus the boot) and save a packet.

https://www.bmwofstratham.com/bmw-x1...3-stratham-nh/
https://vehicleanswers.com/bmw-x1-vs-x3/

Am I missing something?

[stefan9107]

Hard to say without really seeing one fully in the flesh. Shoulder room is what it is but headroom isn't split front and rear in that comparison so you might just find the front seats sit lower/don't go up as high depending on how they take the measurement. But as you said its rear room you are more interested in... although again this will vary depending on seating position. Yes, there is more room in that comparison, but you don't know where you seat is specifically going to be positioned. Your more comfortable driving position in the X3 might give you more legroom behind than in the X1 or vice versa. Depends on steering wheel/pedal position and seat height. Just something to think about so I'd make sure you look at both closely in the dealership and get the seat to where you would have it.

The X1 is a brand new model rather than just a simple facelift right? So my suspicion is that the new X3 when it arrives will then pork up to make it stand out as the bigger option and/or be re-designed with EV's more in mind. The iX3, as nice as it is, is a bit of a bodge where they've built the EV systems around the original designs that didn't really have it in mind. Whereas the iX1 would have had EV incorporated into the original designs.

Another thing to factor in as well is that the iX1 is all wheel drive where the iX3 isn't and has a touch more power. So if it's your thing, iX1's will be leaving iX3's in the dust. However this will come at the cost of range. The iX3's trump card more than anything else over the iX1 is the battery. It's got an extra 12kW which if you consider most are averaging 3-3.5 miles per kW will buy you an extra 36-42 miles (the iX1 is lighter so might bring those numbers down).

Not sure about quality levels either. Historically the further you go up the range the nicer the materials used inside but without watching some reviews I'm none the wiser to this in the iX1 vs 3. Again, it might be on par with the new X3 taking that one up another notch.

Finally, there is also spec level. Cars lower in the range come with less as standard but this will be very highly dependant on what you want and care about. As an example though, an iX1 spec'd up to the same level as my iX3 is £61,750. Still a decent discount of about £3,250 but brings it a lot closer than the starting price would otherwise suggest.

[sahajesh]

May or may not be a concern but iX1 has iDrive 8 but no rotary controller.

Most reviews I have seen say it suffers for the lack of rotary controller, plus the loss of HVAC and shortcut buttons that is normal for iD8.

Only you can decide if these are factors one way or the other.

[Gnillab]

Is the iX1 cheaper in the UK?

Over here it's more expensive, specced like for like.

It's also a FWD base vehicle based on the cheaper UKL platform.

I'm not saying it's a bad purchase, but it's not going to be in the league of the iX3 in terms of quality and comfort.

The range looks a little disappointing imo. I expect newer vehicles to have more range, not less.

[stefan9107]

Originally Posted by Gnillab

Is the iX1 cheaper in the UK?

Over here it's more expensive, specced like for like.

It's also a FWD base vehicle based on the cheaper UKL platform.

I'm not saying it's a bad purchase, but it's not going to be in the league of the iX3 in terms of quality and comfort.

The range looks a little disappointing imo. I expect newer vehicles to have more range, not less.

Specced like for like its about £3-4k cheaper in the UK (compared to the M Sport Pro).

It's slightly more powerful, all wheel drive and lighter than the iX3 so should feel quicker and more nimble. After responding the OP I found myself interested and did some reading and youtubing. From what I saw it seems to be a bit of a mixed bag. The ride is a bit harsh according to most but they had differing tolerances for it with some saying it was too harsh. A couple said it didn't drive as well as the iX3 surprisingly (maybe because of AWD understeer?), whilst a couple others said it drives like a little hot hatch (I doubt this a little bit other than straight line speed). Interior is meant to be pretty good quality wise but as Sahajesh said the iDrive system has lost the rotary dials and buttons which is a big minus from me and most of the reviewers.

For reference whatcar gave the iX1 3/5 and the iX3 5/5 (both reviewed by the same person as well), Top Gear 7/10 same as iX3, Car 4/5... you get the idea.

I think the gist of it is if you don't need yours specced up with all the bells and whistles, don't mind no controlling buttons and don't mind a firmer ride, it might be worth a lot as an alternative. But I'd highly recommend trying both before making a decision.

[Gnillab]

Originally Posted by stefan9107

A couple said it didn't drive as well as the iX3 surprisingly (maybe because of AWD understeer?)

The UKL xDrive cars don't really handle differently than their FWD counterparts.

Which is to say they drive fine, but aren't to be confused with xDrive in a RWD base BMW.

For my own personal preference, I would much rather have regular RWD than FWD based AWD.

A big benefit I do see of the iX1 is better options for an individual build.

I would probably have traded a few of the extras in the iX3 for something else, had I had the option.
And I would most definitely have picked a different color.

[sahajesh]

I sat in the iX1 and the first thing that put me off was the missing armrest storage area.

There’s a tiny storage area under the armrest (phone or ID badge only) and then a huge gap with a shallow storage tray at the bottom

Anything you would normally store in the armrest storage would likely go in the door pockets causing them to overflow/be messy.

That area looks cheap as a result.

The only good thing I saw was the wireless charge pad is at a sensible angle and can be reached even with drinks in the cupholders, plus there was a nice restraint to keep your phone in place.

[GaSelle]

The only benefit I see in the iX1 is, that it comes in San Remo Green - my favorite color

I haven´t tried the iX1, but the new X1. It doesn´t seem roomier to me (202cm) and I´m not sold on the iDrive 8 "all touch no wheel" idea. But it looks good.

As told further above it will be more expensive when spec´ed as the iX3; at least over here.

[verysideways]

I've been running an iX3 since April and i've been very impressed with it, but it's not the car i ordered. I ordered an i3S but there was a problem and so i ended up with this iX3 M Sport.

It's a great car but i do miss some of the items in M Sport Pro trim - though not enough to order one of those to replace this car.

I have now ordered an iX1 though, and it will have the spec i want which takes it close to M Sport Pro, but without the driver assistance stuff that i don't want, as a result it's coming in at almost £8k cheaper than an equivalent M Sport Pro (£59k versus £66,700).

That's not a light spec, it will have HK, comfort access, pan roof, towbar, heated memory seats and steering wheel and so on.

Admittedly i haven't driven the new U11 platform but i have driven a variety of Mini's and the previous gen 2 series Active Tourer and whilst i'm not a huge fan of fwd i couldn't help but be impressed by how well those cars drove. Even the 3 cylinder 218i Active Tourer was genuinely fun to drive (if a little underpowered).

As per the original post, i found the interior of the new X1 to feel every bit as spacious as my iX3, but the outside of the car is noticeably smaller. Where i live, with tight country lanes, that smaller external footprint is useful.

I'm also looking forward to the improved performance (60mph coming up in 5.6 instead of 6.8, combined with 4wd for inclement conditions) and the range reduction isn't of concern to me.

The i3S in winter seems to use more range than the miles it covers (a 60 mile journey takes 90 miles of range) whereas the iX3 seems to do the opposite (the same 60 mile journey takes less than 40 miles out of my range). I'm hoping the gen 5 battery management in the new iX1, along with the 200kg weight reduction compared to the iX3, means that the real world range difference should be negligible for my use case.

Sorry for the long post, just wanted to provide another perspective.

[Mogwai888]

I may be wrong, but shouldn’t the AWD iX1 with EV powertrain drive differently to an X1 xdrive as it has dual motor set up rather than a haldex front drive bias?

Be interested to hear how you get on with the iX1 Verysideways but I think it could be quite a compelling package (idrive 8 aside).

[EVGirl]

The lack of the iDrive controller would really out me off the iX1. Also changing the gear lever for a switch is another thing I don't like. It's so easy to push the gear lever over to the B mode without having to look. Why they have to fix things that ain't broke I don't know, I'm disappointed.
However I quite like the look of the iX1 and the smaller footprint would be quite handy without sacrificing interior space.

[stefan9107]

Originally Posted by EVGirl

The lack of the iDrive controller would really out me off the iX1. Also changing the gear lever for a switch is another thing I don't like. It's so easy to push the gear lever over to the B mode without having to look. Why they have to fix things that ain't broke I don't know, I'm disappointed.
However I quite like the look of the iX1 and the smaller footprint would be quite handy without sacrificing interior space.

Ahh yes, this is a massive bugbear of mine on a lot of cars. I had a F30 330D and a Golf R and both had the gear level where you could quickly drop into different modes as well as change from forward to reverse. It was easy and most importantly quick. I then got myself a W205 C43 wagon which I loved, but having that shifter on the steering wheel was a massive pain in the arse. If you were swinging out and then wanted to quickly throw it in reverse to back into a space or your driveway it was just awkwardly placed and on the wrong hand to do it in a quick movement. The same is the case with these stupid buttons where you have to look down and press R or D or whatever. Give me a nice phallic controller to grab hold of any day

[Bevforme]

Cancelled iX3 ages ago given the terrible lead times from China. Ordered an iX1 late last month, made in Germany and build slot now given with delivery 14 April 2023 It is made in Germany so massive plus on that. The iX3 from Jan 2023 build will also have a button instead of gear stick. My iX has the button and a button for D/B and R works wonderfully well. The armrest position and the button fall in place really well and moving from D to B is easy as…. Re: ID8 and no controller - this is the perceived negative bit with iX1. But have to say on iX, the voice Personal Assistant is great and I use it all the time, even for climate, Nav, rolling windows down/up etc… For climate, just say “Hey BMW I’m cold” and it adjusts the climate accordingly, no fuss, no buttons, just great functionality… I find myself using the iDrive controller less and less nowadays… Each to their own, but I think (Hope) iX1 is going to be a lush package and will no doubt sell like hot wotsits… AWD and a 22kw a/c onboard charger… I’ve ordered it similar to the iX3 M-Sport pro spec I previously had ordered. The seats have a nice diamond stitch to the leather, similar to the iX and the interior ambience is a bit more fresh rather than the iX3. No need to replace the iX3 front grille as some of the forum members have done, the iX1 already has a more corporate grille from the factory…iX1 more of a baby iX, no bad thing there IMHO…

[GaSelle]

You can look at everything from different angles; you´ve choosen the positive side, sinve you´ve ordered one. I can´t see any "baby-iX" in the iX1, I find the iDrive8 a massive step back comfort and safety-wise from iDrive7 (voice control does NOT work in i.e. danish), the range is shorter and the interior looks and feels cheaper.

If it´s made in Germany or China doesn´t make any difference; the quality feels the same (have had german built BMW´s before).

Only thing that really is an upside on the iX1 (to me) is, that it comes in San Remo Green which the iX3 does not.

Oh, and and as mentioned elsewhere you´ll be paying more for an iX1 when specced as an iX3 in Denmark. I don´t think we´ll see many of them on the roads over here. "Less is more" - yup, for the iX1 that´s true

[EddyKK]

I have same situation and finally ordered iX1 xDrive30 M Sport (Germany built); after seeing both the actual cars, sitting inside and comparing the spec and price. iX1 xDrive30 I would pick out of the two... with 95% spacious vs iX3, 313hp vs 285hps, AWD vs RWD, iD8 vs iD7, new gen interior design vs old design + comparatively cheaper to own.

[mobworld]

Originally Posted by EddyKK

..... 313hp vs 285hps.....

Hi, be aware that 313 bhp is only avaliable as a boost function, meaning it's limited in time

[Bevforme]

Originally Posted by EddyKK

I have same situation and finally ordered iX1 xDrive30 M Sport (Germany built); after seeing both the actual cars, sitting inside and comparing the spec and price. iX1 xDrive30 I would pick out of the two... with 95% spacious vs iX3, 313hp vs 285hps, AWD vs RWD, iD8 vs iD7, new gen interior design vs old design + comparatively cheaper to own.

And it may even have ID9… the X1 is reported to be getting that after March