2022 BMW iX3 EV now with tax-free price, from RM307k – up to RM11k cheaper than 2021 launch RRP

New year, new price. At least that’s the case for electric vehicles, which are getting import and excise duty exemption this year, as announced in Budget 2022. Last week, we saw the MINI Cooper SE EV getting a huge RM35k price cut, and you’ve seen the new pricing for the BMW iX – here’s the same for the BMW iX3.

The battery electric version of the BMW X3 was launched in Malaysia in October 2021. The SUV comes with the M Sport package as standard, and is available in Inspiring and Impressive variants.

The 2021 launch price was RM317,360 and RM336,360 respectively, on-the-road without insurance. A two-year, unlimited-mileage warranty is standard – as usual for BMW, you can upgrade to a five-year warranty and service package, which bumped up prices to RM330,800 and RM349,800. There’s also a Power Package (adds a 22 kW BMW i Wallbox and a BMW i Standard Charging Cable) priced at RM5,000 (without installation); throw this in and the iX3 went for RM322,360 to RM341,360 with the two-year warranty and from RM335,800 to RM354,800 with the five-year warranty and service pack.

For 2022, the iX3 starts from RM307,160 for the Inspiring and RM325,160 for the Impressive. That’s a drop of RM10,200 and RM11,200 respectively. With the extended warranty and service package, it’s RM322,800 and RM340,800, and if you add on the Power Package, the iX3 tops out at RM327,800 and RM345,800 respectively.

The extended warranty and service package remains the same as before at five years (unlimited mileage for warranty, 120,000 km for service). The eight-year, 160,000 km warranty for the EV battery remains unchanged and comes standard.

Both variants are mechanically identical and powered by a rear-mounted electric motor delivering 210 kW (286 PS) and 400 Nm of torque. The electric SUV gets from zero to 100 km/h in 6.8 seconds before hitting an electronically-limited top speed of 180 km/h.

The heart of the EV is a 73.8 kWh lithium-ion battery that provides a range of between 453 and 461 km on the WLTP cycle. Charging the iX3 takes around seven and a half hours using the maximum AC charging power of 11 kW; alternatively, if you have access to a DC fast charger at up to 150 kW, filling it up to 80% takes just 32 minutes.

The CBU imported iX3 is available in Malaysia in facelifted form, which the regular ICE-powered X3 is yet to get here. That brings slimmer trapezoidal headlights, a larger conjoined grille and pincer-style three-dimensional taillights, in addition to the iX3’s EV-specific cues. The standard M Sport pack includes a large hexagonal centre air intake, L-shaped corner inlets, body-coloured cladding and a large rear diffuser.

The facelift’s changes are more pronounced inside, with a new angular dashboard that borrows elements from the G20 3 Series, including the clustered switchgear. The centre touchscreen is larger at 12.3 inches wide, part of the now-standard BMW Live Cockpit Professional that also adds a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster. The M Sport package brings an M Sport steering wheel, sports seats and black headlining.

Kit wise, the Inspiring model is well-equipped with adaptive LED headlights, 19-inch Style 842 aerodynamic alloy wheels, Vernasca leather, stitched Sensatec faux leather-wrapped dashboard, brushed aluminium interior trim with Pearl Chrome finishers and galvanised silver switchgear.

Also on are keyless entry with push start, adaptive dampers, power-adjustable front seats with heating and driver’s side memory, triple-zone automatic climate control, Qi wireless charger, panoramic glass sunroof, parking assist with Reversing Assistant, a 12-speaker 205-watt sound system, reverse camera and hands-free powered tailgate.

The Impressive adds Laserlight headlamps, staggered 20-inch Style 890 M alloys, head-up display, acoustic glass front side windows, gesture control, a 16-speaker 464-watt Harmon Kardon sound system, 360-degree camera system and IconicSounds Electric synthetic driving sounds developed in partnership with top composer Hans Zimmer.

Both variants come with the Driving Assistant Professional package, adding a full complement of active safety features including autonomous emergency braking, evasive steering assist, adaptive cruise control with stop and go, lane centring assist, blind spot monitoring, traffic sign recognition, emergency stop assist and adaptive high beam.

There’s also an acoustic warning for pedestrians and Active Protection, which primes the seat belt pre-tensioners and closes all windows if the car detects an imminent collision.

GALLERY: BMW iX3 facelift

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