As the star player of its electric car range, the BMW iX pretty much smashed it out of the park at the first attempt. Well-appointed and packed with technology, showcasing both fantastic refinement and effortless performance, when it launched back in 2022 the large SUV nailed its luxury EV brief with aplomb. If, that is, you could get past the styling. 

The iX will shortly receive a mid-life facelift, which will be unveiled early next year and on sale in the summer – but we've had a first taste of with a drive in a late prototype test car.

Let's get the styling out of the way first: if you didn’t warm to the iX’s ‘distinctive’ grille, temper expectations of this facelift: even with our test car sporting camo wrap, you wouldn’t need an ultrasound to diagnose that it retains a swollen kidney. Remember, that sizeable panel is there for a reason: it houses many of the sensors that the iX’s semi-autonomous assistance features require - that's part of how this car serves as a technical flagship.

While there have been some styling changes that we can't talk about for a while, that wasn't a priority here. As has been the trend with recent updates of electric cars such as the Audi e-tron GT and Porsche Taycan, instead of messing with the styling, BMW has focused on improving the iX’s performance, range and comfort, by upgrading the powertrain technology and electronic that is uses.

When the iX launched it was taking on the likes of what is now the Audi Q8 e-tron and the Mercedes-Benz EQC, but consider the recent or impending arrivals that this car will take on, such as the Volvo EX90, Polestar 3 and impending Range Rover Electric and the need for continual technical improvement is clear. Plus, with a raft of new BMW EVs arriving from next year onwards, the goal is to keep this as a tech-focused halo car.

The revamped iX retains the same basics, with a synchronous motor mounted on each axle giving all-wheel-drive. The e-motors are the same units as before, but now offer a bit more power – BMW has yet to give specific outputs – and use new silicon carbide inverters to improve their efficiency. The battery remains the same physical size, but BMW has been able to make it more energy dense and efficient.

The result, BMW claims, is both an improvement in efficiency of around 10 per cent and increased performance. The latter means models will sport new model designations in line with the i5 saloon: so the xDrive60 we tested here is actually the mid-spec successor to the pre-facelift xDrive50. The equivalent to the iX M60 will, in turn, get its own higher number. Don’t stop to think about it too much and we’ll all be fine.

In terms of range, the old xDrive50 had an official economy of 391 miles. Another 10 per cent would take the new xDrive60 to around 430 miles, which is a useful improvement.

Elsewhere, there are new hydraulic rear axle bearings and ‘friction-optimised’ wheel bearings to improve the dynamics and ride comfort, while BMW has also worked to reduce weight. There are also new tyres with reduced rolling resistance, while the suspension has been tuned for each of the model levels. Our prototype rode on steel springs; air suspension with variable damping will be available.

The dashboard of our test car was also largely concealed, but one point of note was the round M Sport steering wheel of our test car, which will now be optional on all models for those not sold on the hexagonal version.

From behind the wheel, it’s apparent that the key strengths of the iX have been retained: it’s an incredibly smooth and refined powertrain, and there is performance in abundance if you need it – although there were precious few places to really experience that on our short, supervised test route. 

We did have the chance to try the revamped drive modes, including a new Sport Plus mode that sharpens up the driving dynamics and offers fixed, rather than variable, levels of energy regeneration. That is done to ensure a consistent feel when braking, to give more response and feel to eager drivers.

Meanwhile, BMW has also worked on the drive modes at the other end of the scale, with a new Max mode that it claims could draw an extra 20 per cent or so range, and happily it didn’t notably strangle the on-road performance as some eco modes do.

While this doesn’t feel like a transformative mid-life upgrade, that’s in part because the iX was already an incredibly good luxury EV. What this does feel like is a welcome dash of extra refinement and range to that package, which should ensure the iX can hold its own against the new wave of luxury electric SUVs.

BMW iX xDrive 60 prototype technical specifications

Price £100,000 est Engine Two electrically excited synchronous motors Power 520bhp est Torque 568lb ft est Gearbox 1-spd reduction gear Kerb weight 2500kg est 0-62mph 4.0secs est Top speed 124mph est Battery 107kWh est Range, economy 430 miles est,  CO2, tax band 0g/km, 2% RIVALS Volvo EX90, Audi Q8 e-tron