The BMW iX1 L was “launched” back in January, but it took BMW Group Malaysia three months to obtain official pricing for its long-wheelbase electric SUV. The sole eDrive20L M Sport variant retails at RM252,800 on-the-road without insurance – over RM2,000 less than previously estimated, but RM2,000 more than the old tax-free standard-wheelbase eDrive20 model (as of this year, at least).
As is usual for BMWs in Malaysia, this figure includes a two-year, unlimited-mileage warranty; opt for five years of coverage and six years of maintenance and you’re looking at a total bill of RM268,600; an eight-year/160,000 km warranty comes standard. The iX1 L is CBU fully imported from China and benefits from the lower tax structure for cars coming from the Middle Kingdom, whereas the regular iX1 was imported from Regensburg, Germany and would’ve incurred significant duties under the new tax regime.
The specs are unchanged from before, with a single front motor making 204 PS (150 kW) and 250 Nm of torque. This gets the car from zero to 100 km/h in 8.6 seconds on its way to a top speed of 175 km/h – 5 km/h higher than the non-L eDrive20.
The 66.5 kWh (64.7 kWh nett) NMC battery is unchanged over other iX1s, but the extra length (and presumably, additional weight) has clearly exacted a penalty, with its 433 km of WLTP-rated range being shorter than the eDrive20’s 475 km and even the 438 km achieved by the discontinued dual-motor xDrive30.
With DC fast charging capacity unchanged at a fairly measly 130 kW (BMW’s Neue Klasse revolution can’t come soon enough), the iX1 L continues to take 32 minutes to be topped up from 10 to 80%. As for AC charging, the car is still capped at 11 kW of power for a full charge in six hours and 45 minutes.
The “L” in the iX1 L’s name obviously refers to the 110 mm wheelbase stretch over standard iX1, bringing it to 2,802 mm. The overall length has grown commensurately by 116 mm to a generous 4,616 mm, which BMW says brings with it 81 mm of additional legroom and 107 mm more knee room.
Just like the previous eDrive20, the L version comes with the M Sport package, consisting of sportier front and rear bumpers and side skirts, as well as 19-inch M twin-spoke Style 871M alloys. The kit also includes Shadowline gloss black exterior trim and roof rails, but the eDrive20 L goes one further with the “extended” version, adding a black kidney grille surround and darkened adaptive LED headlights.
The paint options have also been changed, with Cape York Green, M Portimao Blue and Space Silver being traded for two new greys – M Brooklyn Grey and Skyscraper Grey. They join the existing Mineral White and Carbon Black on the now monochrome palette.
Inside, the iX1 L benefits from softer seat foam and 15 mm longer rear seat bases, as well as the addition of perforation (still without seat ventilation) for the Veganza faux leather upholstery. Castanea red is the only colour scheme available, and you no longer get a part-Alcantara option.
An M Sport three-spoke steering wheel, powered front sports seats with driver’s side memory and aluminium Hexacube trim are still fitted, but the headlining has been switched from black to Ivory White for an airier atmosphere. Speaking of the roof, there’s now a panoramic sunroof, which even the old xDrive30 did not get.
Beyond that, the standard kit remains largely identical, with keyless entry, push-button start, dual-zone auto air con with rear vents, the BMW Live Cockpit Professional consisting of a 10.25-inch instrument display, a 10.7-inch infotainment touchscreen and a head-up display, Qi wireless charging, a 12-speaker, 205-watt Harman Kardon sound system and a hands-free powered tailgate. One change is to the suspension, with the old “adaptive” dampers (really just passive frequency-selective dampers) switched out for a “comfort” setup.
Safety-wise, the iX1 L comes fitted with the full Driving Assistant Plus package, including autonomous emergency braking, adaptive cruise control with stop and go, lane centring assist, blind spot monitoring, rear cross traffic alert with auto brake, rear collision warning, traffic sign recognition, a door opening warning and adaptive high beam. The big difference here is that Level 2 semi-autonomous driving functionality is unlocked from the get-go, whereas the old eDrive20 required a subscription to use those features.
GALLERY: BMW iX1 eDrive20L official photos
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Overpriced junk. Once you go china EV like the Zeekr or BYD you never go back to garbage BMW vehicles let alone overpriced turds like these Conti brands arrogantly assuming Malaysia is a good dumping ground for their unsold trash cans on wheels.
comedy car. you must absolutely hate xpeng, zeekr, byd and tesla to buy this rubbish
Why is the roof fabric light grey. M-sport should rightly come with the nicer black roof lining.