Rear-Wheel-Drive BMW iX3 Availability Expanding To South Africa

With nearly 100,000 orders in the books and production already surpassing 50,000 vehicles, it’s safe to say the new iX3 is off to a flying start. It’s all thanks to European demand for the first electric crossover of the Neue Klasse era, but other regions are about to get BMW’s new-age EV. Deliveries are about to kick off in North America, while China recently welcomed the long-wheelbase version.

Meanwhile, the second-generation iX3 has officially touched down in South Africa, where the 50 xDrive is now on sale. Even before BMW North America announces the iX3 40, the rear-wheel-drive model is confirmed for the Rainbow Nation. There is a catch, though, as it won’t be available until the first quarter of next year. If you’re on a tight budget, you’ll want to wait for the RWD version since it costs R1,498,000, undercutting the all-wheel-drive model by R192,000.

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But what are buyers sacrificing by sticking to the base model? For starters, power. The rear motor produces 315 hp and 500 Nm (369 lb-ft), down by 148 hp and 145 Nm (107 lb-ft) compared with the iX3 50 xDrive. The battery is also smaller, at 82.6 kWh instead of 108.7 kWh, while charging is limited to 300 kW rather than the full 400 kW. That’s not the end of the world, though, since a 10% to 80% charge takes 21 minutes, while a 10-minute charge replenishes enough energy for 186 miles (300 kilometers) of range.

The BMW iX3 40 Still Has Plenty Of Range

Speaking of range, BMW South Africa references the WLTP rating, with the iX3 50 xDrive capable of traveling up to 500 miles (805 kilometers). While it doesn’t list how far the iX3 40 can travel before running out of juice, we know from the European-spec model that it can cover 396 miles (637 kilometers) on a single charge. That’s a significant 104-mile (168-kilometer) drop, although it’s still plenty of range for many buyers.

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With a single motor, the iX3 40 is also a second slower in the sprint to 62 mph (100 km/h). It has a slightly lower top speed, too, at 124 mph (200 km/h) rather than 130 mph (209 km/h), although that likely won’t matter much to prospective customers.

The iX3 40 will be the base model in most parts of the world, but there’s an even lower-tier iX3 30 for the Chinese market. BMW hasn’t said whether it will sell that version, which uses a different battery chemistry, in other markets. Honestly, we wouldn’t count on it.

BMW South Africa intends to roll out additional derivatives, and we can already think of a few likely candidates. An iX3 40 xDrive is an open secret by now, and the same goes for the hotter iX3 M60 and X3 M.