2026 BMW iX3 Prototype First Drive: The Joy of Stopping

• The iX3 is BMW's next fully electric compact SUV.
• BMW says the iX3 will offer 400 horsepower, 400 miles of estimated range and 400-kW charging.
• Its debut is set for September before going into production later this year.

After years of reading and writing about the Neue Klasse, the architecture that will underpin BMW's next generation of electric vehicles, it's safe to say that I had some high expectations as I buckled my seat belt in a prototype of the first car to be built on this platform, the 2026 iX3. There have been big promises of long driving range and faster charging, higher performance and greater safety, plus a sweeping new tech interface in the form of Panoramic Vision.

At the end of a long and intense day behind the wheel, I'm left quite impressed by it all. But it's something else — something completely unexpected — that really blows me away: just how good the iX3 is at stopping.

What is the Neue Klasse?

As a recap if you've missed any of our earlier coverage, Neue Klasse is a term for what is something of a reboot for BMW's EV lineup, a new platform built on the learnings from machines like the iX, i4 and indeed the good ol' i3. 

The new iX3 brings the Neue Klasse to market built around a battery pack that's approximately 100 kWh. Power output is said to be around 400 horsepower, with a 0-62 mph time of less than 5 seconds. More impressive, though, is the charging speed: A 400-kW max rate means upward of 200 miles of range can be added in just 10 minutes.

And that rate is legit. BMW provided a demonstration of a 400-kW charger, and the peak rate actually exceeded that, reaching 403 kW and maintaining it for approximately 3 minutes. Over the full 10 minutes, the little SUV managed an average charge rate of 318 kW, faster than cars like the Volkswagen ID 4 can achieve in ideal conditions. BMW says the iX3's battery pack will provide something like 400 miles of range on the EPA cycle, handily besting the company's current range champion, the 2026 iX.

So, the hardware platform is solid, but it's the system controllers and the software that loves them that are really changing the game.

Groove is in the heart

A key part of the iX3's driving experience is completely hidden behind the scenes. It's BMW's Heart of Joy (yes, really), a new system architecture aggregating the disparate functions typically handled by dozens of controllers in a modern car.

The Heart of Joy handles everything from the antilock brakes to motor control, integrating it all in a far more precise way. On BMW's handling course, freshly doused by a set of artisanal French sprinklers, I intentionally push way beyond the limits of the car's grip, slamming on the brakes and jerking the wheel toward the inside of the corner.

The iX3 begins to slow and turn, eventually runs out of grip, then seamlessly fires the antilock braking and stability control systems to bring the SUV cleanly and calmly through the corner. Sure, plenty of cars can do this to some degree, but with most, it's a traumatic experience with the ABS chattering away and the car lurching and bucking. With the iX3, it just … happens.

The same is true on the way out of the corner when I slam my foot on the accelerator. In the iX3's standard Personal mode, the car skids forward predictably but pulls itself out of the corner without issue, cutting power to ensure I make it around. It's far more nuanced than the harsh power cut that you get in most cars.

Sporty steering with more feel, less resistance

To me, most BMWs start to feel like someone replaced the power steering fluid with peanut butter when you go into Sport mode. I always prefer Comfort steering. With the iX3, switching to Sport mode does increase the resistance a bit, but more importantly, it genuinely increases the feel and feedback through the wheel. I spoke with the engineers who tuned the system and they told me that they really focused on not creating a sporty feel through more resistance but instead through more feedback. 

It's not a night-and-day transition, but as you cycle from Comfort to Sport you can start to better feel the imperfections in the road and the remaining grip from the front tires. It's a big improvement over your average electric SUV, and a sign of even better things to come from the company's eventual fully electric M cars. 

The iX3's suspension tuning is also remarkably good. The SUV cruises over broken asphalt and is comfortable in city driving, yet it's responsive enough to be engaging when pushed hard — even on imperfect roads. This is with standard steel springs too — no fancy air suspension in this prototype. Many EVs feel great in corners until they hit a big bump, but the iX3 stays planted and sure, with just the right blend of compliance and capability. 

Coming to a stop

The iX3 is riddled with impressive tech elsewhere. The lane keeping system won't fight to keep you in your lane if the gaze detection system sees you checking your blind spot, for example, and the car will even automatically apply the turn signal for you (a feature that many drivers would say BMW has needed for years). The new auto-parking system is quicker to enable and faster to execute. Likewise, BMW's new Operating System X is snappy and easy to use, but again, what really impresses me is how good the iX3 is at stopping.

The iX3's new platform enables it to modulate regenerative braking far more comprehensively, enough that it can bring the car to a complete stop in many situations without relying on the physical brakes at all. It's done with such finesse that if you close your eyes, you literally can't tell when the car has stopped rolling.

It's one of the more impressive parlor tricks I've ever experienced in a car, and while it sounds gimmicky, it will be a genuine quality-of-life improvement for anyone who spends a lot of time in gridlock. Internally, BMW's development team calls this "the joy of stopping," and it's a very apt term, but it's just one impressive aspect of a great-driving machine.

The iX3 will make its formal debut this September in Munich, Germany, and is slated to enter production before the end of the year.