Peter Lyon
January 3, 2024
Take a glance at the BMW Malaysia website and you might be surprised. It may be only a blacked-out silhouette of the BMW iX2 at the moment, but a teased image of the electric SUV on BMW Malaysia’s website over the last few days raises all sorts of questions.
The obvious question is availability. Yes, the crossover is expected to go on sale, but exactly when we don’t know. First unveiled to the public in October 2023, you could say that the iX2 is a fastback coupe-style version of the iX1.
The website however does not include links for bookings but you can see a basic overview of the iX2 by clicking on its blacked-out silhouette. For now, the information available includes the vehicle’s electric range, which is up to 449 kilometres on a single charge.
With the iX2 xDrive30 being the only available version in Malaysia at launch, the iX2 was revealed alongside its X2 family powered by internal combustion engines (ICEs). Conversely, the sDrive20i, sDrive18d, and M35i xDrive versions are offered for the ICE X2.
Despite having significantly more aggressive styling and an obviously sloped roof at the rear, the iX2 appears similar to the iX1 in its overall exterior design. The most contentious aspect of it all would have to be its taillight design, which takes the Munich carmaker in a new stylistic direction.
On the performance side, the all-wheel-drive iX2 xDrive30 employs a dual-motor setup that produces 313 hp and 494 Nm of torque, allowing the SUV to accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in 5.6 seconds and reach a top speed of an electronically capped 180 km/h.
The iX2 has a maximum WLTP range of 449 km on a single charge thanks to a 64.7-kWh battery, which translates to around 400 in the real world. In some markets, the iX2 is fitted with 11kW AC charging as standard that allows for a 6.5-hour charging time, but can be upgraded to 22 kW which is twice as fast. DC charging can be achieved at a maximum rate of 130 kW, permitting 10-80% charging in 29 minutes.
The iX2’s interior is the same as the iX1’s, with a roomy centre console, double floating touchscreen setup and vertical wireless phone charging. Optimised for long-distance driving, the new BMW Operating System 9 and the newly designed seats, are two features that stand out on the iX2.
OUR THOUGHTS
Normally a carmaker will tease a photo showing a cropped section of the new car in the lead-up to its launch. To just list a blacked-out silhouette is new and well, rather mysterious. So, as of today, what can we say? In Malaysia, BMW currently offers the iX1, iX3, i5, i7, and iX as its electric vehicle portfolio, but expect the iX2 to join the range very soon. As for pricing, no details are available, but expect something north of RM300,000.
