Is this SUV silliest EV in the country?

BMW’s luxurious iX electric SUV can now be had in face-melting M60 form. But is it the one to get? Nile Bijoux checks how the numbers stack up.

BMW’s iX is a big, burly barge of luxury, coming to New Zealand in three flavours. There’s the entry xDrive 40, starting at $169,600, then the xDrive 50 from $204,800.

We liked the 50 last year, with huge amount of tech, brilliant ride quality and brutal performance, despite polarising looks (which are better in person, promise). By that logic, it stands to reason the even gruntier M60 should be the best of the lot, right?

Thought we’d bite this bullet early. That’s the price of the iX M60, and it’s a fair old whack above the $204,800 xDrive50. But consider the M60 gets almost every option available as standard. That includes Laserlight adaptive headlights, four-zone climate control, adaptive air suspension, heated seats front and rear with ventilation on the fronts, heating elements in the armrests, steering wheel and panels in the doors and instrument panel, as well as BMW’s full driving assistance package.

And, because it’s the full-fat M version of the iX, you also get launch control, improved steering, a racier all-wheel-drive system, and a ridiculous amount of power. Not to mention ...

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... Newton metres of torque. That’s a massive amount of twist, enough to sling the 2.6-tonne SUV to 100kph in comfortably under four seconds.

It rocks the whole car back on its rear wheels when you pin the throttle, and the special M-spec sounds shared with the i4 M50 give it some theatre. When you do use launch control, the whole car shakes and vibrates, like it’s straining to be let loose. Very cool.

The power, combined with M’s work on the chassis and steering, makes the M60 better to drive hard than the xDrive50, but still not great. The steering is accurate but somewhat numb, without much in the way of engagement across the board.

Giving the iX to M means sacrificing some comfort in favour of driving capabilities. Thankfully the air suspension can encompass both ends of the spectrum reasonably well, but why not just focus on doing comfort really well? And who actually needs a family SUV that can do 100kph in less than four seconds?

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One reason why you would want the M60 (any iX, really, but the M60 has it as standard) is the immense Bowers and Wilkins 1615-watt stereo system. Featuring no fewer than 30 speakers, it’s worth every penny of its usual $8500 extra cost. Like most music, it’s better when cranked, and when it’s cranked it literally shakes the car. Including the four main seats, each of which have a carbon fibre subwoofer. There are also speakers in the headliner and eight headrest speakers.

The front seats get what B&W calls ‘‘4D Exciters’’, which are two speakers built into the backrests of the seats, designed to amplify how bass notes are felt, as well as how they’re heard.

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You might be able to guess this one. It’s the M60’s curb weight, mentioned again for reasons I’ve already dived into. The M60 is a bit of a porker, and you really feel it at speed in the corners. Around town, it’s surprisingly easy-going, its physical size not actually mattering that much. Like the other iX models, it’s roughly the same length as the X5, the same height as the X6, with the same wheel size as the X7.

Doesn’t make the nose any easier to digest. It’s still quite large, although the three-quarter view is much nicer than in photos. The tacky ‘‘crystal’’ switches inside can be optioned out in lesser iX models but not the M60.

If it were my money? I’d get the xDrive 40 for $169,600, add that B&W stereo and a few other tweaks, and save the money.

Or I’d get the brilliant i4 M50 for $137,900 and be even happier, with even more money in the bank.