Winter has actually settled in New York, with temperatures persistently dipping beneath zero and a major quantity of snow overlaying the bottom and ice on the roads. These circumstances have offered a superb alternative to check the all-weather tires on our BMW iX.
For individuals who might not be conscious, I have been offering month-to-month updates on our experiences with a 2024 BMW iX, which we leased a little bit over a 12 months in the past. After 14 months and greater than 14,000 miles, we have typically been fairly happy with this uniquely styled SUV.
Nevertheless, one problem we confronted final winter was a insecurity in driving throughout poor climate circumstances. The iX comes commonplace with all-wheel drive from its dual-motor setup, even within the extra fundamental xDrive50 mannequin, so energy distribution will not be a priority.
The foundation of our discomfort stemmed from the grip offered by the Goodyear all-season tires, which felt insufficient when navigating snow and slush on the highway. To deal with this, we put in a set of Nokian Treatment WRG5 all-weather tires for testing.
After quite a few snowy excursions, I have been notably impressed with the advance in traction throughout low-grip conditions. For years, I’ve relied on Nokian’s devoted winter tires for my automobiles, choosing studded Hakkapeliitta choices when winter circumstances hit. The Hakkapeliitta EV tires we used on our earlier automotive, a Tesla Mannequin Y, carried out remarkably within the snow. Nevertheless, I wished to keep away from the effort of fixing tires seasonally for the BMW.
These all-weather Nokian tires have resulted in solely a slight improve in highway noise, however primarily based on my observations, they have not negatively affected effectivity. In snow, they supply a much more predictable efficiency in comparison with the Goodyear all-seasons. The automotive maintained constant, confidence-inspiring grip, and when it did slide, it was in a predictable and even pleasing method.
Now, I can genuinely get pleasure from driving the iX within the snow with out feeling like I’ve to fastidiously navigate my manner round.
Whereas the grip is not fairly on par with Nokian’s studded choices or devoted winter tires just like the Bridgestone Blizzak or Michelin X-Ice, they’re nonetheless enough for climbing our steep, prolonged driveway, even when it has not been plowed. That is precisely what I wanted.
Nevertheless, there was a draw back: the automotive would not appear to acknowledge the brand new tire measurement. Since Nokian did not provide a precise match for the inventory 235/60 R20 tires, I opted for barely wider and shorter 255/55 R20 tires as an alternative. They match properly, however after coming into the guide tire measurement within the iDrive system, a warning about tire pressures seems each time I begin the automotive. Regardless of the pressures all the time being inside the advisable vary and indicated as inexperienced, I obtain the warning persistently. Whereas it disappears after a number of moments, I would like a extra everlasting answer.
I additionally skilled a perplexing problem with the My BMW App. I take advantage of my Samsung Galaxy S23 Extremely as the important thing for locking and unlocking the iX, and till lately, it labored seamlessly. Nevertheless, a few month in the past, the automotive mysteriously vanished from the app. Whereas the digital key continued to perform, I misplaced entry to journey info and the flexibility to precondition the car, which was irritating given the chilly temperatures.
After a number of weeks, the automotive reappeared within the app, restoring regular performance.
On a constructive be aware, my spouse and I had beforehand struggled with sending requests to the automotive from the app, usually experiencing solely inconsistent success. Duties corresponding to preconditioning, checking cameras, and state of cost have been hit and miss, whatever the iX’s mobile sign power.
Happily, after resolving final month’s software program points and performing a guide reboot, these requests have been functioning flawlessly. It is unclear what was affecting the automotive’s telematics system, however as is usually the case, a compelled reboot appeared to resolve the issue.
In additional sensible issues, the iX as soon as once more showcased its spectacular cargo capability by accommodating a 7.5-foot-tall Christmas tree without having to go away the hatch open. With the bottom of the tree wedged between the entrance seats (protected by a blanket to forestall sap from marking the upholstery), we managed to shut the hatch with none points.
Though we ended up with a good variety of pine needles to wash up, the tree proved to be an efficient air freshener, surpassing the pleasantness of a little bit hanging tree-shaped air freshener.
As temperatures have dropped, the automotive’s effectivity has understandably decreased. We started winter with unusually heat climate, usually seeing temperatures within the 40s to 50s Fahrenheit via November. Underneath these circumstances, the iX achieved 3.1 mi/kWh on my spouse’s commute, totally on secondary roads, surpassing the two.9 mi/kWh EPA score.
Nevertheless, as soon as temperatures plunged beneath freezing and dipped into the one digits, effectivity dropped to 2.5 mi/kWh on the identical route. In excessive circumstances round -10 levels, it additional declined to 2.3 mi/kWh. This means a theoretical most vary of 242 miles in such frigid temperatures, representing roughly a 25 p.c discount from the 307-mile EPA score.
I plan to proceed monitoring this as we progress deeper into our second winter and close to the milestone of 15,000 miles lined.
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