228,000??

Nianhan I thought I was seeing things. After repeatedly confirming, I really wasn't mistaken. It's not the X1, it's the iX1. And it's a new 2026 model.

Once upon a time, an electric badge under the blue-and-white roundel meant a proud price tag of 300,000 and up. Now look—it's dropped straight to a starting price of 228,000.

A few years ago, that money would only buy you a well-equipped CR-V. Is BMW really that desperate this time, or has it finally come to its senses and decided to squeeze the premium bubble out of EVs?

This one is the eDrive25L M Sport package. Standing in front of the car, those two signature kidney grilles are still there, except they're now closed off. They've added some chrome triangular accents inside, with bright trim around the edges too.

Some people find this design dated, but I think it's fine—at least you can tell from far away that you're driving a BMW.

The three-section air intake below the bumper is quite exaggerated, a big black expanse that does give off some of that M Power aggression, even though it knows full well it's just a family grocery-getter.

Walking around to the side, the car feels solid and substantial. The semi-flush door handles are a clever design—they won't freeze shut in winter like pop-out ones, and they slightly reduce drag.

The five-spoke wheels are unremarkable in design, nothing stunning, but nothing to fault either.

The L-shaped taillights have good recognition when lit, but what I care about more is the silver skid plate below the rear bumper.

BMW wants to use this detail to tell you that even though it's an EV, it's still an SUV—even if you'll never take it off-road in your life.

Pulling open the door, a familiar BMW feel rushes at you. Not the smell—the design tone.

Black with coral red color scheme. Sitting in the driver's seat, right in front of you is that integrated curved screen—a 10.25-inch instrument cluster connected to a 10.7-inch central display.

These days it seems like automakers can't build a car without a big connected screen. Still, BMW's system fluency is decent enough, and this 2026 model's key upgrade is 5G connectivity throughout the car.

But the thing that bothers me most about this car is the gear shift area. That toggle-style shifter—refined as it is—lacks a bit of tactile fun. Sometimes your hand wants to rest somewhere, and it just finds empty space.

In terms of space, with a 2,802mm wheelbase, rear legroom is genuinely generous. After all, it's the long-wheelbase L version—crossing your legs in the back is no problem.

However, the center floor tunnel still has a slight hump. After all, this is an oil-to-electric conversion built on the FAAR platform, and some structural flaws from birth can't be fixed.

I glanced at the equipment list, and BMW is fairly generous this time. Rearview camera, full-speed adaptive cruise control, power tailgate—these practical features are all standard.

The reverse assist feature especially—for beginners or people parking in old residential compounds, it's an absolute lifesaver. No need to sweat over the steering wheel yourself; the car can retrace its path automatically.

Finally, let's talk about power. This 25L version uses a front-mounted single motor, 204 horsepower, 250 Nm. The numbers are just okay—even a bit modest.

These days domestic EVs pump out 300-400 horsepower like it's nothing; these specs are entry-level at best. But it depends on who's driving—for city commuting, the instant torque from the motor at launch is enough to keep you from falling behind at traffic lights.

A 66.5 kWh ternary lithium battery, 510 km range. In today's EV world where 700-800 km is commonplace, that number really doesn't impress—but unless you're doing long highway trips every day, charging once a week is plenty.

This 2026 iX1, frankly speaking, is the product of BMW lowering its posture. It has no earth-shattering black technology, nor acceleration that'll make supercars cry. It's simply a family SUV with a BMW badge, enough space, adequate features, and a price that's finally returned to reason.

If you insist on comparing it with those fiercely competitive domestic new forces on intelligence, or fridges, TVs, and big sofas, then it'll definitely lose so badly it won't have a shred of dignity left.

But if you just want the prestige of a luxury brand, the smoothness and low running costs of an EV, and your budget is around 250,000—then this car's current value proposition really makes it hard to hate.