JOURNEYS
HIGH ROAD
Mr. Zimmer’s OPUS BMW’S ALL-ELECTRIC IX50 TAKES A HANS-ON APPROACH TO SOUNDING SPEEDY BY HOWARD WALKER
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he music of German composer Hans Zimmer is legendary. Over the last 35 years, he’s penned some of the greatest film scores of all time, from Rain Man and The Lion King, to The Dark Knight and Dune. Now there’s one more musical arrangement he can add to his repertoire: BMW’s all-new, all-electric iX SUV. Yep, every synthesized whirr, whee, whoop, and whizz is courtesy of Mr. Z. The BMW Group Sound Design department teamed up with the Academy Award winner to create a few special sound effects for the iX—because you wouldn’t want an electric car to be totally silent, right? When you dial up Sport mode and hit the gas, the fizzing electric motors are accompanied by a soaring crescendo that’s part Dyson Airblade, part Tron. Had it been up to me, I might have gone for a Jack Sparrow “arrr” from Pirates of the Caribbean (Zimmer composed the scores for those movies, too). Sounds aside, this iX xDrive50 is an awesome addition to BMW’s growing fleet of all-electric newcomers. About the size of the popular X5 sport-ute, the iX distinguishes itself with its jaw-descending, head-
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rotating, what-the-heck-were-they-thinking design. To call it bold is like saying Adele can carry a tune. However, it’s far from cute, with a multitude of lumps, bumps, and creases, as well as humongous kidneys on the nose and a full-diaper look at the rear end. That being said, when it comes to electric vehicles, looking different is key. You’re driving the future, so why not make the vehicle look like it’s from the future? The iX is nothing less than Ziggy Stardust on wheels. Two versions of this iX are on offer. The xDrive50 kicks off at $83,200, packs a 516-horsepower punch, and can run for up to 324 miles on a charge. Its crazy-fast brother is the iX M60, with a maximum hp of 610, 811 lb-ft of torque, 280 miles of range, and a $108,900-andup sticker. Let’s save the electric M60 Frankenbeemer for another day and revel in the equally eye-watering performance of the xDrive50. For those who have yet to experience the tingling delights of electric power, you’re in for a treat. The way this iX 50 catapults off the line, slingshots past dawdling traffic, and acts like a four-wheeled extra from Top Gun: Maverick is breathtaking. Zero to 60 in 4.4 seconds? That’ll do nicely.
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7/29/22 10:03 AM
