iX3-EX60-R2 test drives from an Acura/Honda owner
Sharing test drive thoughts from the 3 EV SUVs I’m evaluating as my family’s daily driver. In the last week, I’ve gotten to test drive the EX60 and iX3 after two R2 test drives in early summer.
Evaluation background:
My current vehicles are a 2016 Acura RDX and 2017 Honda Accord. Currently looking to replace one with an EV and make it the daily family driver. I placed an R2 reservation a year ago because I really like the Rivian brand. I’ve driven 2 BMWs in my life, both rentals—suffice to say, I’m not super familiar with the brand, nor do I have a history or expectations.
R2, in brief:
I canceled my year-old R2 reservation in August after the second test drive. I don’t value “autonomy”, so that was never a hope or differentiator. Ultimately, my family and I found the seating too utilitarian and not comfortable enough for our daily driver. I was also annoyed my the fact that most audio had to be streamed through the phone with cell connection.
…so I got an iX3 reservation:
After a ton of research, I deduced iX3 would be the best fit for the replacement vehicle we are looking for. My local-ish dealer got me a pre-order slot that was abandoned, back in August. Week 47 build. Despite this, I’ve still really liked the idea of the Volvo EX60 as well. So was excited that 2 local dealers got their demo units in within a week of each other so I could experience both.
Test Drives - EX60 last week vs iX3 today
Interiors: EX60 feels more luxurious (“quiet luxury”, to borrow a term) and wider + more open. It’s a very relaxing car to be in with more premium-feeling touches. The iX3 interior feels like it immerses you more—it wraps around you. I liked it and I found it plenty comfortable; it’s just a completely different vibe. After reading about Volvo’s legendary seat comfort, I also found the iX3’s seats very comfortable. And, despite all I read here and elsewhere about BMW cutting corners on interior quality, nothing felt worse than my 2016 Acura RDX. It was perfectly acceptable to me.
Drive: EX60 feels tuned for a more gentle, soft ride, which includes its acceleration. Despite its 510 hp, it felt way different than my R2 test drives where the electric acceleration and torque throws you back and puts a smile on your face. Turning and cornering in the EX60 also felt more like my Acura with suspension on the softer side. On my iX3 test drive today, I felt the acceleration and torque gave me a closer feel to the R2 despite having less hp than EX60. I also really enjoyed it in tandem with the suspension—I feel like I now get what people say when they talk about feeling “planted” with the sporty BMW suspension. I thought it was great and, while sportier and tighter than my RDX, on the 20” wheels of the demo (same as I’ve spec-ed for my build), it didn’t feel too jarring which was one of my lone worries.
Tech: based on my research after canceling my R2 reservation, this was the main aspect that pushed me to the iX3 over EX60. After a glitchy software test drive of EX60 last week, the iX3 today really delivered. Self parking on the test drive was fantastic, and nothing in the segment compares to the panoramic vision—for a daily family driver and coming from 10 year old Honda tech, this was truly an amazing, driver-centric experience.
In the end: Couldn’t be more thrilled to have my iX3 order in after the test drive today and experiencing the others that were in consideration.