MORE IS MORE

And less is a bore seems to be BMW's philosophy with the iX. Does it work? 

- Anubhav Sharma

Not known to many, Robert Venturi, an American architect, was the first to use this quote, ‘More is more and less is a bore’ at a time when minimalism was becoming more than a trend. Most people today, however, would know this quote from Iris Apfel, the interior designer who passed away recently, or through her Instagram or TikTok. While one can debate the provenance, BMW seems to have followed the quote to bring the more powerful iX 50 to India. The iX, since its launch two years ago, has become the highest-selling luxury EV in India which is quite an achievement considering the nascent stage the market is in. Four-digit sales figures for a car that’s north of a crore, with range anxiety and charging infrastructure challenges, is commendable. BMW feels the time is right to bring the flagship variant to India now, when the iX is clearly a favourite in the segment.

Since the iX 50 is, in essence, a variant, and not an all-new car, there aren’t many design changes. Not to say that the iX doesn’t turn heads on the road, it still does largely due to the polarising design, I feel. The iX continues to be a good blend of modern BMW design elements, where the grille takes over everything at the front, and the philosophy that EVs need to look radical.

The imposing 22-inch wheels, which come as standard now, are a welcome change giving the iX 50 more road presence and stability. The large grille isn’t there just to polarise opinions, but houses a bunch of sensors that support the iX’s advanced driver assistance systems, and adding some function to form. There are new paint schemes and alloy wheels to choose from as well.