Electric cars are being billed as our cleaner, quieter future, though a new video of the BMW iNext contradicts half that premise. The video briefly shows the all-electric SUV lapping the Nurburgring, and silent it’s not. It screams through the track’s sweeping corners. No, it’s not blasting an artificial exhaust note, the driver is pushing it, and the tires are not happy about it.
In reality, an iNext making this much noise in public would quickly draw the ire of local police, and pushing the hefty SUV this hard on public streets would be dangerous. But on the Nurburgring, such spirited driving allows BMW to test the vehicle at its limits. The video from the Automotive Mike YouTube channel still shows the model wrapped in camouflage and subtle cladding, though BMW has already showed off the large grille, or “eye,” for the new model.
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The video also shows the model cruising curvy two-lane roads, where it’s much quieter. We doubt there’ll be many iNexts hitting local track days, though BMW is giving it plenty of power. It’ll be available with three outputs: 308 horsepower (229 kilowatts), 522 hp (389 kW), and 610 hp (454 kW). However, the power will have to move around a lot of weight – batteries aren’t light. BMW says a single charge will provide up to 373 miles (600 kilometers) of range, though that’s using Europe’s generous WLTP cycle.
Surprisingly, even as BMW has begun teasing the model, we don’t know when we’ll see it or when it’ll hit dealer lots; however, it’s believed the iNext will go on sale sometime next year. The iNext will be packed with technology, including Level 3 semi-autonomous driving capability, which still requires drivers to keep their hands on the wheel. It could feature other neat technologies, too, like controllable levels of side glass tinting.
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