The new iX3 is BMW’s game-changing electric SUV, and the first act from a generation of ‘Neue Klasse’ vehicles. And for Rivian, the new electric R2 is equally important, as a mass-market follow-up to its first vehicles, the R1T and R1S. Respectively, they are the best of their type from either side of the Atlantic, but does a legacy European brand, or an American start-up, make the best electric SUV?
🚗 BMW iX3 & Rivian R2
🎤 Ollie Kew
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Service & Feedback
00:00 BMW iX3 vs Rivian R2
01:05 BMW iX3 50 Intro
02:52 Rivian R2 Performance Intro
03:37 How Much?
04:19 Exterior Walkarounds
06:37 Is Rivian The Next Tesla?
07:40 Is The R2’s Range Good Enough?
08:19 BMW iX3 First Impressions
09:23 BMW iX3 Interior Explainer
13:00 Rivian R2 Interior Explainer
17:20 BMW iX3 Road Review
19:03 What’s The Rivian’s Range?
19:36 Rivian R2 Road Review
22:02 Which Wins?
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Do you rate the Rivian, or is the BMW best?
The Rivian R2 knocks it out of the park. I'm convinced it's going to overtake the Model Y going sideways. Not to say it's perfect, because it isn't. Just like the presenter mentionned; those doorhandles have got to go, and the fit & finish could improve. I'm also absolutely not a fan of screens at all, and all vehicles today have collectively lost any big of analog dial, gauge & (nearly all) physical button from their cabin. Truly aberrant.
But otherwise, Rivian does appear to understand its market & its customer base, strangely a whole lot more than the legacy brands. I really hope Rivian can prove to the world that it's family-priced EV SUV can survive the test of time with regards to reliability & dependability : the true family car test.
…because at the end of the day, it's the single most important feature out there. Reliability & durability, regardless of how it's treated, driven, used, abused. That's why Toyota sits where it does on the thrown of desirability amonst both enthusiasts & non-enthusiasts.
When it comes to Canada, and proves its worth, I'll be buying a used one, which will be my first SUV and my first electrified vehicle.
Djeezus so tired of the complaining about non issues.
Want to the most advanced US EV SUV, try the Lucid Gravity.
BMW is really ugly
The Rivian looks like 00s Ford Explorer with a wacky anime facelift. Very underwhelming.
Im sorry, but cars are done for. Going by this shit.
We think we're so clever, but we've never been so stupid.
Love how Top Gear touts the BMW as the “performance oriented” car, when the Rivian R2 completely smashes the ix3 in every performance speed metric.
WRT infotainment, although Rivian doesn’t support CarPlay & Android Auto, it uses Google Maps and has apps for Spotify and Apple Music. It can also do audio sending and playback of SMS using standard Bluetooth messaging protocols. Unfortunately no WhatsApp support.
Rivian all day
wow the rivian is ugly, multipla ugly
One has buck teeth the other has fangs😂
Not chopped Defender, A>B pillar is more Discovery 3/4
Anyone questioning the ix3’s looks gets some perspective in this video
Luxury means effortless, BMW is premium car. But nowehere near to luxury one.
The Rivian needs a 2 wheel drive Diesel version, a D2 if you will 😉
The americans always complain that europeans don't buy american cars. No surprise when they don't sell the intresting cars they make in Europe!
That Rivan R2 rear window trick is straight from the Toyota 4-Runner
If you want a boat of a car, buy the Rivian. If you want a car firmly planted on the road with exceptional range, buy the BMW.🔋⚡️
Boot and rear seat space?
I bet the BMW will be more reliable. Just look at the old ix3
No Android auto, no thanks. BMW all the way.
How much did Rivian pay for this 😂
Rivian is killing it. I was a BMW guy for 20+ years but they haven’t made anything intriguing since my E92 M3 almost 20 years ago now. I work on cars for a living these days and I can say for sure that Rivian builds cars to a better standard than the legacy automakers. PS. I daily drive a 2020 Model 3 Performance that I love. 🤷🏻♂️
No reviewer can match charisma of Jeremy, eh, it’s gonna be long time when top gear will find one
I’m expecting our ix3 50 delivery next week. Can’t wait for it. 🙂 At the test drive though I was not that much impressed. Acceleration: coming from sq7 – was not a deal breaker. Suspension: lacking air one – again was not a deal breaker. Car general size – also smaller than Audi. Still, overall comfort was very good (seats were surprisingly better than Audi) and handling was truly a kids play – that easy and comfortable. Let’s see what real life experience will be but for now: no remorses for my decision.
Rivian, too much power? You say its 650 HP is overkill😆 The US loves HP! I can’t believe the BMW doesn’t get criticized for being slow in comparison but gets praise😆 The Rivian price difference is staggering plus comes loaded and has lifetime autonomous driving that will receive free updates. The BMW has a new philosophy of pay subscriptions to go with everything optional. I love and own late model BMW’s but unfortunately the iX3 isn’t competitive in the mid size EV market, not because it’s bad but it’s competition is great and priced and equipped far better.
Ollie was absolutely on it for this episode. gg
"Lego feels more premium" damn
Alex!
I too compared both. The BMW felt claustrophobic to me compared to the Rivian. In all honesty, I was a bit disapointed in the BMW. Rivian will have much better Autonomous Driving with soon to be updates which is a big desire of mine, and felt so much more spacious. I had a ‘23 iX 50e, ‘26 Model Y, and now a Lexus RZ 450e. I’m going with the Rivian R2 with order timing Oct-Nov.
The design alone is enough for me to chose the R2. The R2 looks cool. The iX3 looks like 💩
How do the charging speeds compare? Thats more important on a long trip than raw range.
we are not in the U S A!!!
as nice as the Rivian is i would take the BMW. main reason is, it is a 4 hour drive to rivian service where as the bmw is 40 miles away.
The rivian looks like it was drawing a child, with a ruler.
You talked about how much faster the IX3 can charge. Very true if they can find chargers that can use 100% of the 800V architecture. 80% of the chargers or less are not capable of using their technology and can only do max 150KW on those chargers. So in the real world in America, the R2 actually charges way faster in those scenarios. That is something that should have been discussed here.
This guy is hilarious 😂
No physical buttons… did they learn nothing from Volkswagen?
CarPlay and android auto is not a good idea for EVs that require maps and software integrated into the cars. When will people stop asking for this
How can you not mention that the (beautiful) R2 just uses a 400V System? It takes nearly twice as long to get the Same Range back into it 😢
Could never pick that BMW with that screen shape. Why would anyone do something that's both ugly and useless?
So, a car being sold at a loss is cheaper-who knew?