BMW iX3 M60 outlasts the Macan Turbo Electric by over 160 km
The quickest iX3 trades only 51 km of range for 143 extra horsepower
BMW presents the iX3 M60 xDrive, the most powerful version of the iX3, World Car of the Year 2026, and the first M Performance model on the Neue Klasse platform. It has 612 hp, 875 Nm and the same 108.7 kWh battery as the iX3 50 xDrive. Orders open at the end of January 2027, and BMW will build it in Debrecen, Hungary, from the spring.
BMW iX3 M60 vs Porsche Macan Turbo Electric: 754 km against 590 km
The BMW iX3 M60 is rated at 754 km WLTP, more than 160 km beyond the roughly 590 km of the Porsche Macan Turbo Electric, its most obvious rival. The Porsche is quicker, with 639 hp under launch control, 0 to 100 km/h in 3.3 seconds and 260 km/h flat out, against 3.9 seconds and 240 km/h for the BMW. The BMW answers with a bigger usable battery, 108.7 kWh against about 95 kWh, and 400 kW DC charging where the Macan peaks at around 270 kW. The Macan Turbo Electric also costs well over €110,000 in Germany.
A Gen6 EESM rear motor and a 420 A inverter give the iX3 M60 612 hp
The iX3 M60 gets its extra 143 hp from a new Gen6 electrically excited synchronous motor (EESM) at the rear axle, with a redesigned stator and an inverter rated at 420 A instead of 300 A. Against the iX3 50 xDrive, output rises from 469 to 612 hp and torque from 645 to 875 Nm, while a longer ratio and a higher maximum rotor speed lift the top speed from 210 to 240 km/h. An EESM builds its rotor's magnetic field with copper windings fed by direct current, so the rear motor needs no rare-earth permanent magnets. In the iX3 50 xDrive it is paired with an asynchronous motor at the front, which is magnet-free as well.
iX3 M60 range falls 51 km to 754 km against the iX3 50 xDrive
The extra performance costs the iX3 M60 51 km of WLTP range against the 805 km iX3 50 xDrive, a 6 percent loss for 30 percent more power. Ten minutes at an 800 V charger add up to 340 km instead of 371 km, although a 10 to 80 percent charge still takes 21 minutes, and 22 kW AC charging comes as standard. The chassis gets the bigger rework: adaptive M suspension with electronically controlled dampers, variable sport steering, an M Sport differential at the rear axle and two exclusive My Modes, M Sport and M Sport Plus, are all standard.
Mercedes GLC 400 4MATIC offers 489 hp and 713 km from €71,281
The Mercedes-Benz GLC 400 4MATIC with EQ Technology is the closer benchmark on price, at €71,281 in Germany. It has 489 hp, a 94 kWh battery, 0 to 100 km/h in 4.3 seconds and 713 km of WLTP range, so the iX3 M60 beats it by 123 hp and 41 km. For comparison, the iX3 50 xDrive costs €70,900 in Germany and €73,925 in Ireland. If BMW prices the M60 close to the Mercedes, it becomes the easiest recommendation in the class; if it moves towards Porsche money, the Macan comparison takes over.
Debrecen builds the iX3 M60 from spring 2027, with orders from late January
BMW will build the iX3 M60 at Debrecen in Hungary from spring 2027, on the line it moved to 24-hour shifts in September to clear 50,000 iX3 orders, and customers can order it from the end of January. The M60 stands apart with M Yellow Lights inspired by the BMW M Hybrid V8 race car, triple-stripe light elements beside the kidneys, a roof spoiler with two aeroblades and 21-inch M wheels. BMW also offers 25 special-request paint finishes from launch. The car tops a range that starts with the rear-wheel-drive iX3 40 at €63,400 in Germany.
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Range is usually the first thing a fast SUV gives up, and the iX3 M60 barely gives any. It out-reaches the Macan Turbo Electric by more than 160 km and the most powerful electric GLC by 41 km, and it loses only 6 percent against the longest-range iX3, which makes it a performance version a long-distance driver could pick on practicality alone. The Macan Turbo still accelerates harder and wears the more desirable badge; the BMW needs fewer charging stops and charges faster when it does stop.
Price will decide which rival it ends up fighting. When orders open at the end of January, BMW will list the iX3 M60 below €90,000 in Germany, more than €20,000 under the Macan Turbo Electric and within reach of a well-specified GLC 400. At that level it becomes the default fast electric SUV for anyone who covers real distances, and Porsche will feel it in its 2027 Macan order intake.
