Compare the2023 BMW iXVS 2023 Ford Mustang Mach-E

The iX’s pre-crash front seatbelts will tighten automatically in the event the vehicle detects an impending crash, improving protection against injury significantly. The Mustang Mach-E doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

The BMW iX has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags helps prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Mustang Mach-E doesn’t offer a front passenger side knee airbag.

The iX’s standard pretensioning seatbelts also sense rear collisions and remove slack from the front seatbelts to help protect the occupants from whiplash and other injuries. The Mustang Mach-E doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, Full-Time Four-Wheel Drive is standard on the iX. But it costs extra on the Mustang Mach-E.

Both the iX and the Mustang Mach-E have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front and rear side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, post-collision automatic braking systems, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, driver alert monitors and available around view monitors.

The BMW iX weighs 697 to 1375 pounds more than the Ford Mustang Mach-E. The NHTSA advises that heavier vehicles are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts.

The iX comes with a full 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The Mustang Mach-E’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 14,000 miles sooner.

The iX’s corrosion warranty is 7 years longer than the Mustang Mach-E’s (12 vs. 5 years).

BMW pays for scheduled maintenance on the iX for 3 years and 36,000 miles. BMW will pay for oil changes, lubrication and any other required maintenance. Ford doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the Mustang Mach-E.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that BMW vehicles are better in initial quality than Ford vehicles. J.D. Power ranks BMW above average in initial quality. With 2 more problems per 100 vehicles, Ford is rated lower.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that BMW vehicles are more reliable than Ford vehicles. J.D. Power ranks BMW above average in long-term dependability. With 5 more problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, Ford is rated lower.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2023 Auto Issue reports that BMW vehicles are more reliable than Ford vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks BMW third in overall reliability. Ford is ranked 18th.

The iX has more powerful engines than the Mustang Mach-E:

As tested in Motor Trend the BMW iX is faster than the Ford Mustang Mach-E:

On the EPA test cycle the iX gets better mileage than the Mustang Mach-E:

The iX can travel longer on a full charge than the Mustang Mach-E on a full charge:

The iX has a standard locking charge port with a remote release located convenient to the driver. The Mustang Mach-E doesn’t have a locking charge port. A locking charge port prevents tampering and damage.

The iX’s launch control uses engine electronics to hold engine RPM’s at 60 in order to provide the most stable and rapid acceleration possible, using all of the available traction. The Mustang Mach-E doesn’t offer launch control.

The iX’s standard front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The rear discs on the Mustang Mach-E are solid, not vented.

The iX stops much shorter than the Mustang Mach-E:

For better traction, the iX has larger standard tires than the Mustang Mach-E (235/60R20 vs. 225/60R18). The iX’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Mustang Mach-E (275/40R22 vs. 245/45R20).

The iX’s optional tires provide better handling because they have a lower 40 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Mustang Mach-E GT’s 45 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the iX has standard 20-inch wheels. Smaller 18-inch wheels are standard on the Mustang Mach-E. The iX’s optional 22-inch wheels are larger than the 20-inch wheels on the Mustang Mach-E GT.

The iX has a standard automatic front and rear load leveling suspension to keep ride height level with a heavy load or when towing. The iX’s height leveling suspension allows the driver to raise ride height for better off-road clearance and then lower it again for easier entering and exiting and better on-road handling. The Mustang Mach-E doesn’t offer a load leveling suspension.

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the iX is 2.5 inches wider in the front and 3.8 inches wider in the rear than on the Mustang Mach-E.

The iX xDrive50 handles at .88 G’s, while the Mustang Mach-E 4 pulls only .82 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The iX M60 executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 2.5 seconds quicker than the Mustang Mach-E California Route 1 (25.5 seconds @ .74 average G’s vs. 28 seconds @ .62 average G’s).

For greater off-road capability the iX has a 3 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the Mustang Mach-E (8.8 vs. 5.8 inches), allowing the iX to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

As tested by Car and Driver, the interior of the iX M60 is quieter than the Mustang Mach-E Select 4:

The iX has 2.6 inches more front headroom, 3.9 inches more front shoulder room, 1.3 inches more rear headroom, .8 inches more rear legroom and 2.4 inches more rear shoulder room than the Mustang Mach-E.

The iX has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Mustang Mach-E with its rear seat up (35.5 vs. 34.4 cubic feet). The iX has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Mustang Mach-E with its rear seat folded (77.9 vs. 64.4 cubic feet).

Pressing a switch automatically lowers the iX’s rear seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The Mustang Mach-E doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

J.D. Power and Associates surveys of service recipients show that BMW service is better than Ford. J.D. Power ranks BMW 7th in service department satisfaction (above the industry average). With a 28% lower rating, Ford is ranked 22nd.

The iX offers an optional heads-up display that projects speed, warning and navigation instruction readouts in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The Mustang Mach-E doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

Laser headlights, optional on the iX, produce their light by firing blue lasers through phosphorus, a process that uses one-half the power of the Mustang Mach-E’s LED headlights. Laser headlights can have double the range of LEDs with a much smaller surface area.

To help drivers avoid possible obstacles, the iX has standard cornering lights to illuminate around corners when the turn signals are activated. The Mustang Mach-E doesn’t offer cornering lights. The iX also offers optional adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle.

When the iX is put in reverse, the passenger rearview mirror tilts from its original position. This gives the driver a better view of the curb during parallel parking maneuvers. Shifting out of reverse puts the mirror into its original position. The Mustang Mach-E’s mirror doesn’t automatically adjust for backing.

The iX’s standard rear and side view mirrors have an automatic dimming feature. These mirrors can be set to automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on them, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The Mustang Mach-E has an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

The iX has standard heated front seats. Heated front seats are only available on the Mustang Mach-E Premium/CA RT 1/GT. The iX also has standard heated rear seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated rear seats aren’t available in the Mustang Mach-E.

Optional air-conditioned seats in the iX keep the driver and front passenger comfortable and take the sting out of hot seats in Summer. The Mustang Mach-E doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats.

The iX has a standard heated steering wheel to take the chill out of steering on extremely cold winter days before the vehicle heater warms up. A heated steering wheel is only available on the Mustang Mach-E Premium/CA RT 1/GT.

The iX offers optional massaging front seats in order to maximize comfort and eliminate fatigue on long trips. Massaging seats aren’t available in the Mustang Mach-E.