Compare the2023 BMW iXVS 2023 Rivian R1S

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 R1S doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

Both the iX and R1S have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The iX has power child safety locks, allowing the driver to activate and deactivate them from the driver's seat and to know when they're engaged. The R1S’ child locks have to be individually engaged at each rear door with a manual switch. The driver can’t know the status of the locks without opening the doors and checking them.

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 R1S doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

The iX has a standard PostCrash iBrake, which automatically applies the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The R1S doesn’t offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The iX has a standard Active Park Distance Control that uses rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically applies the brakes to prevent a collision. The R1S doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

Both the iX and R1S have rear cross-traffic warning, but the iX has Cross Traffic Warning with braking function (automatically applies the brakes) to better prevent a collision when backing near traffic. The R1S’ Rear Cross-Traffic Warning doesn’t automatically brake.

Both the iX and the R1S have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver and front passenger knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, four-wheel antilock brakes, all wheel drive, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, 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 iX’s corrosion warranty is 4 years longer than the R1S’ (12 vs. 8 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. Rivian doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the R1S.

The iX M60’s standard electric motors produces 10 more horsepower (610 vs. 600) and 149 lbs.-ft. more torque (749 vs. 600) than the R1S Dual Motor’s standard electric motors.

On the EPA test cycle the iX gets better mileage than the R1S:

The iX can travel longer on a full charge than the R1S on a full charge:

For better stopping power the iX’s brake rotors are larger than those on the R1S:

The iX stops much shorter than the R1S:

The iX xDrive50 handles at .88 G’s, while the R1S 4dr Sport Utility pulls only .85 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

For better maneuverability, the iX M60’s turning circle is 2.9 feet tighter than the R1S’ (40.4 feet vs. 43.3 feet). The iX xDrive50’s turning circle is .5 feet tighter than the R1S’ (42.8 feet vs. 43.3 feet).

The BMW iX may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 1200 to 1350 pounds less than the Rivian R1S.

The iX is 5.8 inches shorter than the R1S, making the iX easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The iX is 10.6 inches shorter in height than the R1S, making the iX much easier to wash and garage and drive (lower center of gravity).

For excellent aerodynamics, the iX has standard flush composite headlights. The R1S has recessed headlights that spoil its aerodynamic shape and create extra drag.

As tested by Car and Driver, the interior of the iX M60 is quieter than the R1S 4dr Sport Utility:

The iX has .4 inches more front headroom, .9 inches more front shoulder room and 2.3 inches more rear legroom than the R1S.

The iX has a much larger cargo volume than the R1S 4dr Sport Utility with its rear seat up (35.5 vs. 17.6 cubic feet).

The iX’s liftgate lifts up in one piece, completely out of the way of loading and unloading, while sheltering the cargo loading area. The R1S’ tailgate’s top part raises up, but the bottom part lowers, getting in the way of loading and making an uneven surface for sliding cargo.

To make loading groceries and cargo easier when your hands are full, the iX’s liftgate can be opened and closed just by kicking your foot under the back bumper, leaving your hands completely free. The R1S doesn’t offer a hands-free gesture to open its tailgate, forcing you to put cargo down if your hands are full.

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 R1S 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 R1S’ 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 R1S 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.

The iX’s standard side window demisters help clear frost or condensation from the side windows in the winter. The R1S doesn’t even offer side window demisters, so the driver may have to wipe the windows from the outside to gain side vision.

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 R1S’ mirror doesn’t automatically adjust for backing.

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 R1S.

The iX’s optional Automatic Parking Assistant can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, starting, stopping and changing direction automatically. The R1S doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

Car and Driver performed a comparison test in its December 2022 issue and the BMW iX M60 won out over the Rivian R1S 4dr Sport Utility.

The BMW iX outsold the Rivian R1S by over seven to one during 2022.