► BMW’s flagship luxury EV
► 2.7-tonnes, 536bhp, 388-mile range
► Priced from £107k
Welcome to the BMW i7. As the all-electric version of the manufacturer’s flagship 7 Series limo, it’s priced from £107k, is almost 5.5 metres long and weighs in at over 2.7 tonnes.
No doubt some will interpret these figures as the repulsive bi-product of both 21st century excess and the rapid shift towards inherently bloated EVs. Others will note the marmite styling and suggest that BMW has well and truly lost their way with its latest models.
While there is a case to be made for all of the above, there’s an even stronger argument to suggestion that the i7 is quite possibly the finest EV on sale today and the best luxury car south of a Rolls Royce. Find out why below…
What’s it like to be driven around in?
Yep, this is one of those cars where starting the review anywhere but the back seat just feels plain wrong – so here goes. Like the rest of the 7 Series range, the i7 has grown by 130mm in length, 48mm in width and 51mm in height, so as well as making it even more of a pain to navigate in underground car parks it also means that good old-fashioned passenger space is in abundance.
Sink down into the BMW Individual Merino leather/cashmere wool seats and marvel at their comfort as you instruct the BMW Personal Assistant voice control to automatically shut your door for you. Look up and you’ll spot the Sky Lounge panoramic glass sunroof – punctuated by LED backlit threads forming a diamond pattern inspired by the stitching on the quilted leather seats. Can’t quite see it properly? No problem. Simply activate the reclining function on the Executive Lounge seats, then put your feet up on the integrated leg rest. It’s all very Emirates First Class cabin and that’s before we even get onto the tech.
We’ve all seen luxury cars with TV screens integrated into the headrests or even the seat backs, yet BMW has taken this one step further with what it calls the Theatre Screen. To activate it, you simply select the option in the BMW Touch Command unit (a small tablet screen built into the rear doors) and watch the ‘setup’ ceremony commence.
First, you’ll hear a unique sound composition created by Hans Zimmer, then the sun blinds for the side windows, rear window and glass sunroof all gently close as the 31.3-inch 8K touchscreen heaves into view from its mounting in the roof lining. It’s a stunning thing to behold and includes Amazon Fire TV functionality meaning you can play games and watch programmes and films via popular apps such as Netflix and YouTube using onboard 5G connectivity.
Meanwhile, the accompanying soundtrack is either played through headphones or the Bowers and Wilkins Diamond Surround Sound System. Boasting 4D audio, 36 speakers, 1,965 watts and headrest integrated surround sound speakers, it delivers arguably the finest experience available in a car. Even with low-quality radio or iTunes tracks, the depth, clarity and detail in the resulting audio is superb.
Experiencing the rear-seat opulence of the 7 Series for the first time is an incredible experience even for a seasoned road tester, yet is it perfect? Not quite. Those automatic doors – a wonderful novelty to show your friends but after a while they become tiresome. Then, there’s the Theatre Screen. Sure, it looks incredible but it’s undoubtedly flawed to the point where BMW must have realised yet signed it off anyway.
For example, you sit too close to the screen (its forwards and backwards movement is limited) and this means that while one side of the monitor is right in your face, the other is a good couple of feet away. Also, lowering it into position completely robs the driver of their view out of the rear-view mirror and, bizarrely, BMW has elected not to fit a virtual mirror (although they did unofficially hint that one may be on its way in future).
What’s it like up front?
Well, for starters the touch screen is positively tiny compared to what you get in the back. Coming in at a ‘mere’ 14.9-inches, the BMW Curved Display iDrive infotainment system runs BMW Operating System 8.0 and works as the main control system for the car’s functions. Next to it, and in front of the driver, is a 12.3-inch digital instrument display that replaces traditional dials, giving readouts for key vehicle info as well as media, sat-nav, telephone and more.
Predictably for BMW’s iDrive, the wealth of functionality on offer means it’s intimidating at first (even if you have swallowed the user manual) but quickly becomes intuitive and easy enough to control. In fact, the sheer variety of ways in which you can control the car’s auxiliary functions is a talking point in itself, with voice activation, physical controls, touch screens and gesture control all overlapping (for example, if you want to increase the radio volume).
The new Interaction Bar is also worth a mention, even if we’re still not certain whether it’s a gimmick or functional piece of design. Made with a crystalline surface structure, it stretches across the front cabin and houses touch sensitive controls for the ventilation, hazard warning lights and glove compartment opening.
However, it’s main functions are a) to supplement the ambient lighting (it can be illuminated in a variety of different colours) and b) provide important information to the driver. For example, if the driver or front passenger go to open the door and a moving object is approaching, the Safe Exit functionality will make the Interaction Bar flash red, warning the driver of the danger.
Other interior panels are less high-tech, but feature materials such as Fineline Lime open-pored matt fine wood, Mirror Oak Grey metallic high gloss and carbon fibre with silver threads. All of spectacular quality and all assembled with meticulous attention to detail.
Did you actually drive it?
Yes, it has taken a while to get onto that bit hasn’t it? Happily, though, it’s almost as comfortable in the driver’s seat of the i7 as it is reclined in the rear. New Comfort Seats provide excellent support (as well as heating, ventilation and massage, naturally) and the steering wheel (either available in two-spoke, flat-bottom rim or classical three-spoke style) is kept pleasingly free of too many buttons.
Set off in Comfort mode (several different driving presets are available via the My Mode selector) and the benefit of the electric drivetrain and complex suspension is immediately apparent. It’s eerily quiet – as you’d expect – and this is matched by the ride on the adaptive two-axle air suspension and electronically controlled adaptive dampers.
Regardless of speed, it makes your average road feel like a snooker table. There’s an argument that any bumps or lumps in the surface are being flattened by the sheer weight of the i7 and while it may be a flippant, the outcome is of a similar effect. Go past 70mph on an exposed piece of motorway and there’s a tiny element of wind noise from the wing mirrors, yet otherwise it’s totally serene in the i7. No mean feat considering the total lack of engine thrum that would usually provide cover for road, chassis, wind and all other noise.
Driver assistance systems are predictably vast in number with front-collision warning, lane change warning, rear collision prevention and active cruise control being a small sample. Manoeuvre Assistant is also included and makes parking the car in tight spots easier. Drivers can set the car to remember a manoeuvre into a parking spot (say, in an underground parking garage) and when that start location is reached again in future the car can repeat the manoeuvre. The i7 takes care of the brakes, accelerator, steering and gearshifts and, from 2023, can even be operated on the My BMW App.
Anything else?
If you’ve read all of the above, you can hopefully appreciate the i7’s ability is a luxury car. However, what’s perhaps even more impressive is that it still drives like a BMW should. The steering is direct and brilliantly judged, the body control excellent and the performance from the electric powertrain should leave most ICE sports cars for dust.
Power comes from a 101.7kWh battery that feeds two electric motors – one on the front axle and one on the rear (making an electric version of BMW’s xDrive all-wheel drive system). Total power and torque output is 536bhp and 549lb ft respectively, allowing 0-62mph in 4.7 seconds and a top speed of 149mph. Range is up to 388 miles, while DC charging up to 195kW means 106 miles of range can be added in just 10 minutes.
Some may prefer the low burble of a big, petrol engine to really complete the feel of luxury, yet the i7’s EV powertrain feels perfectly suited. Not only does its natural refinement shine through, but the performance on offer is also hugely impressive and exceptionally well-engineered.
BMW i7 – Verdict
On the face of it, the BMW i7 is yet another super-expensive, controversially styled, ultra-heavy EV that we’ve seen crop up countless times over the last few years. Yet to write it off for those reasons really would be an injustice of proportions matched only by the car’s radiator grille.
Granted, things like the automatic doors and Theatre Screen are solutions to a problem that never existed in the first place, but the i7 gets away with this because the fundamentals of modern luxury – space, power, tech, comfort – are all gloriously executed. What’s more, BMW has clearly gone to considerable effort to retain exemplary driving dynamics in the i7 – the kind that arguably aren’t necessary but just go to show the level of thought and engineering that’s been put into this car.
As a technical showcase it’s supreme, as a luxury car its bettered only by sister company Rolls Royce and as an EV it’s a convincing showcase for the future.