BMW is electrifying the luxury segment with the i7. The monument of a limousine is a declaration of love to technology.
There was a time when BMW’s seven-series clearly played the sporting part in the three-way battle of German luxury sedans. Neither the Audi A8 nor the rather soft S-Class from Mercedes might compete with the greatest of all Bavarians in terms of driving pleasure.
With the introduction of the new sevens, BMW apparently deliberately breaks with this strategy. This only has something to do to a limited extent with electrification, which is now arriving in the upper luxury class for the first time. Rather, it’s down to the way the Dingolfing-built flagship feels and drives. Don’t get me wrong: with acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h in 4.7 seconds, a top speed of 240 and a chassis that still conveys the brand-typical driving pleasure, at least in sport mode, the BMW i7 is of course a extremely well made, sporty vehicle to drive – especially with the optionally available roll stabilization and all-wheel steering.
The focus of the i7 is clearly somewhere else. You have to know that in Munich it is calculated that up to 45 percent of the sevens produced will be sold to China. The USA was identified as the second most important market, followed only followingwards – and at a considerable distance – by the markets in Europe. That helps to understand the design of the i7. Because in the Far East and overseas, well-known virtues of the brand count less than at Munich’s Stachus or even at Lake Starnberg.
The huge LED-illuminated kidneys, which are optionally decorated with Swarovski crystals, the optionally electrically opening and closing doors and the iconic sounds of the various driving modes composed by Hans Zimmer can be seen as a concession to a new target audience that is less interested in sportiness . The same applies to the home cinema atmosphere in the rear seats: if desired, a 31-inch screen can be folded down from the roof and the seat behind the front passenger can be transformed into a real business-class bed in no time at all. The fact that functions such as changing the driving mode or the adaptive cruise control can only be accessed via various menus spoils the joy of the haptic volume wheel and the iDrive controller a little. One thing is certain: with a range of up to 625 kilometers, fear of range is definitely not an issue in the BMW i7.
IN THE TEST
BMW i7 xDrive60
Luxury sedan, two current-excited synchronous motors, 400 kW/455 hp, all-wheel drive, battery 101.7 kWh, charging speed max. 195 kW, WLTP consumption 18.4-19.6 kWh/100 km, 22.1 kWh in the test. From 138,900 euros, test vehicle 187,908 euros.
What likes:
The extremely high level of technology and the luxurious interior.
What I don’t like:
Anyone out there waiting for automatic doors?
What surprises:
At 5.39 meters, the new one is 13 centimeters longer than the old long version.
Perfect for:
Technology enthusiasts who like it luxurious.
