Thermal (petrol or diesel), plug-in hybrid or 100% electric: the Series 7 customer will now have this choice to make. At least following a few months of marketing. Because the new generation of the flagship of the brand will start its career with a single variant. And proof that times are changing, it will be electric!
This trendy version is called i7. But if the name is specific, BMW made a choice opposite to that of its rival Mercedes. While the latter offers very different S-Classes and EQSs, the i7 is an electric-powered 7 Series. The look is close, the differences being made at the level of the shields and underbody.
Unlike other electrics, the i7 doesn’t even try to downsize its grille or make it look slick, keeping giant beans with vertical chrome strips. There is the new look of the big BMWs, on two levels, Citroën style! As an option, the upper part incorporates Swarovski crystals! A few touches of blue recall belonging to the i family. But they are very discreet next to the chrome, very present, with for example a thick frame for the glazing. It is obviously necessary to seduce the Chinese clientele!
The dashboard is shared with the 7 Series. It does not play the technological one-upmanship once morest the rival of Mercedes. There is not an avalanche of screens, there are two of them, which form a curved whole, under a single glass: the instrumentation measures 12.3 inches, the infotainment 14.9 inches. These elements are devoid of a cap, which contributes to the desire to lighten the presentation. With this in mind, the air vents have been hidden in a central decorative band whose color changes. At the rear, an Executive Lounge option provides a seat with integrated legrest. Passengers in the bench seat can also take advantage of a giant 31.3-inch screen, integrated into the roof.
The i7 will be launched with an xDrive60 version. There are two electric motors, one on each axle, giving four-wheel drive. The maximum cumulative power is 544 hp. The torque can reach 745 Nm. This model goes from 0 to 100 km/h in 4.7 seconds. The maximum speed is 240 km/h.
The battery has a useful capacity of 101.7 kWh, a big value. This is necessary to offer significant autonomy that will not scare away business customers. BMW announces 590 to 625 km with the WLTP cycle. A 195 kW fast recharge allows you to regain 170 km of autonomy in 10 minutes. A more powerful version has already been announced for 2023: it is the M70 xDrive, with 660 hp.
The surprise may come from the arsenal of driving assistance. Of course, the i7 fills up. But there is no significant innovation, as you might expect with this kind of flagship. BMW will above all seek to improve what exists (active cruise control, lane keeping, etc.) to soon reach level 3 autonomous driving, which makes it possible to delegate driving more often. The system that allows parking to be managed from outside the vehicle will arrive in 2023.
The i7 will hit the roads in November 2022. It already has an xDrive 60 price: €139,900.
