BMW i7 premium sedan is here, starting at $120,000

20 April 2022

BMW's first all-electric 7 series is here. The BMW i7 is now official, alongside the combustion-engined 740i and 760i. We've seen both leaks and official teasers, which painted a comprehensive picture of what BMW's first all-electric luxury sedan will look like, but there was still a surprise.

First off, let's talk numbers. The BMW i7 xDrive60 has a 101.7 kWh battery and a pair of electric motors that combine for 536hp power output and 745nm (549 lb-ft) of torque. The i7 can sprint from 0 to 100 km/h in 4.5s and continue on to reach 240 km/h (149 mph). The WLPT range is 590-625 km, while EPA is 499 km.

The battery has a WLTP consumption of 19.6-18.4 kWh and supports DC charging up to 195kW, which can add up to 170km of range in just 10 minutes of fast charging.

The surprise was the M70 xDrive version, which bumps the output to "well over" 600hp and the torque to over 1,000Nm (737 lb-ft). This will help reduce the 0-100km/h figure to just 4s. It will come with a lower 542km WLTP range, though, due to the increased 26.4 – 21.2 kWh/100km consumption.

Design-wise the BMW i7 is more conventional than the bulbous Mercedes-Benz EQS. BMW calls its design monolithic. The i7 features the split headlights premiered by the X7 - with crystal headlights on the top and the high beams hidden under a darker cover underneath.

The iconic dual kidney grille is here with an illuminated surround. There are blue accents on the alloy rims, the sills, and the bumpers, indicating that this is an electric vehicle.

The wheelbase is extended to 3,215mm over the previous 7 series, and there's a two-axle adaptive air suspension and rear-wheel steering. The taillights are separate, unlike those on the previous 7 series.

The interior is as posh as it gets. Before you get it, you're greeted by automatically opening doors that will also happily close themselves behind you. The seats can be configured with Merino leather or Cashmere wool. The seats are heated, just like the panel, the armrests, and the underside of the instrument panel.

There are a lot of displays around the cabin. The driver gets a curved widescreen infotainment display with integrated 5G and the option for an eSIM - 12.3-inch instrument cluster screen and a 14.9-inch central infotainment screen.

This central display features different display modes like Expressive, Relax, Theatre, and Digital, and it supports YouTube streaming. The dash has an integrated Interaction Bar, which combines the interior ambient lighting effect with digital controls for the air conditioning, which is cleverly embedded into this dash touch bar with hidden vents.

The Sky Lounge glass sunroof has LED light threads which can display different accents. There are 5.5-inch touchscreens embedded into the rear door handles, from which you control different functions of the cabin like the automatically reclining rear passenger seat.

The highlight of the rear of the i7's cabin is the Theatre Screen - it deploys automatically along with a sunroof cover to give you better visibility. The 31-inch 32:9 widescreen display has 8K resolution (7,680x2,160px) and built-in Amazon Fire TV so you can enjoy on-the-go movies. The Theatre Screen pairs nicely with the optional 36-speaker Bowers&Wilkins stereo system.

The BMW i7 xDrive 60 comes with Level 3 autonomous driving, which, depending on the road situation, will allow you to take your hands off the wheel for short periods of time.

Pre-orders for the BMW i7 xDrive 60 begin today. There's a $1,500 pre-order deposit and the car starts at just over $120,000 ($119,300 for the car itself and destination fee). Shipments are expected to begin in the US from Q4 of 2022.

The BMW i7 M70 xDrive is coming in 2023, but we got no details on its pricing at this point.