Not based on a dedicated electric vehicle platform, the i7 stands out for both good and bad reasons. The ginormous front grille is arguably its most divisive characteristic, but otherwise, almost everyone agrees that it's a fine automobile worthy of its flagship status among BMWs. The i7 received a flagship in and of itself at the Auto Shanghai 2023 for the 2024 model year in the guise of the M70 xDrive, the quickest and most powerful series-production vehicle ever from BMW.
How quick? 3.7 seconds to 100 kilometers per hour, which is roughly 3.5 seconds to 60 miles per hour. Top speed is electronically limited to 250 kilometers per hour or 155 miles per hour, partly because it's more than enough and partly because it's a rather heavy vehicle at 2,695 kilos (5,941 pounds) as per the DIN standard.
Equipped with electric motors fore and aft, hence the xDrive suffix after the M70 moniker, the newest version of the i7 puts out a massive 485 kW and 1,100 Nm of torque on full song. In old money, those figures convert to 650 horsepower and 811 pound-feet of torque. It's M car territory, make no mistake about that, but it's actually an M Performance car rather than a full-blooded M.
Far torquier than the XM Label Red, the i7 M70 xDrive is more than just a weird grille and jaw-dropping numbers on a piece of paper. The mad professors at M tuned the chassis exactly to their liking, with one eye on the 7er's ride quality. M-specific applications of the control systems for the steering, damping, and driving nannies enable a sporting experience for the driver, whenever they feel like attacking a corner with zest.
Two-axle air suspension developed by the M division also needs to be mentioned, together with the automatic self-leveling function, M-specific electronically controlled dampers, as well as air springs featuring an adapted rolling contour and reduced volume. The Bavarian automaker also paid attention to rigidity, which is of utmost importance in a vehicle this heavy while cornering. To this effect, BMW has increased the i7 M70 xDrive body's rigidity up front by adding a shear panel between the bulkhead and spring strut towers.
Photo: BMW
Equipped as standard with Integral Active Steering, active roll stabilization, blue-painted M Sport brake calipers, and 21-inch alloys of the M variety, the i7 M70 xDrive is equipped with overboost and launch control functions. Overboost is officially referred to as M Sport Boost, and the only way to access the aforementioned power and torque figures is by activating this setting.
In the Sport operating mode, the M-tuned electric motors generate 1,015 Nm (748 pound-feet) as opposed to the overboost function's 1,100 Nm (811 pound-feet). M Sport Boost can be activated with the paddle on the left of the leather-wrapped steering wheel, a heated steering wheel that also proudly wears the M logo and the go-faster division's colors in the form of stitches.
Love or hate the way it looks, the luxury zero-emission sedan is a step in the right direction for BMW as the German automaker pushes forward with its all-electric onslaught. Estimated at 488 to 560 kilometers (303 to 348 miles) in the WLTP cycle, the i7 M70 xDrive can be juiced up at a rate of 170 kilometers (106 miles) per 10 minutes at 195 kW at DC fast-charging stations.
The i7 M70 xDrive also marks the introduction of MAX RANGE in uppercase letters, a special mode that restricts and scales back a few things to increase driving range by 15 to 25 percent as per BMW's estimates. To arrive in dealer showrooms in the second half of 2023 for the 2024 model year, the flagship sedan will be manufactured at the Dingolfing plant in Germany.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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