The BMW i7 xDrive60: Opulence Meets Electric Performance

Top-of-the-line electric cars, especially European ones, tend to be expensive. That is likely to change at least a little over time, but the 2023 i7 xDrive60 tested was US$151,995. That included a lot of extras, because the base price for the model is US$119,300.   

There are advantages to building EVs on dedicated platforms, because they’re optimized for batteries at inception. That’s not BMW’s approach, though, as the i7 variants sit on the same platform as the gas engine 7-Series. That means it’s big (17.6 feet long and 6,067 pounds), imposing (sitting on 21-inch wheels) and offering few clues that it plugs in. The car has the big kidney grille that BMW adopted for the 4-Series, but if you look closely you’ll see it’s a false front there mostly for appearances. But the grille is “active,” meaning that it has shutters that open to admit cooling air when needed. Somehow the styling works in a massive kind of way, but the top-and-bottom LED headlights on each side require some mental assimilation. 

Given the weight, it’s not surprising that this i7 has a 101.7 kilowatt-hour (usable) battery, supplying twin motors with 225 horsepower up front and 308 horsepower on the back axle. As big as it is, it can reach 60 miles per hour in just 4.1 seconds, though it feels more extremely capable than neck-snapping fast. It does its work with Rolls-Royce levels of silence. Also keeping occupants isolated from the vagaries of the road are adaptive shock absorbers and air suspension. Levels of brake regeneration can be dialed in, though if you’re subject to motion sickness and want as cushy a drive experience as possible, you’ll turn it off. 

The cabin of the i7 is particularly plush, featuring full smoke white merino leather seats (a US$1,000 option) with massage functions. The rear seats also massage (US$600). And the option list includes US$7,250 for the rear executive lounge seating, which features a 31-inch theater screen that lowers from the ceiling for the passengers, a center console, and reclining seats with footrests. Climate, seat and lighting can be adjusted via individual 5.5-inch screens for the two rear passengers. The Bowers & Wilkins stereo doesn’t come with the car; it’s a US$4,800 extra. The first-class airplane cabin has come to life, and many of these will chauffeur Chinese executives. 

Those executives will have to be patient while the i7 recharges. The official EPA range is 308 miles, but some road tests have seen less than that. The i7 can fast recharge at 195 kilowatts, adding 100 miles in about 12 minutes, but with 11.5-kilowatt home charging getting filled up will take about 10 hours. 

This is one of those new cars that does away with most of the physical buttons in favor of on-screen controls. That can get annoying, though the pain will undoubtedly lessen once owners are fully at home with the menus. The gearshift is an attractive crystal device, adding to the feeling of opulence. 

Also available is the single-motor i7 xDrive50, priced at US$105,700. The i7 xDrive60 will move occupants to their destinations at a fairly brisk pace. The car is too fast to be called “stately.” But if you want your electric i7 to really move out you’ll buy a US$169,495 2024 M70 xDrive, which produces as much as 650 horsepower and up to 811 pound-feet of torque (in launch control mode). Zero to 60 takes only 3.5 seconds.