As the pinnacle of BMW’s range, the new i7 electric limousine shines with opulence, technology, and performance.
2023 BMW i7 xDrive 60
Let’s be completely honest here. No one needs a car with auto-opening powered doors, Swarovski crystal appointments, and a 31-inch TV in the rear seat – but if you want a car that says something, those features can’t hurt.
Sitting atop the 2023 BMW 7 Series range, the new i7 is a true flagship. Opulent, refined, absolutely huge, and packed with features that surprise, delight, and make the overall experience truly unique.
With Rolls-Royce as part of its brand stable, it’s clear that BMW has let some of that influence rub off. Be it the effortless (and soundless) electric drivetrain, the unflappable ride quality, or the fact you can push a button to open and close the doors, the 2023 BMW i7 xDrive 60 feels very much like it has been to the Rolls-Royce Finishing Academy For Modern Limousines.
While the i7 isn’t a dedicated EV platform in the same way that a Mercedes-AMG EQS is, the time and effort BMW has put into the finishing touches mean few owners are likely to lose sleep over any potential compromises.
How much does the BMW i7 cost in Australia?
Pricing for the 2023 BMW 7 Series range starts from $268,900 plus on-road costs for the petrol-powered 740i and rises to $297,900 plus on-road costs for the i7. Right now, there are just two models in the range, and gone is the option of short and long-wheelbase variants. Everything is essentially long in the current range.
Standard equipment is comprehensive. Regardless of the model you opt for, you’ll find features like metallic paint, Alcantara interior headlining, dual-screen driver display and infotainment, voice recognition and gesture control, Bowers & Wilkins audio, LED head and tail-lights with Swarovski crystal DRLs, crystal glass interior appointments, adaptive air suspension, rear-wheel steering, a panoramic glass roof, and much, much, much more.
There’s more still in the i7 with 21-inch alloy wheels, power-operated doors, multi-function electrically adjustable rear seats, an even more premium Bowers & Wilkins sound system, cashmere wool and leather interior, plus a range of electric vehicle-specific features and inclusions.
In isolation, a near $300K price tag isn’t insubstantial, but in the upper echelons of the new car market, the i7 slots in with breathing room beneath the $445K Bentley Flying Spur or the similarly sized but petrol-powered Mercedes-Benz S580L from $334K.
Vehicles of similar positioning with an electric powertrain are yet to hit the Australian market in significant numbers, with the more sports-oriented Mercedes-AMG EQS53 available from $328K (all before on-road costs).
Before we dive deeper into all the i7 has to offer, it’s worth addressing the styling.
BMW’s design department has earned a mixed reputation over the years, but the outlandish looks of cars like the M3 and M4, and the dubious detailing of the XM, have received more attention than the arguably fine (if not classically handsome) X1 or 8 Series.
In the case of the new 7, BMW seems to be fighting with itself. The tall, almost slope-less bonnet feels more befitting of an SUV than a sedan and plays off against an almost apologetic rear end with undersized rear lights.
For me, the crystal-strewn DRLs and illuminated grille frame add some interest but land clumsily. And BMW’s move to non-door handles, finished in black no matter the body colour, look like gaping holes where door hardware should be mounted.
Be that as it may, the i7 impresses in person with the sheer size and imposing features signalling to the world, in unmistakable style, that this is BMW’s ultimate expression of luxury.
| Key details | 2023 BMW i7 xDrive 60 |
| Price | $297,900 plus on-road costs |
| Colour of test car | Oxide Grey metallic |
| Options | Connoisseur Lounge – $9000 – Active seat ventilation – Executive Lounge seating – Massage seating (rear) |
| Price as tested | $306,900 plus on-road costs |
| Rivals | Mercedes-AMG EQS53 | Audi A8 50 L | Bentley Flying Spur |
How much space does the BMW i7 have inside?
For prospective buyers who might find the exterior of the new 7 Series confronting, stepping into the interior may not help.
As seen on models like the iX and XM, BMW’s tech-first interior approach finds its way into the i7. In a feverish attempt to pump the luxury approach, there’s a wealth of textures, materials, features and more.
The car you see here features interior trim in a combination of cashmere wool and Merino leather. The seat surfaces are almost suit-like to the touch, but the colour spectrum includes soft grey, medium grey, cream, and beige.
That’s on top of textile, perforated, and whole-leather finishes, interspersed with gloss black, satin metal, open-pore wood, and crystal highlights in places. Not to mention the massive backlit dash decor panel with its geometrical triangular print, like you might see on the tail of an Etihad aeroplane, or on the side of a Melbourne tram.
In short, it’s a busy place.
At least the interior is as spacious as the huge dimensions suggest. The driver and front passenger sit a respectable distance apart, with a wide centre console ensuring no elbows clashing.
As you might expect, there’s seat heating and cooling, power adjustable front seats with memory, and a comprehensive selection of massage patterns to select from.
Doors can be opened either manually or with electric assistance to help reduce user effort and a brake function to hold the door open at any angle. There’s also an auto open and close function that scans the area in the door’s path and will only swing open or closed when there’s room to do so.
The car’s smarts are supposed to take care of safe operation, but I often found doors would stop well short of obstacles. Great for avoiding damage, but often resulting in an impossibly small aperture to squeeze in and out of despite the room available beyond the door. In our time with the car the passenger’s door couldn’t be opened manually, binding against its motor, but still worked in its auto setting.
There’s a lot of tech at play here, with options to open doors via the centre screen or from the car’s remote, but short of chauffeurs not needing to exit the driver’s seat, it feels like there’s more gimmickry than substance here.
The rear seats get deep padding and are truly sumptuous to slide into. Rear seat features extend to powered blinds for the side, rear and roof glass. The sunroof has etching and LED illumination, and the powered rear seats can massage, heat and cool.
While it is, officially, a five-seater, the raised centre section means it’s better to have the centre section folded down as a full-length armrest.
The ceiling houses a 31.3-inch BMW Theatre Screen widescreen display with native Amazon Fire TV capabilities. Rear seat passengers can dial up movies, TV, YouTube and more, making for an experience that’s more like a first-class aircraft seat than a traditional luxury car place-setting.
For the rear left passenger, a full recline function pushes the front seat forward, pops up an ottoman to stretch your feet on, and creates a chaise-like lounge. This is available as part of the Executive Lounge seating bundled in with the $9000 Connoisseur Lounge option package.
As impressive as it is from a passenger experience, there are a couple of small gripes BMW couldn’t resolve.
Despite its huge and complex hinge mechanism, the screen can’t be slid forward when folded, so rear passengers can’t get a full open view of the sunroof above.
The front seat, when tilted forward, creates a huge blind spot for the driver and blocks the left mirror (something the previous 7 Series avoided). The interior rear-view mirror lacks a digital view function found overseas, meaning vision is greatly reduced with the rear privacy screen up or the rear TV down.
Boot space is a decent 500L, but as is so often the case for cars in this class, the complex rear seat mechanism means there’s no fold function for long items. Plenty of space to pack for a weekend, or even a week away, though.
| 2023 BMW i7 xDrive 60 | |
| Seats | Five |
| Boot volume | 500L |
| Length | 5391mm |
| Width | 2192mm |
| Height | 1544mm |
| Wheelbase | 3215mm |
Does the BMW i7 have Apple CarPlay and Android Auto?
Although not entirely new, the infotainment system in the i7 is displayed across a 14.9-inch centre touchscreen supported by a 12.3-inch instrument cluster. As found in other BMW models, both are contained within a single-piece curved display panel.
Interaction is via the display, voice commands, or finger control with a series of wipes, twirls and pokes in front of the screen that a camera interprets to adjust volume, reject calls, or skip tracks. The 7 Series also keeps the iDrive controller in the console, finished in crystal on the i7, with a touchpad in the top that can be used to trace individual letters of an address or contact name.
The system itself is comprehensive, although some of the simplicity and ease of access from earlier iDrive generations have gone missing.
Interfaces for climate control, seat heating and cooling, seat massage, and fine-level adjustments beyond slide and recline all reside here and not via physical controls, making it an effort to find relatively simple functions.
BMW also allows digital key access via a compatible smartphone and has a smartphone app for remote access to lock and unlock, see location info, cool the cabin, and see remaining range data.
Rear seat passengers don’t miss out. Instead of a single hand-held controller (like the previous 7 Series), a small 5.5-inch display in each armrest controls climate, seat, audio, maps, blinds, and the BMW Theatre Screen.
A Bowers & Wilkins sound system delivers impressive performance thanks to a 1965-watt, 39-speaker sound stage. It’s an immersive experience for the most part, though even with those gargantuan specs there are some audio clarity glitches such as muffled highs and weedy-sounding bass.
The 4D bass experience, via exciters mounted in each seat, seems to make things worse by delivering off-beat vibrations that spoil the experience without contributing any real bass.
Is the BMW i7 a safe car?
The BMW i7, along with its petrol-powered 7 Series range-mate, is untested by either ANCAP or its European counterpart, Euro NCAP.
| 2023 BMW i7 xDrive 60 | |
| ANCAP rating | Untested |
What safety technology does the BMW i7 have?
The BMW i7 comes standard with autonomous emergency braking, lane-keep assist, lane-centring assist, blind-spot monitoring, front and rear cross-traffic alert, rear collision prevention, and adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go – bundled under BMW’s ‘driving assistant professional’ banner.
The i7 also has exit warning, a drive recorder (using the car’s inbuilt 360-degree cameras like a dash cam), automatic speed sign assist, and seven airbags (including a central airbag between driver and front passenger).
BMW’s well-honed driver-assist tech is intuitive and easy to live with. Response from the adaptive cruise control is gentle enough to not ruffle occupants unnecessarily, but the driver-assist functions require constant driver input, with BMW’s steering assist not allowing the short hands-off stints that Mercedes and Audi do.
How much does the BMW i7 cost to maintain?
BMW backs its range with a five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty. The i7’s high-voltage battery is covered for eight years or 160,000km (whichever is sooner).
The i7, like other BMW models, is available with pre-paid BMW Service Inclusive packages of four years ($1719) or six years ($2550). Service intervals are condition-based with the car prompting when it requires attention.
Included with the i7 is a home wallbox for faster three-phase charging, but customers will have to pay for installation separately. It also comes with a complimentary five-year Chargefox subscription to keep your i7 energised on the go.
A number of major insurers were unable to provide an insurance quote for the i7, although the one quote we could obtain came in at a hefty $8088 per year. This is a comparative quote for a 35-year-old male driver living in Chatswood, NSW. Insurance estimates may vary based on your location, driving history, and personal circumstances.
| At a glance | 2023 BMW i7 xDrive 60 |
| Warranty | Five years, unlimited km |
| Service intervals | Condition-based servicing |
| Servicing costs | $1719 (4 years) $2550 (6 years) |
Is the BMW i7 energy-efficient?
BMW lists an official energy consumption rating of 22.2kWh/100km, and pleasingly, the i7 returned a ballpark 23.4kWh/100km on test.
Our driving was split between a week of commuting plus a weekend of coastal touring, resulting in an even split of city and highway miles.
BMW’s 625km claimed range seems optimistically high, but a realistic high-400s or low-500s driving range feels more achievable and still makes for a good touring range between charges.
The i7 does miss out on some latest and greatest charging tricks, and can only charge at up to 11kW AC or 195kW DC. While hardly a deal-breaker, it means this potentially popular hire car can’t take advantage of faster 22kW AC charging (rare though it might be) and lacks the ultra-rapid 350kW DC compatibility of some cheaper EVs. Hire car companies won’t like having it sit idle for many hours while charging.
Energy Consumption – brought to you by bp
| Energy Efficiency | Energy Stats |
| Energy cons. (claimed) | 22.2kWh/100km |
| Energy cons. (on test) | 23.4kWh/100km |
| Battery size | 106kWh |
| Driving range claim (WLTP) | 625km |
| Charge time (11kW) | 10h 42min |
| Charge time (50kW) | 2h 21min |
| Charge time (195kW max rate) | 34min (claimed 10–80%) |
What is the BMW i7 like to drive?
The BMW i7 offers a complex but marvellous sensory experience.
Make no mistake, the dual electric motor drivetrain can deliver crushing acceleration when all 400kW and 745Nm are let loose, but that’s not its biggest lure. As with almost all electric cars, the near silence and vibration-free operation matter the most.
Plush and sumptuous seating, an incredible amount of sound insulation, and an almost pillow-like ride make the BMW i7 a limo’s limo.
There’s no escaping the sheer size of it, though. The huge dimensions and corner-filling square edges make for an imposing proposition from behind the wheel.
Moving off from a standstill, the i7 exhibits a grace and gentleness that is surprising given its sheer size. The roll-on effect as you press the long-travel accelerator means no occupant gets jarred, rattled, or caught off guard.
The air suspension avoids the slight jitteriness that usually afflicts air systems, turning almost any surface into a smooth and continuous stream.
In place of traditional drive modes that alter the steering, suspension, and motor responsiveness, BMW has branded them ‘My Modes’. Beyond the traditional adjustments, they also alter ambient lighting, screen images and blind positioning.
It’s a novel idea with plenty of customisation, though it can be tiresome to flick from one mode to another and have the rear blinds deploy when all you really wanted was to soften the suspension. Theatre, Sport, and Efficient modes are self-explanatory, but Expressive mode and Digital Art mode aren’t your typical automotive fare.
The latter, more an interior decorator mode than a drive mode, includes digital display art by Chinese multimedia artist Cao Fei, which “explores the permanent interrelationship between different actors and areas of life in a globalised and networked world”. Or so BMW says. I’m no fine art critic, so the full experience was lost on me.
More unexpectedly, the Boost paddle behind the left steering wheel spoke unlocks brutal acceleration. Pull the paddle, shove the accelerator hard, and brace. The i7 throws mechanical sympathy out the door and delivers neck-snapping aggression, unbecoming of such an otherwise peaceful luxury conveyance.
The 4.7-second 0–100km/h sprint is impressive for a vehicle of this class and size, but not the sharpest in the EV realm. The sheer size and sympathetic suspension tune also mean that rather than hunkering down in Sport mode, there’s still suppleness and lean through corners.
The i7’s clearly Rolls-Royce-inspired refinement and plushness are by far its best assets that shame the similarly priced (though more dynamically optimised) Mercedes-AMG EQS53.
| Key details | 2023 BMW i7 xDrive 60 |
| Engine | Dual electric motors |
| Power | 400kW combined |
| Torque | 745Nm combined |
| Drive type | All-wheel drive |
| Transmission | Single-speed |
| Power-to-weight ratio | 151kW/t |
| Weight (kerb) | 2640kg |
| Turning circle | 12.3m |
Should I buy a BMW i7?
Between the impressive level of technology, an interior that exudes affluence, and the stunning silence of the interior, the BMW i7 tops the limo class right now. The i7 tops limo rivals from Mercedes, Audi, and Bentley, and is the best limousine money can buy short of spending twice the price on a Rolls-Royce Ghost.
The car we spent time with possessed some quirks. Not ideal, but all likely software-driven and hopefully ironed out in quick measure by BMW.
The experience is truly impressive overall, and in terms of what both the driver and passengers see, feel, and hear, the i7 breaks impressive new ground for both BMW and the exclusive super-luxury limousine segment.
The post 2023 BMW i7 xDrive 60 review appeared first on Drive.
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