2024 BMW i7 First Test: The Best Big Luxury Car On Sale?

We take a look at the new

Transcript

00:00 [MUSIC]

00:10 [MUSIC]

00:20 [MUSIC]

00:30 The story of the BMW 7 Series has long been, yeah, it's fine, it's nice, but

00:46 it's not all that bad, and it's not all that bad, either.

00:50 It's a little bit better than the BMW 7 Series, but it's not all that bad.

00:55 It's a little bit better than the BMW 7 Series, but it's not all that bad.

00:59 It's a little bit better than the BMW 7 Series, but it's not all that bad.

01:03 It's a little bit better than the BMW 7 Series, but it's not all that bad.

01:07 It's a little bit better than the BMW 7 Series, but it's not all that bad.

01:12 The M70 is a big old thing, nearly 18 feet long, it rides on the longest wheelbase of

01:17 any current sedan, save for those sporting a Rolls Royce badge.

01:22 At 6,115 pounds, it's heavier than all the cars just mentioned,

01:27 including its direct rival, the Mercedes AMG EQS.

01:31 But the M70 has the power to move all that tonnage around.

01:34 [MUSIC]

01:38 Two electric motors combine for 650 horsepower and 748 pound-feet of torque.

01:44 However, there's an overboost feature tied to launch control,

01:48 which bumps the torque up to 811 pound-feet for 10 seconds.

01:53 This means the big beamer can sprint to 60 miles an hour in 3.2 seconds,

01:58 run the quarter mile in 11.5 seconds at 122.4 miles per hour.

02:03 And the brakes are good enough to haul it down from 60 miles an hour to a dead stop

02:07 in a relatively tidy 109 feet.

02:10 On our figure eight course, the M70 put down a 24.7 second lap,

02:15 just two-tenths of a second behind a Honda Civic Type R.

02:19 We can't make it make sense either.

02:21 Inside, you're treated to non-leather seats,

02:25 a rarity in today's leather-lined luxury car world.

02:29 The bad part inside the i7 is just how convoluted the iDrive menu has become.

02:33 There are over 40 different apps to navigate through, and it's just confusing.

02:38 But never mind any of that, as the i7 has a Learjet-like rear seat with massage

02:43 and a fold-down, very high-definition 34-inch screen.

02:46 Can you get past the i7's insane design?

02:53 Because if you can, the best-driving big luxury sedan currently on sale

02:58 is ready and waiting for you.

03:00 (dramatic music)