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Auto Review: 2024 BMW i7 is more radical than ever

The all-new 7th generation BMW 7-Series comes with electric power train options and an 8K 31.3-inch TV in the rear

Imagine cozying up in your cushy Lazyboy. You recline the backrest as much as you can, with the footrest up and then you grab a box of popcorn to get ready for the best cinematic experience outside of a theatre…while travelling at highways speeds. Doesn’t this sound like a million-dirham experience?

All of this is now possible with the new BMW i7 M70 xDrive. One may argue that this isn’t the first time we’ve had rear entertainment or a reclinable rear seat in a car, but the i7 just takes it to the next level. The recline angle in this is probably the most horizontal you can get in a car and the screen, to put into perspective, is like an IMAX experience. With the touch of a button a giant 8K 31.3-inch screen drops down from the ceiling, the largest on any car yet. And for that sublime audio you have a Bowers & Wilkins sound system. Furthermore, like all its predecessors, it rides a cloud. It wafts over bumps like you’re on air and the air suspension ensures that, quite literally. Then there is the quietness of the cabin. It’s so silent you can hear yourself breathe, so you can definitely enjoy movie dialogues without subtitles and conversations with your partner thanks to the superlative sound insulation. This is the quietest car we’ve been in. Then you have a 5.5-inch touchscreens on the rear door handles – possibly the first on a passenger car – to control all that stuff. Just amazing!

But its not just about the presidential style rear quarters. The new flagship BMW is 5391mm long. It’s also taller and wider, ensuring that there is plenty of room for all five passengers. This brings me to the second-best seat, the driver’s seat. Yes, the ‘M’ performance stuff is all there, like the 3-spoke, flat-bottom steering wheel (2-spoke optional) and the aluminium pedals. But the driver also gets to access the giant combination display that subtly curves towards the driver (a 12.3-inch customisable instrument screen plus a 14.9-inch infotainment screen). It may not have the Mercedes-Benz EQS’ record-breaking 56-inch hyper screen, but it is grand in its own way with the addition of the largest and most colourful Head-Up display yet.

The cabin is decorated in rich and exotic materials. Besides the carbon-fibre trims, you also get fancy glass switch gear and beautifully perforated aluminium speaker covers, but the pièce de résistance is the faceted glass dash trim that goes across the dash and even on to the doors. And being backlit, it glistens in the dark. Its got a magical quality. That’s the money, I’d say. If I had to fault something it would have to be the aircon system. Yes, it’s got 4-zone control with Dyson-like, virtually invisible vents concealed in the dash, but it can only be controlled using the screen and directional controls are tiny rubbery knobs that are hard to operate. The i7 has a few other ergonomic issues too. The crystal-like volume rotary control adds to the great looking interior but is terrible for adjusting volume.

But then to distract you like a child with a new toy, there’s that gut-wrenching acceleration. Tap the accelerator pedal and it responds so quick and so hard, it’s a momentary assault on your senses. My passengers were taken aback, quite literally. This is supercar territory or hyper car even. When BMW said that the M70 takes just 3.7 seconds to run to the 100 km/h mark, they weren’t kidding. All this is possible because of that 5th gen eDrive technology, which puts a 101.7 kWh battery in it and with the help the all-wheel drive system it is able to put down all of that 660 PS of power and massive 1100 Nm of torque to the tarmac effortlessly. The “lesser” M60 model gets 544 horses and 745 Nm torque allowing it to get to 100 km/h in 4.7 seconds. But if you prefer the smell of gasoline at the station, there’s a variety of ICE variants to choose from as well. As heavy as it is (2,700 kg approx.) The i7 handles directional changes quite well thanks to the adaptive suspension and the rear-wheel steering system. And to see the latter at work is mind boggling. Expectedly to reign in all that momentum, it is equipped with powerful disc brake all around.

Like with other EVs, you may have range anxiety thinking about long drives in the i7. But know this, BMW claims a respectable range somewhere between 488 and 560 kms; and with a 195kW DC outlet, it only takes 34 minutes to go from 10 to 80 percent.

Just when you think the theatrics are over, the i7 continues the celebration of cutting-edge technology. It can be optioned with automatic doors. Yes, they open when you are nearby and close on their own when you walk away from it.

And as you do walk away you are forced to turn around and take a final look at the i7 before heading home and that, in a motorhead’s definition, is true car magic. I doubt any, in their right mind, would call it conventionally beautiful, but there is beauty in its eccentricity. Whether you choose the single paint or the Rolls-Royce-like dual-pant scheme, the exteriors of the i7 have this monolithic aesthetic (almost seemingly moulded from a single giant metal piece) that looks opulent. Then there are numerous, tasteful details that add a little extra oomph, like the shimmery headlamps (an effect created with the use of Swarovski crystals) and the backlit kidney grille, which helps separate itself further from lesser cars.

This made-in-Dingolfing flagship, the 2024 BMW i7, is certainly a thing to behold, be it from within its gorgeous technologically-infused chambers or from the outside. This isn’t just a luxury car; it is a super limousine that takes you to the highest level of comfort and performance, while serving as a peep-hole into the future.

SPECIFICATIONS

Body type: 5-seater; 4-door premium full-size sedan

Engine: 101.7 kWh Lithium-ion battery; electrically excited synchronous motors; all-wheel drive

Transmission: Single-stage fixed ratio

Peak output: 660 PS; 1100 Nm

0 to 100km/h: 3.7 seconds (claimed)

Top speed: 250 km/h (electronically limited; claimed)

Range & charging: 488 – 560 kms (claimed); 10% to 80% in 34 minutes (195kW DC outlet)

Price: Starting at Dh710,000 approx.