BMW launches new 660hp i7 M70
More power than an M5 CS and 'luxurious elegance' aplenty for third M Performance EV - and the quickest yet
BMW has a long and rich history of preposterously powerful 7 Series, from South African touring cars (yes, really) to the almighty, twin-turbo V12 M760Li xDrive of recent years. Now the flagship 7 has made its move to electric with this, the i7 M70 xDrive. All 660hp and up to 811lb ft of it…
Perhaps we’re no longer truly shocked by the numbers churned out of batteries and motors, but as the top dog model of BMW’s very best saloon, the i7 is nothing if not packing a punch. It actually uses BMW’s most powerful electric motor, the rear item offering 489hp and ‘unprecedented power density’ thanks to a new drive unit design that involves six excitation windings in the motor’s stator rather than the three that would usually be found.
That’s where our understanding wavers. But rest assured: ‘The resulting “double excitation” compared with conventional units allows the electric motor to generate an extremely high output, despite its exceptionally light and compact design, and to maintain it continuously into the higher echelons of the speed range’ is the important bit. A rating of 2.41kW per kg makes the M70’s rear motor 25.5 per cent more power dense than the one used in the i7 xDrive 60.
Combined with a front motor of 258hp and total system torque of 748lb ft (or 811lb with M Sport Boost or M Launch Control), the 660hp M70 can reach 62mph in 3.7 seconds and 155mph. Perhaps not wild by the standards of EVs, but likely to feel very brisk indeed in something so gigantic. Those stats also make the i7 the fastest purely electric BMW available. The Hans Zimmer soundtrack, of course, is standard fit, with the option of a ‘particularly exhilarating, M Performance-specific note.’
Attention has been paid, seemingly, to making the i7 into a car worthy of the M Performance tag; it ought not to be just a very fast, palatial saloon. BMW promises a unique experience in the segment - ‘exceptionally sporty handling’, no less - thanks to an M-focused overhaul of the dampers, steering, all-wheel drive and driver assists. The air springs are specific to this model, there’s additional bracing between the front strut towers and even something called an Executive Drive Pro chassis package, which brings with it active roll stabilisation and Active Roll Comfort. Heck, you can even get sport tyres as an option for your M light alloy wheels. It’s all quite encouraging; here’s to testing the ‘appetite for corners’ and ‘precise turn-in characteristics’ in due course.
Equally, attention has been paid to the i7 as a long-distance cruiser; the 101.7kWh battery provides anything between 303 and 348 miles on the WLTP test, and max charging rate is 195kW. A new Max Range button is also standard fit, designed for those times when a charging station en route is out of service. So it drastically reduces the top speed to 56mph and scales back comfort functions to eke out those extra precious miles; BMW reckons Max Range can add anything from 15 to 25 per cent. The M70 certainly looks like a place for mile after mile of driving, or rather passengering, with the BMW Interaction Bar, Executive Lounge and Theatre Screen really elevating the interior.
But that’s available in a non-M i7. To let everyone outside the cinema on wheels know it’s really special you’ll need the M Performance package, with contour lighting for the kidney grille contrasted against black high-gloss surrounds. And M logos, of course. Note as well M side skirts, mirrors, and diffuser - they’re buried in the two-tone somewhere, promise. This one is Individual Liquid Copper and Sapphire Black, with BMW offering dozens of paint finishes, from sustainably produced Frozen matt to eight two-tone variants, for an i7 unique to each customer. You’re certainly not going to miss any of them…
The M70 will be on the road soon, too; following a debut in Shanghai - talk about targeting an audience - the i7 flagship will go into production at Dingolfing almost straight after, with a global launch scheduled for the second half of 2023. Given the seemingly insatiable demand for models like the i4 M50, there’s every incentive to get cracking ASAP. Never know, there might be another revered 7 Series flagship right here…
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