Your mind will likely be made up about the BMW i7. And a new 660hp flagship won’t change that opinion, because output has never really been the issue. But it’s also the most powerful saloon BMW currently sells until the plug-in M5 arrives - so regardless of power source, that means the M70 is of interest to PH. Even if it still looks how it looks.
It’s more than just BMW’s most potent ever electric motor stuffed into the rear axle, too. The additional power density of the new motor means this is 116hp and more than 200lb ft stronger than an xDrive60 i7 - with the same 101.7kWh usable battery - but just 55kg heavier. And that’s with additional chassis bracing on top to deliver something approaching an authentic M car driving experience. Sure, it’s still 2.7 tonnes, but there is more to the M70 concept than mere speed. The tune of dampers, all-wheel drive, steering and assists are all unique to this model.
It definitely does speed, mind. On paper, there’s nothing particularly startling about the stats in 2024 - especially when encountered in the same week as the Taycan Turbo GT reveal - though the acceleration of the M70 remains brisk enough to momentarily take your breath away. And raise a smile, it must be said, be that through the light show across the dash, the spaceship-style whirr of the Hans Zimmer soundtrack or the hoof in the back from 10 seconds of the boost paddle. There’s even a bit of fight from the front end if it’s bumpy and you’re clumsy. While it’s easy to dismiss the gimmicks, there is something endearing about the theatrical presentation. It’s preferable to just another neck-breaking run in silence, put it that way. And if this M70 assumes the place of the old V12-powered 7 Series, the aim of which was to be silent and smooth, then this EV replacement is surely ideal - it can make no sounds at all, or an intriguing bunch of new ones.
No V12 ever drove this smartly, either. Tested on the same day as a Rolls-Royce Spectre, the i7 surprises with the immediacy of its inputs. Perhaps it wouldn’t against another i7, though the point feels valid. The steering is responsive to the smallest inputs (as is, just as crucially, the chassis), the air suspension is seemingly never flustered and the output of that rear motor ensures it’s that end which always feels to do most of the driving. The brakes are powerful and natural enough, and the regen is nicely judged, sufficiently aggressive to allow one-pedal driving most of the time though never abrupt enough to disturb the serenity. You very quickly get comfortable with something that is extremely large, heavy and expensive.
The weight is carried low and adequately contained by a vast wheelbase, meaning laudable stability and composure, though the clever integration of tech like all-wheel steer means the M70 always feels keener than it probably looks. It feels like a BMW exec, basically, with confidence in both axles and good refinement.
Where it doesn’t feel like a BMW is inside. Enormous widescreen dash and familiar infotainment aside, it feels like a next-generation concept that’s on sale already. Especially when helped by £6,500 worth of Individual Gran Lusso fabric interior that makes every seat seem like expensive hotel furniture. A lot of manufacturers talk about interiors as living spaces, but this is the one that makes it real (albeit with help from a £30k Ultimate Pack), including a theatre mode that puts the blinds up to best enjoy the rear screen to digital artwork across the dash. It feels special in a way that closely mimicking what came before wouldn’t have achieved. And if it doesn’t feel particularly M, then we probably all have to concede that BMW’s most iconic letter is changing as well. We drove the 2.6-tonne EV range-topper on the day the last manual (albeit Japanese) M3 was announced - things are going to be different.
But better? Well, in a way, yes actually. Obviously, the i7 M70 isn’t an M3 - it isn’t meant to be. It’s meant to be the pinnacle of the 7 Series range, the very best that a four-door BMW can be, and it’s hard to find much fault in how it goes about achieving these objectives. In the same way that nobody ever really needed a V12 7 Series (because the lesser-powered models did the job damn near as well) the case to be made for the i7 above the very good xDrive 60 is probably a tough one. But there isn't any real need to because, as ever, the target audience will want one simply because it qualifies as the most powerful, most luxurious, most capable model in the lineup.
And whichever of the glorious seats they park themselves in, the usual suspects ought to be impressed. The M70 is enjoyable to drive because it is taut and precise in the best tradition of BMW, and its out-of-this-world interior can’t fail to make you feel better about the day. It’s a huge amount of money, of course - though that comes with the territory (the base RRP is 45 quid more than a Mercedes-AMG EQS 53). And yeah, an i7’s design still won’t appeal to the purists, but this car was never for them anyway. It’s for someone who wants the ultimate EV luxury car experience. In M70 spec, the big Bimmer doesn’t seem an awfully long way from it.
SPECIFICATION | BMW i7 M70 xDRIVE
Engine: Dual motors (258hp front, 489hp rear), 101.7kWh battery (useable)
Transmission: Single-speed, all-wheel drive
Power (hp): 660
Torque (lb ft): 748 (811 with launch control)
0-62mph: 3.7sec
Top speed: 155mph
Weight: 2,695kg (DIN)
Range: 303-343miles (2.61-2.98mi/kWh)
CO2: 0g/km
Price: £161,905 (price as standard; price as tested £190,905 comprising BMW Individual Gran Lusso interior for £6,500 and Ultimate Pack (deep breath - including Sky Lounge Panoramic Glass Sunroof, Roller Sunblinds, Ventilated rear seats, Executive Lounge Rear Seats, Executive Lounge Rear Console, Travel and Comfort System, Rear Massage Seats, Driving Assistant Professional, Parking Assistant Pro, Bowers & Wilkins Diamond Surround Sound Audio System and BMW Theatre Screen) for £29,000)
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