Test Car Specifications
Model: 2024 BMW i7 M70 xDrive
Price: £161,963
Engine: two electric motors
Transmission: single-speed automatic, all-wheel drive
Battery: 101.4kWh lithium-ion battery
Power: 660hp
Torque: 1,100Nm
Emissions: 0g/km
Range: 303-348km miles
0-62mph: 3.7 seconds
Top speed: 155mph
Boot space: 500 litres
Styling
Being the most performance-orientated of the i7 models, the M70 xDrive has been given a few choice upgrades, including some black trim at the front and down the sides, as well as M badges dotted around the bodywork. You get the Iconic Glow illuminated grille as standard, too, although that isn't quite as garish as you might fear, given the size of the car's nostrils. All told, however, the M70 upgrades are relatively subdued for something so powerful, and the vast majority of customers won't be able to tell one of these from any other M Sport version without checking the badge at the back.
Interior
As with the exterior, BMW's changes to the cabin are very subtle indeed, with very few clues to the car's performance credentials. As with every other i7, it comes with a vast display that incorporates the digital instrument cluster and the touchscreen, although the latter can also be controlled using a rotary dial on the centre console, while there's a large strip of ambient lighting around the cabin.
Quality is generally very good, in that everything seems robustly connected to its neighbours and the switchgear feels premium, but some of the materials feel disappointingly cheap, such as the 'wood' trim in our test car. Some will likely find the bizarre mix of materials on show slightly chintzy, too, but with such soft leather and massive seats, it's a very comfortable place to be.
It's high-tech, too, with BMW's brilliant infotainment technology on full display. Not only are there two crisp and configurable screens up front, but those in the back can have a massive theatre display drop down from the roof for the full cinema experience, while the system can be controlled from touchscreens in the door cards. And that's just the start, with clever climate tech and other infotainment options abound, the options list makes surprisingly interesting reading.
Practicality
Obviously, given the enormous size of the i7, there's plenty of space in the cabin. Those in the back have acres of legroom and ample headroom, while the sheer quantity of adjustment in the massive seats ensures everyone will sit comfortably. However, boot space is a little less impressive, with the 500-litre luggage bay looking slightly cramped when compared with the Mercedes-Benz EQS's 610-litre load space. Nevertheless, 500 litres should still be enough for the majority of use cases.
Performance
BMW has made quite the song and dance about the sheer power available in the i7 M70 xDrive. With the company's most potent electric motor ever powering the rear wheels and another, slightly less powerful motor turning those at the front, the i7 M70 offers a total of 660hp. And, in case you hadn't guessed from the xDrive moniker, it also gets BMW's xDrive all-wheel-drive system.
Thanks to that combination, it will get from 0-62mph in an impressive 3.7 seconds, which makes it faster than some versions of the Porsche 911. It's serious pace for something weighing 2.7 tonnes.
For the most part, that weight is down to the size of the battery, which offers 101.4kWh of usable energy, and a maximum range of up to 348 miles. Predictably, that's a little less than you get from less upmarket versions of the i7, but it's still quite a lot. The only slight problem is that you probably won't achieve it in the real world, and you certainly won't achieve it if you try using the car's immense performance.
Ride & Handling
Perhaps surprisingly, this M70 xDrive version of the i7 retains the standard car's uncanny ride comfort, soaking up lumps in the road with aplomb. We kind of expected a little more stiffness to this more performance-orientated model, but it turned out to be an effortless cruiser that defied its attitude, weight and wheel size to become a really relaxing long-distance companion.
Yet despite that, the M70 remains an impressively agile car. Obviously, it can't hide its bulk and the brake pedal is far too soft, which means a little acclimatisation is required before you get really confident in the callipers' abilities, but the steering is very precise and the body control is remarkably good for such a big car, which makes it more enjoyable to drive than any other big saloon on the market, no matter whether you're just pootling around or pushing hard on a mountain road. It's quite happy and completely refined in either scenario.
Value
At just under £162,000, the i7 M70 xDrive is not a cheap car, and it's about £50,000 more expensive than the cheapest i7 model. But most customers will probably add quite a lot of options to their vehicle, and doing so with some exuberance will quickly send the price tag rocketing towards the £200,000 mark. Certainly, it seems the majority of customer cars will likely come with a list price in excess of £180,000. But there's no need for such extravagance, because the standard kit is already fairly generous. Merino leather adorns the ventilated front seats, while the rear seats are electrically adjustable as standard. There's lots of driver assistance tech, too, and you get microsuede roof lining thrown in.
Verdict
Perhaps surprisingly, the i7 M70 xDrive is a remarkably good sports car. It's fast, it handles well and it doesn't feel as big or as heavy as the numbers suggest. It's just as good a luxury car as other models, too. That said, it doesn't make much sense unless you absolutely must have the fastest version on the market, because other variants offer just as much quality without the ambitious price tag.
