2023 BMW i7

When it comes to German luxury brands, Mercedes-Benzes and BMW’s constant desire to one-up each other has led to some amazing vehicles and significant advances in vehicle design, especially when it comes to their flagship sedans. So, it makes sense that when both brands have given the full electric treatment to their trendsetters. But how they are doing that is the real story.

Regardless of what income bracket you find yourself in, cars like this all-new 2023 BMW 7 Series are a big deal. It’s a given that the new styling themes and technology introduced on luxury brand flagship sedans eventually filter down to the brand’s more affordable vehicles and are usually echoed by other brands as well.

But when it comes to flagship sedans as EVs, the 2 segment leaders, Mercedes-Benz and BMW, are taking very different paths. Where Mercedes brought battery power to their top sedan with a distinct model as part of an all-new sub-brand separate from the traditional S-Class, BMW has introduced its latest generation of 7 Series with both internal combustion engine options as well as a full battery electric and lets the buyer decide. The benefit of this approach is being able to more easily adjust production on the fly to meet customer demand.

Being the forward-thinking types, we chose the fully electric i7 xDrive60 as our introduction to the new 7, and much like it looks like every other 7 Series, it feels like them too, and not really like an EV outlier at all.

It’s splendid to drive on the open road. An automatic magic carpet ride that has you floating far above life’s imperfections. You can feel the significant weight of the vehicle, almost 6,000-lbs. Still, it comes off more as super solid than cumbersome.

But, that weight also lead to some surprises on our Mason Dixon handling course. After a quick turn in, weight transfer seemed to induce a tendency to oversteer. Something that reminded us of BMW sport sedans before modern electronics muted all the fun. Still, our test car’s winter tires, likely skewed the outcome. Steering is light, as expected in a modern flagship sedan, though we would still like more feedback through the wheel.

In acceleration, it doesn’t feel ludicrously quick off the line, launching more like an ICE vehicle, with a noticeable ramp up to peak torque, but it’s much quicker than it feels, hitting 60 in just 4.3-seconds. That’s more than enough for any real-world driving situations. Throughout the 12.7-second ¼-mile it felt serene and well-settled at high speeds, finishing at 113 miles-per-hour.

This is enabled by the xDrive60’s standard dual-motor all-wheel-drive setup with front and rear-mounted motors that together put out 536-horsepower. Ironically, exactly the same as the 760i’s V8, and the EV’s torque rating is actually slightly lower than the V8’s at 549 lb-ft. A 740i 6-cylinder is also available. Just one battery size, 105.7-kWh; though range varies between 296 and 318-miles depending on wheel choice. And like most large luxury vehicles, it’s not the most efficient, though when equipped with the 21-inch wheels of our test car, this EV has a good efficiency rating of 39 kwh/100 miles.

The new 7 has grown in size of course, more than 5-inches longer, though wheelbase only grows 2/10ths of an inch. Proportions are still elegant, attention to detail excellent, and you can even have Swarovski crystals added to your headlights because…well, why not?

Inside, materials are as exquisite as you’d expect, with real wood and aluminum; and whether you go real leather or non-leather, selections are equally luxurious.

The large slightly curved display that sits in front of the very linear dash is made up of twin, clear displays; 12.3-inch for instrumentation, and 14.9-inch for infotainment.

Adding the Rear Executive Lounge Seating option will be a big hit for anyone spending time back here, with reclining seats, a huge Theatre Screen, and their own control panel. 17.7 cubic-ft. of trunk space in the i7, other 7s better, at 19.1.

The i7 does sit at the top of the new 7 Series lineup starting at $120,295, with the 760i xDrive just below it at $117,395, and the rear-drive 740i the value option at $96,695.

Likely the 2023 BMW i7 won’t dissuade Tesla fans from buying a Model S. But for BMW brand loyalists, and anyone else with an open mind, it’s a fast green dream come true. And ultimately, we’re not saying BMW’s multi powertrain platform flagship approach is better, but if you can have your EV and it still drives like a true BMW, we’re all in.