7 Series (G70) [Official] New BMW 7-Series / i7 (G70/G71)

[jerman-car]

What is different from an S except maybe the screen in the back?? They seem pretty equal in terms of exclusivity..... The S class interior is not quite to be compared with anything else imo....

I'm sorry but calling the S interior exclusive is a long shot in thin air. The 222 was exclusive not this Tesla/Japanese inspired interior.

It has to be the worst S interior sureley? The 220 was miles better, had some athletics/agility, enough luxury, clean, a nice sharp dash that looked pleasing to the eye

I cant decide on what's the worst in the223...The speedo screen or the tesla/volvo screen, the USB vents or the really ugly door adjustment buttons shaped like the door handle...wow? I've heard it might get even 'better' with the Mb hyper screen in the LCI model

 

[Rolf]

Just for comparisons I have included the AMuS test of the Mercedes S500 and EQS580 but this should be in Internal Combustion I guess.

Some observations:

Weight: i7 at 2744kg is 144kg heavier than the EQS580 (2600kg) and a massive 617kg heavier than the S500 (2127kg)
Interior room:
1) Norm rear seating room: Despite been the longest car at 5390mm vs 5216mm (EQS) vs 5179mm (S500) the BMW (840mm) has 40mm less legroom than the EQS (880mm) and only 30mm more than the SWB S-class (810mm), this means the LWB S-class (910mm) will have 70mm more legroom than the i7.
2) Front interior width: i7 at 1580mm is 10mm wider than EQS (1570mm) and 30mm narrower than S-class (1610mm)
3) Rear interior width: i7 at 1540mm is 40mm wider than EQS (1500mm) and 30mm narrower than S-class (1570mm)
4) Rear interior height: i7 at 940mm is 10mm less than EQS (950mm) and 35mm less than S-class (975mm)
5) Boot space: i7 at 500ltr is 110ltr less than EQS (610ltr) and 50ltr less than S-class (550ltr)
Performance:
0-100km/h - despite most power at 400kw, the i7 at 5.0sec is 0.8sec slower than EQS580 (4.2sec) and 0.1sec slower than the 80kw less powerful S500 (4.9sec).
0-160km/h - i7 at 10.4sec is 0.8sec slower than the EQS580 (9.6sec) and 0.9sec faster than the S500 (11.3sec)
Slalom - i7 at 64.5km/h is 0.8km/h slower than the EQS580 (65.3km/h) and 1km/h slower than the S500 (65.5km/h)
Evasive test - i7 at 131.6km/h is 3.6km/h slower than the EQS580 (135.2km/h) and 2.2km/h slower than the S500 (133.8km/h)
Braking from 100km/h: i7 at 35.0m is 1.5m longer than the EQS580 (33.5m) and 1.6m longer than the S500 (33.4m)
Noise levels at 100km/h: i7 at 61db (A) is 1db (A) quieter than the EQS (62db) and 1db louder than the S500 (60db)
Noise levels at 180km/h: i7 at 70db (A) is 2db (A) quieter than the EQS (72db) and 1db quieter than the S500 (71db)
Electric consumption and range: i7 at 35.3 kwh/100km uses 6.3kwh/100km (21.7%) more than the EQS580 (29.0kwh/100km) and i7 has range of 317km vs 417km for EQS580.

 

[SCOTT27]

 

[Mick Briesgau]

Just for comparisons I have included the AMuS test of the Mercedes S500 and EQS580 but this should be in Internal Combustion I guess.

Some observations:

Weight: i7 at 2744kg is 144kg heavier than the EQS580 (2600kg) and a massive 617kg heavier than the S500 (2127kg)
Interior room:
1) Norm rear seating room: Despite been the longest car at 5390mm vs 5216mm (EQS) vs 5179mm (S500) the BMW (840mm) has 40mm less legroom than the EQS (880mm) and only 30mm more than the SWB S-class (810mm), this means the LWB S-class (910mm) will have 70mm more legroom than the i7.
2) Front interior width: i7 at 1580mm is 10mm wider than EQS (1570mm) and 30mm narrower than S-class (1610mm)
3) Rear interior width: i7 at 1540mm is 40mm wider than EQS (1500mm) and 30mm narrower than S-class (1570mm)
4) Rear interior height: i7 at 940mm is 10mm less than EQS (950mm) and 35mm less than S-class (975mm)
5) Boot space: i7 at 500ltr is 110ltr less than EQS (610ltr) and 50ltr less than S-class (550ltr)
Performance:
0-100km/h - despite most power at 400kw, the i7 at 5.0sec is 0.8sec slower than EQS580 (4.2sec) and 0.1sec slower than the 80kw less powerful S500 (4.9sec).
0-160km/h - i7 at 10.4sec is 0.8sec slower than the EQS580 (9.6sec) and 0.9sec faster than the S500 (11.3sec)
Slalom - i7 at 64.5km/h is 0.8km/h slower than the EQS580 (65.3km/h) and 1km/h slower than the S500 (65.5km/h)
Evasive test - i7 at 131.6km/h is 3.6km/h slower than the EQS580 (135.2km/h) and 2.2km/h slower than the S500 (133.8km/h)
Braking from 100km/h: i7 at 35.0m is 1.5m longer than the EQS580 (33.5m) and 1.6m longer than the S500 (33.4m)
Noise levels at 100km/h: i7 at 61db (A) is 1db (A) quieter than the EQS (62db) and 1db louder than the S500 (60db)
Noise levels at 180km/h: i7 at 70db (A) is 2db (A) quieter than the EQS (72db) and 1db quieter than the S500 (71db)
Electric consumption and range: i7 at 35.3 kwh/100km uses 6.3kwh/100km (21.7%) more than the EQS580 (29.0kwh/100km) and i7 has range of 317km vs 417km for EQS580.

So, if I get this right, when driving this summer to Cannes (France), distance from my place circa 1.300 km, in an i7, I have to stop and charge four (!) times to get there at all…
Wait a minute, what’s that my wife says? “No way you are buying an i7!”.

 

[martinbo]

In my opinion, electric cars are more urban crawlers than continent crossers. The i7 is more suited to driving around in the concrete jungle, flitting from one car park charger to the next. For one-stop, long distance driving, nothing touches a RWD turbodiesel sedan for range and efficiency. So it’s S400d vs 740d for you, Mick.

I’ve seen the new 7er on two occasions now. On the first I spent about 20 minutes in the interior and took some pics. More on that to follow…

 

[CrunchSlaughtered]

So, if I get this right, when driving this summer to Cannes (France), distance from my place circa 1.300 km, in an i7, I have to stop and charge four (!) times to get there at all…
Wait a minute, what’s that my wife says? “No way you are buying an i7!”.

It's a strange result, because the drive train and the whole technology is the same like the ones in the iX (with the exception of 5 kWh battery capacity). The iX proved to be more efficient in the tests than the EQS despite having the same weight and worse drag (bigger frontal area) than the i7. And now the EQS is 20% more efficient than tbe i7!

 

[Mick Briesgau]

It's a strange result, because the drive train and the whole technology is the same like the ones in the iX (with the exception of 5 kWh battery capacity). The iX proved to be more efficient in the tests than the EQS despite having the same weight and worse drag (bigger frontal area) than the i7. And now the EQS is 20% more efficient than tbe i7!

Indeed it is. Could the weight of the i7 at 2.744 and cw of 0,24 be a factor?

 

[CrunchSlaughtered]

Indeed it is. Could the weight of the i7 at 2.744 and cw of 0,24 be a factor?

Not against the iX. The iX has the same cw but much bigger frontal area, which makes it with bigger drag. The i7 should be more efficient at higher speeds than the iX.
But IMHO this here is the real energy consumption of the BMW's drive-train. Theoretically its technology is the least efficient when bigger power is needed, so I was very surprised when in other tests it showed better efficiency than the permanent magnet motors of Mercedes or Porsche (when cruising the BMW technology is more efficient).

 

[martinbo]

So here are the pics from my time spent inside the new G70 7er. I didn't take any external pics because sure as hell there're enough of them on this forum.

The overall impression of the interior is very good barring a few missteps, here and there.

Perceived build quality and interior presentation feels premium and I'm sure most of the cabin's virtues have been extoled at length.

Rear accommodation is very comfortable and luxurious (enough). If anything, it's all rather formal - even stoic - and lacks that feeling of "plushness". It feels more businesslike than anything else. Some out-of-the-way plastics are hard to the touch but they're not obviously noticeable - you have to go looking for them, e.g. inside the pull-down armrest storage compartment and base of the centre console. The only real disappointment is the straight-up budget air vent direction panel:

The door cards are very nicely finished off and the novelty of the (functionally debatable) touch screens add to the upmarket perception.

The latest iDrive UI is fairly functional and intuitive, and changing of base configuration is relatively straightforward. My jury's still out on the appropriateness of some of the interior lighting colours. Greens, yellows and the purple here, just look mismatched and silly. I'd need to spend more time choosing the best-match ambient lighting colour and then I'd stick with that.

Right, on to the things I'm not so keen on...

The M-Sport steering wheel is little different to that of the new X1 M-Sport I checked out on the same outing. Barring some buttons' silver brightening, it's the same thing.
Those bottom spars are silver painted plastic, their edges are sharp and the overall feel is just that - plasticky.

The crystal-like iDrive controller and seat controls on the doors lend a bit of visual pep to the interior but I can see how these are prone to reflecting bright sunlight toward the driver.

The acrylic lightbar doesn't strike me as being as cheap a component as some make out. It's quite nice to the touch and visually ties in rather neatly with the crystal effect controls.

For me, the most glaringly disappointing element is this piece of trim on the dashboard:

1. This piece of plastic trim runs the length fascia underside and, frankly, at this price point, it's just not acceptable. It's plain, hard plastic and, when you run you hand up from the underside, it's met by a sharp edge. It's nothing more than plastic beading trim between the upper and lower halves of the dashboard.
It shouldn't be there on a car of this level, simple as that and, at the very least, it ought to be a soft touch molding because it's in plain sight and within direct reach.
To put it more succinctly: it's a nasty piece of cheap plastic.

 

[empower77]

In my opinion, electric cars are more urban crawlers than continent crossers. The i7 is more suited to driving around in the concrete jungle, flitting from one car park charger to the next. For one-stop, long distance driving, nothing touches a RWD turbodiesel sedan for range and efficiency. So it’s S400d vs 740d for you, Mick.

I’ve seen the new 7er on two occasions now. On the first I spent about 20 minutes in the interior and took some pics. More on that to follow…

The new Lucids are supposed to have a decent range (not sure what that translates to in the real world)

 

[jerman-car]

@martinbo thanks for sharing your first hand experience and the pictures. The interior looks so lovely and sharp - what a place it looks like to be in!

To be fair, the rear air vent does look inexpensive but at the same time looks very raw and simple/fundamental. I personally have no issues with a good quality soft feel plastic matte trim - I'd have this anyday over gloss black or aluminium. As mentioned previously, the plastic used on the G11 indicator stalks is so beautifully manufactured.

I'm liking the look of the door card screens more now that IRL pictures are out there. I think the Gloss black with the aluminium (?) Trim looks a very nice classy combination. The whole unit almost looks like a open book and seems very calm and quiet.

Strange about the sharp edges and hard plastics but things like this are a common occurance in mass-produced luxury cars...thats where Rr and Bentley come into play but even the new Rr has plastic indicator stalks and gloss black buttons (good quality materials of course) so not a concern for me personally.

Quite surprised about the plastic strip running across the dash - cost cutting is also present in BMW but I think I can bear this item...

I really like the air vent adjuster wheels - I believe they are 360 degrees rotating wheels? From seeing the X7 LCI reviews they seem like very soft, damped and luxorious to use - I can't remember where I had heard this but they are inspired by aircraft controls in the way they look and function? Cant recall...

 

[dalab]

the rear air vent does look inexpensive

It also comes in wood, the same as the dashboard

 

[jerman-car]

It also comes in wood, the same as the dashboard

I was referring to the actual air vent louvres rather than the surrounding material. I'm glad they do offer wood etc for the surrounding material...knowing manufacturers nowadays they can easily make this gloss black stuff standard/compulsary trim.

 

[Rolf]

The rear air vent plastic controller (highlighted below) seems to be too large and blocks the potential flow of air coming through the vents and makes the air vent vane area seem small in comparison to the total area.

@martinbo does the new 7 have rear air vents on the inside of the B-pillars? Similar to those in the S-class?

 

[jerman-car]

@Rolf thanks for highlighting this...I just realised what a great design this is (surely air flow should not be a problem) but integrating the slider knob and the surrounding plastic trim within the air vents is again, something new and creative and exciting. Even the front 'minimal area' vsnts are also a revolutionary thing, just like the A8 and XF with their rotating vents.

Re. rear vents, the G11 does have rear side vents on the B pillar area even in SWB so hopefully at @martinbo should confirm this for the G70

 

[Matski]

B-post vents...

 

[SCOTT27]

Roppongi District.Tokyo,Japan.

 

[Jacke]

Roppongi District.Tokyo,Japan.

Good that you cant see the grill

 

[tristatez28lt1]

Good that you cant see the grill

After all these failures, finally smart Marketing from BMW!

 

[Rolf]

Good that you cant see the grill

The side view is ok but then walk to the front and its.....