The BMW i7, the brand’s first pure electric saloon car, is traditional in shape, awkward in detail, and a simply excellent place to sit
, BMW believes that the time isn’t quite right for the chauffeured classes to go all-electric, all at once. Unlike Mercedes, BMW is building the i7 alongside an almost identical ‘regular’ hybrid car.
On the other hand, BMW’s current approach to interiors is far more satisfactory, even if there are still too few physical buttons for our tastes. There’s an emphasis on pattern and texture, with everything from fascia inlays to speaker grilles creating an interesting and unusual surface, while the lighting and materials setting up a warm and cosseting interior that doesn’t feel too dominated by screens.
With 8k resolution and touch-operation, it also has an HDMI input for computers, games consoles and Apple TV, with Amazon’s Fire TV system baked in. Each passenger has a touchscreen built in to the rear door to help them navigate this brave new world. Switch the system on, and you’re greeted with a short order of Hans Zimmer’s trademark cinematic pomp, as the rear blinds rise in sync with the vast screen’s descent.
It’s a big car – 5.4m long – so the array of sensors, self-parking systems and optional four-wheel steering are all hugely welcome. Scale also means a sizeable battery pack, with an official range of between 360 and 387 miles, depending on the specification. That means a realistic real-world range of 300 miles, which staves off range anxiety on all but the longest of journeys.
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