After months of teasers, the all-new 2023 BMW 7 Series has finally made its debut. Now on its seventh generation, the all-new 7 Series (codenamed G70) is confirmed to wear the facelifted X7‘s face. While it’s arguably a controversial design aspect, it’s far from the car’s main highlight. That’s because the all-new 7 Series debuts a number of new tech features as well as a first-ever i7, a fully-electric variant of the 7 Series.
Controversial Exterior
But before we dive into all of those nitty-gritty details, we definitely have to talk about its styling first. As confirmed by the teasers, the 2023 BMW 7 Series wears the brand’s latest family face that will be utilized by the brand’s future “Luxury Class” flagship vehicles. Therefore, expect its split headlight design that’s composed of LED daytime running lights housed in crystal glass and separate main headlight clusters to never go away anytime soon.
And then, of course, there’s that enormous kidney grille, which probably won’t be to everyone’s taste. Surrounding it is an illuminated trim piece that makes the grille stand out at night, for better or worse. At least the rest of the 7 Series looks quite good, and that’s something most of us can probably agree on. The upright silhouette and classic lines are very reminiscent of older 7 Series generations such as the E38, which is arguably one of the best-looking generations to our eyes.
If you want your 2023 BMW 7 Series to look sporty, then you can opt for the M Sport variant. This gives your 7 Series a sportier front and rear bumper treatment, a reduction in chrome detailing, as well as a bespoke catalog of wheel choices exclusive to the M Sport variant. For even more added sinister looks, an optional M Sport Professional package can be added on top of that, which adds even more black details, blue M Sport brake calipers, and a subtle rear spoiler.
Tech-Laden Interior
Moving inside the 2023 BMW 7 Series, you’ll be greeted by doors that can be unlocked by the smartphone app-based BMW Digital Key as standard, or by themselves as an optional extra. Once you’re seated, you’ll see its twin curved displays that are powered by the latest iDrive 8 operating system. You’ll also notice the crystal interior trim piece that changes its colors as you interact with it, which BMW calls their Interaction Bar.
Through the Interaction Bar, you can access a few vehicle functions, but its main purpose is that it changes its ambient colors depending on how you interact with the vehicle. For instance, if you adjust the climate temperature, the bar will glow red or blue.
But perhaps the most striking feature of its interior is the optional BMW Theatre Screen. Measuring 31 inches, the thin screen is housed at the ceiling, and then it deploys downward if the rear occupants want to transform their 7 Series into a drive-in cinema. The screen has a 4K resolution, and it comes built-in with Amazon Fire. This will let you watch Netflix and other streaming services and appreciate it through the car’s standard 655-watt 18-speaker Bowers & Wilkins surround sound system. If this is still isn’t cinematic enough for you, then you can splurge for an upgraded version of this sound system that now produces 1,965 watts and is now composed of 36 speakers.
Comfort is of course top priority in a full-size flagship luxury sedan, and rear occupants of the 2023 BMW 7 Series can also benefit from luxury features such as optional rear executive seats that can be reclined to 42.5 degrees. Equipped as standard on all 7 Series models is a 5.5-inch Touch Command digital switch pod located on each rear door. This lets you access features such as place calls when equipped with the optional headrests speakers, or control the other amenities such as the power-adjustable rear seats, powered rear sunshades, or ambient lighting.
Electrification Comes As Standard
Various powertrain options are available in the 2023 BMW 7 Series, with the range kicking off 735i that consists of a 3.0-liter inline-6 turbo gasoline engine and a 48-volt integrated starter generator (ISG), thus making this a mild hybrid. Yes, all 7 Series powertrains will have varying degrees of electrification. This powertrain produces 286 hp and 425 Nm of torque and has a 0-100 kph of 6.7 seconds. An uprated version of the 735i’s engine powers the 740i, and this produces 380 hp and 540 Nm and is good enough for a 0-100 kph of 5.4 seconds.
Up next is the 760i xDrive, and this consists of a 4.4-liter twin-turbo V8 gasoline engine that’s likewise a mild hybrid, too. This powertrain produces 544 hp and 750 Nm and is good enough for a 0-100 kph time of just 4.2 seconds.
A plug-in hybrid version of the 760i xDrive’s powertrain resides under the hood of the upcoming performance-oriented M760e xDrive. While not an M7 by any means, its plug-in hybrid (PHEV) powertrain is good for 563 hp and 800 Nm and is good enough for a 0-100 kph time of 4.3 seconds. And because this is a PHEV, this variant is good for an all-electric range of up to 84 km.
There’s another plug-in hybrid version that’s available in the form of the 750e xDrive, and it consists of a 3.0-liter turbo inline-six that has a total output of 483 hp and 700 Nm. It has a slightly longer electric range at up to 89 km and is good for a 0-100 kph time of 4.9 seconds.
All of the aforementioned mild hybrid and PHEVs are mated to an eight-speed automatic, while models branded with xDrive mean they are equipped with all-wheel drive (AWD).
A First-Ever Fully-Electric i7
Finally, we now get to the first-ever fully-electric BMW i7, and it is available in two versions. The base i7 xDrive60 comes with a dual-motor setup, and it produces 536 hp and 745 Nm and a 0-100 kph time of 4.5 seconds. The other one is a more powerful M-badged version called the M70 xDrive, which will come out later this year, and this will produce 651 hp and “more than” 1,000 Nm. This is good enough for a 0-100 kph time of four seconds flat.
Due to the boxy profile of the i7 as opposed to the rounded shape of the Mercedes-Benz EQS, the range provided by the i7’s 101.7 kWh battery pack is slightly lower at 592 to 625 km. Still, that figure is probably long enough for most people.
The 2023 BMW 7 Series will go on sale in North America and Europe before the end of 2022.
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