BMW i7 M70 2023 Review – International

How much does the BMW i7 M70 cost?

As the new flagship of the BMW passenger car range, the gargantuan 2023 BMW i7 M70 xDrive is priced from a flinch-worthy $344,900 plus on-road costs in Australia.

To get it rolling on the road, the big battery-electric Bavarian will be closer to $360K.

But that’s unlikely to deter Australian buyers, says BMW, which has commissioned its own research that found 48 per cent of motorists are considering an electric car.

And this one is sure to attract their attention.

The i7 M70’s closest and, pound for pound, only real heavyweight competitor is the slightly more affordable Mercedes-AMG EQS 53 (from $327,075 plus ORCs).

But having driven them both and been chauffeured in both, I’d argue AMG’s electric limo can’t match BMW M’s version for pomp and pageantry.

There are two other BMW 7 Series model grades offered in Australia, the ‘entry-level’ $272,900 BMW 740i, which is propelled by a conventional six-cylinder turbo-petrol engine, and the all-electric $306,900 BMW i7 xDrive60, from which the M70 has evolved.

What equipment comes with the BMW i7 M70?

Perhaps a better question is: What doesn’t come with the 2023 BMW i7 M70? Apart from missing out on a spare tyre, not much.

It features Swarovski crystal cut glass LED headlights, remote opening and closing doors and tailgate, rides on 21-inch alloy wheels shod with sporty tyres and is fitted with the jaw-dropping executive lounge, which is a $9000 rear seat upgrade for lesser BMW 7 Series models.

The lounge adds a spectacular 31.1-inch 8K ‘theatre’ screen that folds down from the roof lining and comes pre-loaded with a range of TV streaming services (YouTube, Disney+, Stan, Netflix et al). It also has a camera allowing for video conferencing via Zoom and so on.

The whole kit and kaboodle feels very futuristic, especially as the seat behind the front passenger folds out as an ottoman – with enough room for a 182cm-tall adult to stretch out – complete with massage functionality, heating and cooling.

This is all backed up by a massage system for the ears, a 35-speaker Bowers & Wilkins audio system that delivers staggering high-fidelity acoustics. If your next Uber driver rocks up in one of these (it can happen!), you’ll probably want to extend the ride.

For more detail and all the nitty gritty on what you get with this astonishingly well-equipped vehicle, check out our recent BMW i7 xDrive60 review.

The lion’s share of the upgrades, which we’ll get to in a moment, affect the chassis and powertrain, although you do get M-specific displays on the digital screens and an M steering wheel.

Upgraded seats would have been nice, because there’s not much that distinguishes this vehicle from lesser variants.

Options? Not many. Exterior colours, of which there are more than 100 choices (including two-tone motifs) are offered gratis in Australia, including the Tanzanite Blue metallic of our test vehicle.

Interior colours and upholstery choices are no-cost options too; the BMW Individual Merino leather and cashmere wool combo is a highlight. Interior accents? Carbon-fibre M trim, oak or open-pore ash timber finishes are available.

The i7 M70 is covered by a five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty, while the battery gets an eight-year/160,000km warranty. Maintenance? The car will tell you when it needs a check-up, via condition-based servicing.

How safe is the BMW i7 M70?

There’s something to be said for the safety ‘feels’ you get driving something of the 2023 BMW i7 M70’s size and mass, but sticking to its high-tech ethos there’s plenty of safety tech backing up its stout physicality.

It takes the usual advanced driver assistance systems to the next level, with autonomous emergency braking (AEB), lane keep assist, adaptive cruise control and other ADAS all suitably upgraded.

For example, the steering wheel now has pressure sensors in it so you only need to touch it and not jiggle it to tell the car to stay in self-driving mode on the freeway.

The satellite navigation features an augmented reality mode, which is very effective, and the autonomous parking systems have been upgraded with obstacle detection when you’re remotely parking the car with your phone. There’s even a memory system that records slow-speed manoeuvres and can flip then retrace them – useful after heading into a tight parking spot, for instance.

The BMW 7 Series is not usually rated by Euro NCAP or ANCAP given its top-end positioning, but that’s not a slight on its clearly high level of occupant protection.

What technology does the BMW i7 M70 feature?

The 2023 BMW i7 M70 comes with pretty much everything except a PlayStation 5 integrated into rear compartment.

Again, for more details on the high-tech specification, check out our local review of the similar-spec BMW i7 xDrive60.

The short version? You get more high-bandwidth connectivity tech and HD displays than the CIA’s headquarters in Langley.

It’s never offline, features a massive curved screen up front, that wild 31-inch 8K fold-down screen in the rear, excellent voice recognition software, USB and HDMI ports, wireless phone charge pads front and rear and, of course, automatically opening/closing doors once synced with the BMW app on a smartphone.

BMW has made it manifestly clear that it wants to set a luxo-tech benchmark with the i7 M70 and the German car-maker has done just that – in turn making the Mercedes-AMG EQS 53 look rather quaint by comparison.

What powers the BMW i7 M70?

Okay, strap in, because this is the part where the ‘M70’ bit starts to really exert its influence.

Compared to its donor vehicle – the brawny dual-motor xDrive60 (400kW/745Nm) – the new 2023 BMW i7 M70 gets more power and torque thanks to an upgraded rear e-motor, which also happens to be the most powerful electric motor BMW has ever developed.

While the front axle retains its 190kW three-phase electric motor, the rear motor has been uprated to 360kW (+130kW) by upgrading to a six-phase design, with a dual inverter that allows it to punch harder and at higher speeds.

The front motor generates peak power at 8000rpm, while the rear motor gets to 13,000rpm.

The power units are neatly integrated with a three-in-one design incorporating the e-motor, transmission and power electronics, which means you get not one but two single-speed fixed-ratio transmissions – one fore, one aft.

Together, the twin electrically-excited synchronous motors belt out a combined 485kW of power and 1015Nm of torque, the latter rising to 1100Nm when launch control is engaged.

The 0-100km/h sprint in the i7 M70 takes just 3.7 seconds, making it quickest electric vehicle BMW has ever put in showrooms.

We can only imagine how rapid it would be if it was ‘merely’ 2.2 tonnes… And it boggles the mind what the next-generation BMW M3 EV will do, given it’s expected to pump out double the power (circa 1000kW) via quad e-motors.

How far can the BMW i7 M70 go on a charge?

How long is a piece of string? If you drive the 2023 BMW i7 M70 at full tilt, anywhere and everywhere, you’ll be lucky to get half the claimed range of 560km.

In fact, that number is probably a bit of a pipe dream in optimal conditions – expect 500km on a good day.

The beefed-up powertrain is fed energy via the same 106kWh (101.7kWh ‘usable’) lithium-ion battery pack slung between the wheels, but the increased e-motor juju means the cruising range drops from the i7 xDrive60’s 625km to 560km (WLTP).

What is the BMW i7 M70 like to drive?

Large electric vehicles by their very nature are heavy and cumbersome… and the 2023 BMW i7 M70 is certainly heavy. But golly-gee, the big barge can hustle.

“We have added numerous and specific powertrain and chassis applications and our developers have placed a great emphasis on enabling extremely sporty handling,” said BMW M division CEO Frank van Meel at the car’s global launch in Portugal.

I reckon “extremely” sporty might be a bit of a stretch, but there’s no denying the changes wrought on the 2.7-tonne whale are astonishing.

Perhaps expectations were low but right out of the gate the i7 M70 doesn’t feel ungainly or cumbersome. In fact, it feels lithe and easy to drive.

The first part of the launch drive route took us along freeways, across the Europe’s longest road bridge (Ponte Vasco da Gama, 12.3km) and through a few towns, navigating round-abouts and the like, revealing nothing particularly onerous and foreboding about the M70, in stark contrast to its dominating presence.

Ride comfort is also remarkably good for a vehicle with such sporting intent (and racy Italian tyres), floating over holes in the road and remaining composed over speed bumps.

When the drive started heading toward the coastal hills skirting the Arrabida Natural Park, it’s go time and the smiles emerge. Except on the face of my passenger/colleague (sorry Jimmy) who was sitting in the back seat trying to watch YouTube… carsales channel most probably.

Fair dinkum, the almost-5.4m-long leviathan virtually shrinks around you in Sport mode, the front-end biting keenly into corner entries, the rear-end punching out of them with the sort of controlled fury that Denzel Washington musters up beautifully in The Equalizer movies.

It’s breathtaking and perplexing: I asked myself on several occasions during the latter part of the drive just how a luxo-barge can be so rapid in and out of corners? And I was glad I had to shoot video because that gave me an excuse to drive it even more.

So how do you engineer such a tubby blob to feel like a sharp knife?

BMW’s M division boffins have tweaked the electric all-wheel drive and active steering systems, added M-specific dual-axle active air suspension along with M-tuned adaptive dampers and powertrain control systems – including a boost mode. It works.

The inclusion of a shear panel at the front-end (between the bulkhead and spring strut towers) improves torsional rigidity and gives the front-end more resolve, while active rear-wheel steering improves turn-in.

Adaptive anti-roll bars combat body roll with military effectiveness and give the grippy Pirelli P Zero tyres (255/40R21 front, 285/35R21 rear) an excellent opportunity to generate grip.

It’s quite astounding how much body control the big rig has through tighter corners given its morbid obesity, but you do get to a point where mass overcomes traction – not that you’d know it.

The steering is accurate but ultra-light and lacks meaningful feel, although Sport mode adds a bit more heft. And because the car is so well insulated against outside noise, it’s almost impossible to tell when the tyres are protesting.

But hey, even when your talent runs out the car is still predictable enough to be gathered up and nursed out of, shall we say, suboptimal situations.

For an EV, the M70 is a relatively engaging drive, and unlike its less-athletic siblings it does encourage you to have a crack. The longitudinal forces the twin e-motors exert on one’s body are also rather impressive, building speed with unstoppable purpose, but the Hans Zimmer acoustics that go along with them are almost a little sedate.

More volume please, Mr Zee.

What is the BMW i7 M70 like inside?

Occupying space inside the 2023 BMW i7 M70 is time well spent, whether you’re captain of the ship or relaxing in first class below deck. It feels less like a car and more like a military-grade luxury apartment, if such a thing were to exist.

While the conundrum of choosing which seat to inhabit in the i7 M70 will give indecisive types a nervous twitch, it’s a pretty good problem to have.

But wherever you sit, the Merino leather and cashmere wool upholstery will make sure you feel like royalty.

Should I buy a BMW i7 M70?

BMW’s M division under Frank van Meel can seemingly do no wrong. Having sold a record number of M cars in 2022 – and being “on track for another record year”, according to the affable Dutchman – the most powerful M-tuned EV to date puts on quite the performance.

Indeed, the 2023 BMW i7 M70 does things that no 2.7-tonne vehicle should be able to do, and is gifted with the sort of luxo-tech that Elon Musk will be eyeing off very closely.

Importantly, the i7 M70 feels light years ahead of the Mercedes-AMG EQS 53 in terms of driver involvement, overall dynamics and even cabin luxuriousness.

2023 BMW i7 M70 xDrive:
Price: $344,900 (plus on-road costs)
Available: December 2023
Powertrain: Two electrically-excited synchronous motors
Output: 485kW/1100Nm
Transmission: Single-stage with fixed ratio
Battery: 106kWh lithium-ion
Range: 560km (WLTP)
Energy consumption: 23.8Wh/100km (WLTP)
Safety rating: Not tested

For everything you auto know about EVs, listen to carsales' Watts Under the Bonnet: the electric car podcast

Join the conversation at 

our Facebook page

Or email us at 

editor@carsales.com.au