By Ross Ballot
The 2026 BMW i7 M70 has 650 horsepower and 749 lb-ft of torque, weighs over three tons, does 0-60 MPH in about 3.5 seconds, and (in the guise seen here) costs $192,075. But those numbers hide the real story, which is that this is quite possibly the most plush, comfortable vehicle I have ever had the privilege of driving.
Let’s get the looks out of the way
No, the i7 isn’t a good looking vehicle. In black or darker colors like the Frozen Deep Grey seen here the space between the headlights is masked, but in lighter colors the odd styling and enormous swathes of black trim shows through. You could go so far as to say it’s garish, like the KL Jeep Cherokee’s lighting treatment was applied to a blank wall with BMW’s trademark kidney grille plastered in the middle. The rear end isn’t much better.
As the trope goes, “you don’t have to look at it when you’re driving it”
Behind the wheel, the car is a face-full of screens and everything BMW can cook up to keep people interested and leasing their latest and greatest versus that from the competition. Put the car in gear and hit the road and the story changes though.
Put simply, the i7 M70— even against its 6,200 pound curb weight and needlessly large 21” wheels– rides like a car suited to royalty. It makes bumps and other road imperfections disappear entirely. The ride quality is phenomenal, the car floating over anything that would disrupt lesser cars. Body roll is well controlled, considering the car’s size and mass.
But the star of the show is how quiet the car is. Thanks to ample insulation and the electric drivetrain, you barely hear a whisper from the outside world. Around town it makes for what really is, and pardon the cliche, a bank vault-like experience. It’s pretty glorious. Only at highway speeds can you make out the slight sound of wind passing over the side mirrors, and the Bowers & Wilkins stereo easily drowns out the minor background whoosh.
The seats, too, are fabulous. There’s tons of adjustability and the cushion is soft and comfortable enough to sit in long beyond how long it would take to deplete the car’s quoted 268-285 mile range. Rear seat passengers don’t go uncoddled, either, with ultra-soft pillows for headrests.
It all makes for an extremely serene experience, which makes the car feel more luxurious than it is. Near silence plus such luxury is a fantastic combination.
All the tech and moreStill, you can’t escape the onslaught of screens. Effectively everything having to do with experiencing the car is controlled through such, and though it all works quickly and seamlessly, it does lessen the level of fancy a little. We’d like hard buttons for radio and HVAC controls, and it would be a good opportunity to showcase some nice metal work like that on display covering the B&W door speakers. Screens are great, but they’re everywhere these days. They’re even in the car’s rear door panels.
Only on the center tunnel are there real physical controls, and they mimic those which are present in every other BMW regardless of the vehicle’s price tag. Buttons and a backlit dash panel that have a little too much give to them don’t help the ultra-high end case here, and piano black trim has no place in a near-$200k car.
But should you want one?
There isn’t a gas-powered direct alternative to the i7 M70, with the 760i xDrive and its 4.4-liter twin-turbo V8 coming in at 536 horsepower and 553 lb-ft of torque, and 0-60 MPH happens a bit slower at around 4 seconds even though the car is about a thousand pounds lighter. Then again, the 760i’s price starts at $124,700 versus $168,500 for the i7 M70.
It really comes down to what value is placed on what aspects of luxury, and how much you’re willing to spend. Just shy of $200k is a ton of money for a car that will inevitably depreciate severely over its first few years of ownership (as basically all luxury EVs do), but for those with an inclination towards the BMW brand and a desire for the most comfortable, most luxurious offering the company has ever built, the i7 M70 is it.