Hands-on With the 2023 Electric BMW I7 & BMW 760i
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When the curtain dropped from the 2023 BMW i7 at the early press preview there were audible gasps in the audience. The gasps were all centered around the new face of BMW luxury that was previewed days before with the X7 LCI. However where the X7 was received by and large favorably, the immediate reaction of the assembled press was a mix of shock and more than a few murmurs.
None of this should be a surprise. BMW has a history over the last twenty years of not holding anything sacred and not being afraid to rethink some of the very core aspects of the brand. Here, in a quest to rethink what luxury can be, BMW has rethought almost every aspect of exterior and interior design, human interface and even the very surfaces we expect. The 2023 BMW 7 Series is that much a revolution for the brand.
But before we gush about what BMW got right, we’re going to start with a controversial statement. Where the new split headlight design works well on the revised 2023 BMW X7, it felt forced and a bit out of place on the smaller (but still massive) 2023 BMW i7 and 760i on display.
It’s actually not the split headlight design itself but the shape of the front-end that really gave us pause as we studied it from every angle. And judging from the attention the front was getting, we weren’t the only ones challenged.
That front-end is a bold move from BMW but one that feels brutal in its execution and at times even garish. Perhaps the biggest surprise is that the rest of the car doesn’t follow this trend. Other elements on the exterior feel refined to the point of being minimal and immediate elegant.
However one thing that isn’t minimal is the overall size of the all new 7 Series. While BMW wouldn’t give us dimensions in this pre-launch preview but it was obviously larger than any previous 7er. Since that initial viewing we’ve learned that the car has indeed grown by 5.1 inches in length to 212.2, by 1.9 inches in width to 76.8, and by 2 inches in height to 60.8. Its wheelbase is now 0.2 inches longer at 126.6,.
Design aside we were blown away by the reinvention of luxury BMW has crafted with the new 7 Series. The curved displays are here (originally from the IX) but that’s the least interesting thing. Doors open automatically with a button (or your phone) and interface sits on the glass trim itself inside the car. The shifter is now a very small lever that feels so intuitive that you wonder why it took BMW so long to get to this point.
But it’s the rear seats where we see the biggest improvements. The massive screen that folds from the ceiling is almost as jaw-dropping as it’s Amazon Video and Netflix integration (all powered by 5G). Then there’s the Android powered screens design into the rear doors that allow passengers total control of their surrounding and even the car’s entertainment.
This is will be a challenging car for some. The design is almost brutalist up front and it will take time for many long time BMW fans to wrap their heads around it. But what this new 2023 BMW i7 and 760i showed last week is that BMW isn’t afraid to rethink everything in the name of innovation and progress. And while the execution may not always be beautiful, it’s hard to argue with that ethos. Now we just have to drive it.
