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BMW i7: seven senses

'Sympathetic brand, BMW. Indeed, in the new 7 Series program, the clientele can choose from just about any powertrain: a V8, six-in-line with hybrid support, diesel for the 'frequent driver,' or an all-electric powertrain aptly named i7.' With the world's very first top electric limo, Werner Budding steered through California for two days, both at the wheel and right in the back.
BMW

Walking out of the lobby of the Ritz-Carlton Rancho Mirage in Palm Springs, some twenty 7 Series are lined up snugly, in a variety of color schemes. From matte white with black wheels, to matte black with equally black wheels and a piano black grille, further a number of i7s finished in elegant beige, as well as striking variants painted in a two-tone color package. The diversity of colors immediately indicates exactly how popular it is in global markets. The matte paint colors do well in the Middle East and in California. The Chinese brighten up at over-the-top color schemes, such as a Rolls-Royce-like two-tone body, where the underside of the body is dark red and the top is black. In Europe, a retained exterior color such as light beige suffices, the car where we send our miles through this gargantuan part of America.

Préséance

When the first-generation 7 Series entered the market in the late 1970s, Europe was the main market. Now, with the seventh generation, the "old world" is among the smallest sales area. Only 9 percent of the 7 Series volume, the vast majority of which consists of i7s, remains in Europe. Just under half of total production BMW distributes to the Middle East and America, and the remaining 45 percent goes by boat to China. So since China is the most important market, the design team led by Dutchman Adrian van Hooydonk has designed the exterior to appeal there as well. A BMW should have presence, should not disappear in the street scene. Certainly not when it is a model higher up in the lineup. The new 7 Series, like the updated X7, has been given the front end with the split headlights, between them the prominent grille. Regardless of whether it is an electric 7 Series or an internal combustion engine variant, it always has that prominent air intake. Speaking of which, that front end: it tells the story of a car brimming with imposing technology, delivering groundbreaking performance. The nose of a car that is not just any car.

Neat score

In case you are not yet ready for an electric car, of course you can. Just don't rush to the BMW dealer to order a 7 Series with V8. That version will not come to the Netherlands. Such a version has too large a bpm penalty attached to it, so it does not fit into the program price-wise. And why wouldn't you be ready for an electric car? Take the specifications of the i7, a car that completely eliminates the phenomenon of range anxiety. A driving range of over 600 kilometers on a full battery, that should satisfy many. Moreover, BMW is keen to market cars that in practice have a driving range as close as possible to the legally required consumption measurement. This so-called WLTP method tells us that an i7 xDrive60 will get you 625 kilometers far when its nearly 102 kWh (usable capacity) battery is fully charged. Always count on a little negative deviation - the same goes for a car running on gasoline or diesel. But the i7's deviation would be extremely limited for an electric car, which we experienced in California. Energy consumption turned out to be exactly 20 kWh after a drive of over 200 kilometers through the rugged mountains near Palm Springs. For a large sedan - 5.39 meters, with a weight of about 2,700 kilos - that is definitely a good score. All the more so if we did not use a reclusive driving style. BMW uses the 400-volt charging system, which allows the i7 to charge up to 195 kW at a fast charger. Remarkably, the i7 can hold such high charging power for quite a long time. So no imposing peak power that only holds for a few minutes, as some other electric cars offer. At the home charger, the i7 can handle up to 22 kW, which is also a good score. To make it a little more insightful: if you're on your way to winter sports, you'll be charging in ten minutes to fast-charger about 170 kilometers of driving range. Many of which, by the way, can now be found at almost every gas station in Germany. The world is changing fast where electric driving is concerned.

Overview

It remains extremely clever that BMW's chassis engineers have managed to provide such dynamic handling to a rather heavy car like the i7. Get behind the wheel and you look out over a clear dashboard, consisting mainly of two linked screens, the layout of which you can personalize. If you love sparklers, you can opt for crystal-like controls. If you prefer something more subdued, have these elements finished in black. As soon as you leave, you experience a car that does not feel at all like a 5.39-meter-long limo. The surveyability that BMW has managed to create is admirable, and where you cannot quite estimate the end of the bodywork, you get help from 360-degree cameras. And should you then still be able to fail to react or react too late, the car will do it for you. If you hate parking, no problem: the 7 Series will gladly take it off your hands. And if you are a bit of a lazy person, just know that you can open and close the doors electrically, via remote control if you wish. Nice and convenient: you walk in with a party, press the button and all the doors open. Once you are on tour with the i7, you again experience the feeling as if the BMW is less large than it really is. As if it has lost half a meter in length while driving. While driving, the i7 also feels less heavy. Masterfully done: a design that instinctively reduces its size and weight while driving.

MASTERS MAGAZINE

Want to read more about the BMW i7? The winter issue of MASTERS was created in collaboration with Jordi van den Bussche. Many will know him as YouTuber Kwebbelkop, yet he has been working hard as an entrepreneur for some time, as he reveals in the Big Interview. What's new is that his company JVDB Studios is offering to do social media marketing and short-format content marketing for other companies. "They can also go and figure it out themselves, but we cracked the code." Jordi gives a stage to like-minded entrepreneurs such as Jay-Jay Boske, Demy de Zeeuw, Chahid Charrak and Marcella de Bie, and discusses developments around games, crypto and NFT: "Just as bitcoin turned the financial system upside down, the same will happen with gaming." This extra-thick winter issue also features Lengers' first own ship, an interview with Corendon chief Atilay Uslu, specials on the new BMW 7 Series and Samsung foldables, and - exclusively for MASTERS! - an interview with Max Verstappen.

MASTERS #52 with guest editor Jordi van den Bussche