BMW i7 M70 xDrive

Scope of this guide

This guide is scoped to the BMW i7 M70 xDrive (G70), the Dingolfing-built four-door electric saloon with a motor on each axle, shown to the world in April 2023 as the most powerful electric BMW at that point. It is not a guide to the i7 eDrive50 or the i7 xDrive60, which share the body and the usable battery but have less power, nor to the plug-in hybrid 750e xDrive, the petrol and diesel 7 Series, the i7 Protection armoured car or the Rolls-Royce Spectre, which is a different car from a different brand that happens to be electric and large. Where the M70 differs from those cars we say so below, because an advert that says only "BMW i7" can describe any of them. We also did not check whether a longer-wheelbase body exists for this model, so we describe the standard saloon only.

We have not driven this model for this article. Everything here comes from three cited sources: BMW Group's global press release for the i7 M70 xDrive dated 17 April 2023, PistonHeads' UK road test of the car dated 16 March 2024, and the UK government recall checker. We also read PistonHeads' launch report from 17 April 2023, BMW Canada's press release for the North American cars, and a UK trade report from 16 May 2023. Every page was read through a text extraction, not in a browser, and we flag the points that rest on a single reading. Prices are history, not valuations.

The figures at a glance

• Powertrain: Dual-motor electric, with an integrated drive unit on each axle that combines motor, power electronics and transmission. BMW says both motors are electrically excited synchronous units with no rare earth metals in the rotor. There is no engine displacement because there is no combustion engine.
• Power: 485 kW, which BMW prints as 660 hp. BMW's hp here is metric horsepower, so we read it as 660 PS, and that converts to about 651 bhp (660 x 0.9863). Converting 485 kW directly gives about 650 bhp, and BMW Canada prints 650 hp for its cars, which fits. Our catalogue stores 651 bhp. The figure is a peak with launch assistance, not a continuous output, as explained below.
• Torque: 1100 Nm (811 lb ft) when M Launch Control or M Sport Boost is active, and 1015 Nm (748 lb ft) in Sport mode.
• 0-100 km/h: 3.7 seconds, which is BMW's claim for the global car. PistonHeads quotes 3.7 seconds for 0-62 mph, which is a slightly different yardstick, so treat the two as the same claim.
• Top speed: 250 km/h (155 mph), electronically limited.
• Drive: electric all-wheel drive (xDrive), with a transmission built into each axle's drive unit. PistonHeads describes it as single-speed.
• Battery: 101.7 kWh usable. BMW Canada gives 105.7 kWh gross, which we have seen only in that release.
• Weight: PistonHeads prints 2,695 kg (DIN). The UK trade report prints 2,715 kg, so the figure depends on the measurement basis, which neither page states.

Where the numbers come from and what they mean

Two details in BMW's own release matter. The first is that the 485 kW system figure carries a footnote saying it applies when M Launch Control or the M Sport Boost function is activated. So the headline power is a boost figure. We did not find a lower continuous power figure in any source. The second is that the two motors do not simply add up. The rear motor peaks at 360 kW (489 hp) and the front motor at 190 kW (258 hp), which sums to 550 kW, more than the 485 kW system limit. PistonHeads' spec box prints the motor split of 258hp front and 489hp rear next to a 660hp total, and the sum of its printed figures is about 747hp. The sensible reading is that the motors do not reach their separate peaks at the same moment, but BMW does not spell that out in the pages we read, so that is our inference.

The 3.7 seconds also depends on the launch function. PistonHeads' reviewer describes the boost paddle as giving a kick for about ten seconds, with an electric soundtrack created with Hans Zimmer. The 1015 Nm figure is the one that applies to ordinary Sport mode driving. For a buyer the useful point is that a used M70 should be able to demonstrate both modes, and that the quoted times are factory claims under favourable conditions.

What separates the M70 from the cheaper i7s

PistonHeads says the M70 has 116hp more than the xDrive60 and more than 200 lb ft more torque, while weighing just 55 kg more. The usable battery is the same 101.7 kWh in both. The review says the case for the M70 over the xDrive60 is probably a tough one, because the cheaper car is very good, though the reviewer expects some buyers to want the top model anyway. The reviewer also says it does not feel much like a traditional M car. M-specific tuning of the all-wheel drive, steering, dampers and stability systems is listed in the UK trade report, which is the only page we read that gives that detail, so check what a specific car has rather than assuming.

If you are comparing adverts, the quickest check is the badge, the power figure on the registration documents and the build specification. Do not rely on a seller's description, since an xDrive60 with an M Sport package looks similar from outside.

Range, charging and efficiency

BMW gives a WLTP range of 488 to 560 km (303 to 348 miles) with consumption of 23.8 to 20.8 kWh/100 km. PistonHeads' spec box prints 303 to 343 miles, and its launch report printed 303 to 348 miles, so the upper end differs by five miles between two pages from the same publisher. These are laboratory figures. The PistonHeads test does not discuss real-world range, charging speed or efficiency, so we do not give an everyday figure and you should not accept one from an advert without evidence.

BMW's global release gives up to 195 kW DC charging and 22 kW AC as standard, with a mid-journey stop adding up to 170 km (106 miles, WLTP) in ten minutes. BMW Canada's release gives a lower 9.6 kW AC rate and a 34 minute 10 to 80 per cent time, so the North American car is not identical to a European one. We did not find a UK page that gives the AC rate for a UK car. A Max Range mode caps speed at 56 mph and switches off climate, seat and steering wheel heating and ventilation to extend range by 15 to 25 per cent, according to the trade report and PistonHeads. The i7 also has a heat pump for cabin and powertrain heating and cooling.

Price and what was optional

PistonHeads priced its test car at 161,905 pounds as standard, which it says is 45 pounds more than a Mercedes-AMG EQS 53, and 190,905 pounds as tested. The tested car included an Individual Gran Lusso interior at 6,500 pounds and an Ultimate Pack at 29,000 pounds, which the text rounds to 30,000. The reviewer praises the seats in the Gran Lusso material and the rear theatre screen. These are new prices from March 2024, not what a used car is worth. Optional equipment such as the Theatre Screen and the Bowers and Wilkins sound system is described as an option in the trade report, so confirm that the car you are viewing actually has what the advert lists.

Model years and market differences

BMW's release is dated 17 April 2023, ahead of a debut at Auto Shanghai, with the worldwide sales launch in the second half of 2023. The UK trade report dated 16 May 2023 gives no UK on-sale date and no UK price, and we did not find a source for the first UK deliveries, so our catalogue start year of 2023 reflects the reveal and production start announced then, not a confirmed first UK registration. We found no source that says production has ended, so the end year stays blank.

The North American car is rated at 650 hp, has the lower AC charging rate noted above and carries an EPA-based range estimate. A Singapore BMW page was reported to list 659 hp for the same 485 kW, which we saw only in a search summary. None of this changes the car, only the unit and rounding each market uses.

What to check before buying

• Confirm the car is an M70 and not an xDrive60, from the build sheet and the paperwork.
• Ask for a battery health report and the charging history, since neither source tells us how the battery ages.
• Check that M Sport Boost and M Launch Control work, and ask the seller to demonstrate both.
• Confirm which options are fitted, especially the Ultimate Pack and the interior trim.
• Inspect the tyres and wheels. Our sources give no tyre sizes or costs, so we cannot quote them, and a car this heavy is likely to be hard on tyres, which is our inference.
• Check the service and software update history with a BMW dealer.
• Ask what warranty remains and whether it transfers. We did not verify the terms of any BMW warranty.
• Run the registration through the recall check below.

Recalls and the government check

We did not run the government checker, because we are not looking at a specific car. The page says you can use the registration number with the MOT service to see safety recalls that have not been fixed, or the vehicle recall checker with the manufacturer, model and year, and that non-safety recalls come from the manufacturer directly. A search for recalls turned up pages about campaigns for the G70 7 Series and i7 family in North America and Germany, which we only saw in summaries and have not confirmed apply to the M70 or to UK cars, so we do not list them. Absence of a recall in our sources is not a clean bill of health.

About the photograph

The picture at the top of this page shows a Black Sapphire BMW G70E i7 M70 xDrive photographed in a car park in February 2024 by Damian B Oh and published on Wikimedia Commons under CC BY-SA 4.0. We cropped it to a 16 to 9 frame and resized it. The front plate is blank and unreadable, and no person is visible. It is a market car that may differ from a UK specification, so use it only to show the shape.

Verdict

The BMW i7 M70 xDrive in this guide is a Dual-motor electric saloon with 651 bhp (660 PS), 1100 Nm with boost, a claimed 3.7 seconds to 100 km/h and a 250 km/h limiter, all-wheel drive. It is very quick and very comfortable by PistonHeads' account, but the headline figures are launch-assisted claims and the car is not much more capable day to day than the cheaper xDrive60. If you are shopping for one, verify the specification, the battery and the options with documents, and treat every published figure as a claim. We have not driven it, so use the sources and a proper inspection to decide.