[ad_1]
Remember when it was simpler, when a thing was just a thing and nothing else? For example, when your phone is just a phone and not an “unbreakable” connection to late night work emails and photos of your friends’ kids or pets? Or when your watch only tells the time and doesn’t count steps (too few), calories (too many), and sleep cycles (or lack thereof)?
Those times have changed, of course, and nowhere is this more evident than when looking inside the new BMW i7, the German auto giant’s new electric flagship. Because while it’s clearly a car, that’s really the last thing it’s capable of.
But let’s start from the beginning.this 7 series It has been BMW’s flagship model since 1977. It’s one of those limousine-style cars because you’re likely to find the owner sitting in the back seat as if you were behind the wheel, and the brand has traditionally rolled out the latest and cutting-edge technology.
Usually, these things fall into the boring but important camp — like smarter headlights or new navigation — and most of them end up trickling down to BMW’s smaller range. But something tells me it won’t be like this this time. Because fitting what feels like a cinema-sized screen to the back of the bite-sized 1-Series might be too much of a challenge.
But the i7 has no such space issues in the back seat, so large—and trimmed with real wood grain and animal fur—that you feel like it should be measured in acres. It’s also why the brand has been able to change the in-car entertainment game so comprehensively.
Luxury BMW i7 Charm
Did you know you can buy those iPad holders for the back of the front seat headrests to keep the kids entertained on long road trips? Well, BMW has its own version, it’s just that the German solution is even more impressive.
You slide into the back seat – which, by the way, is wrapped in cashmere, providing a body massage Functionality – Then, with the push of a digital button, the cabin transforms from a car to a full-rolling movie theater.
For starters, automatic shutters deploy across all rear glass windows, blocking out movie-busting light for the rear seats. Next, a massive 79.5-centimeter screen unfurls from the middle of the i7’s roof, blocking the view of the front windshield (and the remaining light) and turning the BMW into a drive-in theater rather than a drive-in theater.High-tech drive-thru movie theater
It runs Amazon Fire, delivers major streaming services straight to your backseat, and pairs with 35-speaker Bowers & Wilkins surround sound system These include seat shakers for body-shaking 4D experiences.
It’s an amazing piece of technology that makes all the other cool stuff pale in comparison.
for example, Swarovski Crystal headlights, a happy digital dance every time you unlock the car, or the fact that if you come back to your i7 and notice someone parked too close, you can simply move the car out of the way using the auto drive on your smartphone application.
For those unavoidable meetings, the screen can also be zoomed, but when you’re playing Hollywood blockbusters at maximum noise, BMW’s so-called “theatre screen” is far more impressive.
easy driving
Electricity is taking over every possible new car segment, but I don’t think any model is as well suited to the quiet, torquey nature of EVs as a high-end luxury sedan.
In the i7, two small but powerful electric motors (one for each axle) replace the original 6, 8 or even 12 cylinders. Combined, they deliver 400kW of power and 745Nm of torque, roughly the same power and torque produced by the previous-generation V8.
That’s enough to propel the 2.6-ton luxury barge to 100 kilometers per hour in 4.7 seconds.
But to stand your ground and stick with it is to miss the point here. Instead, use power only when you need it, and you’ll weave through traffic virtually silently and completely effortlessly.
The i7 doesn’t try to be Performance EV – it’s left to the likes of the Porsche Taycan. Instead, one of its real missions is to protect the occupants in the cabin from whatever happens outside the windows and what goes under the tires.
With the adaptive air suspension set to its most comfortable setting, the i7 can really glide over rough surfaces. There’s no boring big engine noise, so the cabin is very quiet, letting the outside world not disturb your ambience, like you’re behind a space shuttle airlock.
“Sound Signature”
When you really want noise, you can call on famous composers Hans Zimmer, each driving mode adopts its own sound signature—some sound like an orchestra swelling sweetly as you accelerate, while others sound, at least at low speeds, like someone stomping on a half-inflated bagpipe . Either way, it’s the most unique example of an EV soundtrack we’ve come across.
Providing the range is a large 106 kW/h lithium-ion battery, which BMW says will return “up to 625 kilometers” of range on the globally harmonized light vehicle cycle. When it does need to be plugged in, the i7 can accept 195kW DC fast charging, which should get you from 10% to 80% in about 34 minutes and cover a range of 170km every 10 minutes.
It takes longer to plug in at home.
It’s a big battery, and even with a 7kW wallbox you’ll need about 16 hours to charge the battery. A standard plug needs more than 50 hours of contact to get the same amount of power.
At $206,020, the i7 is a solid investment. But I don’t think you’ll find this level of technology, effortless progress, or luxury anywhere else in a Rolls-Royce or a Bentley. When you look at it that way, the BMW i7 suddenly starts to feel like a very expensive bargain.
[ad_2]
Source link