With a range in excess of 300 miles on a single charge, BMW has taken the sweat out of long haul journeys
I always said I’d start looking at buying an EV when I found one that would take me the 256 miles from home to Heathrow and back without recharging regardless of weather, traffic conditions or time of day. And the arrival of the BMW i7 to coincide with just such a journey seemed an ideal way to test it out. Until I looked at the flight ticket and realised I was flying out of Gatwick, adding a nice, neat 60 miles to the round trip. Over 300 miles on a charge? Not a chance, because you know as well as I that the gap that exists between what an EV manufacturer says a car will do and reality is more a yawning chasm.
Except it did it. I wasn’t even getting sweaty at the end. Yes, I kept to the speed limit and the weather was fine and dry, but I compromised my drive in no other way. In the meantime I discovered the first full-sized BMW I can recall preferring to its Mercedes-Benz equivalent. The EQS is prettier and has a more funky interior, but the i7 enjoys better perceived quality, is easier to use, no less quiet and finer riding too.
I do wish it didn’t look quite so dreadful but otherwise this is the most convincing large EV I’ve driven, a car that feels truly, extravagantly luxurious combined with a range that will spare you many rounds of motorway charging station roulette over its lifetime. Right now it is the best big EV saloon out there, and it’ll take quite something to topple it. AF
Price £111,500
Engine Front and rear electric motors, 105kWh battery
Power 536bhp
Torque 549lb ft
Weight 2640kg
Power to weight 203bhp per tonne
Transmission Single-speed, four-wheel drive
0-60mph 4.7sec
Top speed 149mph
Range 385 miles (WLTP)
Verdict Looks aside, it’s a winner.
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