zzdcar
Home
/
Reviews
/
Buying
/
The 2024 BMW i7 M70 xDrive Is BMW's Most Powerful EV Ever
The 2024 BMW i7 M70 xDrive Is BMW's Most Powerful EV Ever-October 2024
2024-02-19 EST 22:09:17

Image for article titled The 2024 BMW i7 M70 xDrive Is BMW's Most Powerful EV Ever

on sale today, but it’s got one of the best interiors in the business, and now, according to an announcement made by BMW on Monday, it’s earned itself some performance chops, too, with the introduction of the 2024 BMW i7 M70 xDrive.

As usual, that name is a veritable cornucopia of alphanumerics, but what it means is that this particular comes packing a not-insubstantial 650 hp and up to 811 lb-ft of torque, which BMW claims is good for a 0-60 sprint of just 3.5 seconds. Is it Tesla Plaid or Lucid Air Grand Touring Performance quick? No, but it’s also not exactly slow either.

Rear three quarter view of the 2024 BMW i7 M70 xDrive in the fog next to a concrete structure

The downside of having is that unless you pack a crap ton of batteries into it, the range isn’t going to be stellar, and that’s the case here. Preliminary range estimates from the EPA peg the i7 M70's range at just 295 miles. Is it terrible? No. Is it plenty for 99 percent of people 99 percent of the time? Probably. Is it going to give some potential buyers pause? You bet your ass it is.

BMW claims that the rear drive unit in the M70 xDrive has a remarkable 25.5-percent increase in power density over the unit found in the i7 xDrive60 and that this is currently the most powerful electric motor in BMW’s arsenal. The increase in efficiency comes from a six-phase motor design with dual inverters. Most EV motors are three-phase, so doubling the number of phases in the motor’s windings allows for more oomph. That oomph is handy because the M70 xDrive features launch control.

Front view at night of the headlights and illuminated grille of the 2024 BMW i7 M70 xDrive

Other notable features include the latest and greatest version of BMW’s iDrive infotainment system, aka iDrive 8.5. This brings, among other things, navigation with charging-optimized route guidance as well as a new menu structure within iDrive. The new menus work with a function called Quick Select, which BMW says will make navigating the system easier.

Lastly, BMW is offering the M70 xDrive in a bunch of new BMW Individual paint schemes, including some “Frozen” matte finishes. The launch color scheme for this car is one of the BMW Individual options, and frankly, it rules. BMW calls it “BMW Individual Liquid Copper metallic for the lower section of the body and Saphire Black metallic for the upper section,” and it’s how we’d have ours.

BMW is making the official global debut of the i7 M70 xDrive at the Shanghai auto show, with plans for it to enter production in the second half of 2023. Pricing will be released closer to that on-sale date, but expect it to be a heaping helping more than the $120,295 starting price of the xDrive60 version and, because this bad boy is built in Germany, don’t expect federal tax subsidies either.

Side view of a 2024 BMW i7 M70 xDrive in front of a concrete structure

Comments
Welcome to zzdcar comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.
Sign up to post
Sort by
Show More Comments
Buying
For $3,100, Get High On XTacy
For $3,100, Get High On XTacy
If there’s ever been a nerdier car than today’s Pipe Subaru XT then I've yet to find it and give it a wedgie. The question however is whether you’ll geek out over this flat four Wonder Wedge’s price. Fully 64% of your felt was a stealing for its price. Oh...
Oct 29, 2025
This Is The Mid-Priced Dash Cam You Should Buy
This Is The Mid-Priced Dash Cam You Should Buy
Yes, it seems to be named after the astromech droid R2-D2 lost his virginity to behind a pile of power converters, but the truth is the DVR-027 is a decent, capable dash cam. That's a good thing, since it also seems to be one of the more popular ones, sold...
Oct 29, 2025
New York Auctions Cars Trashed By Hurricane Sandy For As Low As $300
New York Auctions Cars Trashed By Hurricane Sandy For As Low As $300
Need a car on the cheap? Don't want one of those they offer now? Then head on down to your local New York City public auction for the deal of the century: cars as low as $300 just because they were obliterated during Hurricane Sandy. The reports that city officials...
Oct 29, 2025
2013 Audi Allroad Quattro: The Jalopnik Haiku Review
2013 Audi Allroad Quattro: The Jalopnik Haiku Review
Happy Haiku Day / Enjoy This Audi Allroad / Haiku Style Review. ( Audi Gave Me This Freely I returned dirty) It is the A4 Avant you really wanted Just taller I guess Hey, look, some plastic that makes it a crossover for all of the roads You can get...
Oct 29, 2025
What Ten Bucks Of Dash Cam Gets You
What Ten Bucks Of Dash Cam Gets You
Crap. Well, to be fair, semi-functional crap. And, to be even more than fair, for the cost of a decent LA burger you can actually get a mostly-functioning electronic device that can capture and store video images from the dashboard of your car. That in itself is pretty incredible. But...
Oct 29, 2025
For $8,500, Drive Like The Wind
For $8,500, Drive Like The Wind
Long before VW started giving their vehicles African tribal sobriquets, the company’s products broke a lot of wind. Passat, Golf, Jetta, and today’s candidate Scirocco, were all named after winds that blow. Coincidentally, it’s up to you to determine if this clean coupe’s price blows. If you recall the movie...
Oct 29, 2025
Copyright 2023-2025 - www.zzdcar.com All Rights Reserved