It’s been nearly a year since BMW announced the i7, its first fully electric 7 Series. Since then, it’s steadily made its way to customers, and we’ve even reviewed it twice. Despite being the brand’s first fully electric flagship sedan, the standard i7 punches well above its weight, drawing justified Rolls-Royce comparisons. However, as good as the xDrive60 is, it was never meant to be the model’s flagship. That title belongs to the 2024 BMW i7 M70 xDrive that debuted today during the Shanghai international motor show.
As the M in its name suggests, the M70 isn’t positioned as an ultra-luxurious variant of the new 7. Instead, it’s focused squarely on performance, with a 650 horsepower output, a sprint to 60 mph of 3.5 seconds, and an EPA-estimated 295 miles of range. BMW claims the M70 is its most powerful all-electric car ever, and while they have yet to release pricing info, we’d be willing to bet that it’ll be its most expensive too.
Quick Specs:
| Motor | Two Synchronous Induction Motors |
| Output | 650 Horsepower / 748 Pound-Feet (811 LB-FT w/ Launch Control) |
| Battery | 101.7 Kilowatts |
| Range | 295 Miles (EPA Estimate) |
| 0-60 MPH | 3.5 Seconds |
A Familiar Face
Visually, the 2024 BMW i7 M70 xDrive only brings minor changes. These include trim-specific side skirts, darkened Shadowline trim, a unique set of M mirrors, and a larger rear diffuser. Option the M Performance Professional option, and you’ll get a small rear lip spoiler, a black accent trim piece between its tail lights, and gloss black trim surrounding its illuminated kidney grille.
It’ll be easier to distinguish the M70 from the xDrive60 that preceded it by looking at its paint job. This new model adds new two-tone paint options to the 7’s extensive catalog and trim-specific matte-finish options. In total, BMW offers over 100 paint shades and now eight two-tone options.
Many styling elements, like its 21-inch M Aerodynamic wheels, are carryovers from the M Sport equipped xDrive 60, as are its angular front and rear bumpers. The M70 only wears three M badges on its exterior, one on its trunk, and one on each of its front fenders. Since this is also a 2024 model year car, it doesn’t get the multicolor 50th-anniversary badge available for 2023 M products.
Significant Changes Under The Skin
Although the 2024 BMW i7 M70 xDrive may look similar to the xDrive60 on the outside, it features significant powertrain updates. Power is up from xDrive60’s 536 hp and 549 pound-feet output to a healthy 650 hp and 748 lb-ft of torque output. That torque figure can increase momentarily up to 811 lb-ft when utilizing launch control or M Sport Boost. The result is that despite weighing 5,929 pounds, the M70 will still hit 60 mph in 3.5 seconds, or about a second quicker than its sibling.
The range-topping 7’s increase in performance comes courtesy of the electric motor on its rear axle, which BMW claims is the most powerful it has ever produced. It is now more power-dense thanks to a six-phase design with dual inverters. Its power density is up by 25.5 percent over the xDrive60’s rear motor, meaning it now develops up to 483 hp, whereas the standard car’s unit tops out at 308 hp. Interestingly, its front motor remains unchanged, still delivering a peak of 255 hp and giving the M70 all-wheel drive.
Despite its added muscle, the counts on the same sizable 101.7-kilowatt-hour battery pack as the xDrive60, giving it an EPA estimated range of 295 miles. Although this figure will likely change depending on whether the car wears its standard 21-in wheels or a set of 20s with optional summer tires. For context, the xDrive60 offers up to 318 miles of EPA estimated range. A new Max Range mode will allow the M70 to restrict its speed to 56 mph and cabin functions to maximize range during emergencies.
Given that the M70 has almost 120 hp more than the xDrive60, BMW has also chosen to update its suspension. This includes revisions to its calibration as well as the addition of M-specific air springs. However, the carmaker has stated that while these components should help the M70 corner well, they won’t spoil the plush ride that made the xDrive60 so impressive in the first place. Other changes include structural revisions to its font end for greater rigidity and updated active steering and roll systems.
Finally, the M70 comes standard with M Sport brakes adorned with the M logo but can be painted black to match the darkened look of the M Performance Professional package.
Updated iDrive Controls
BMW has yet to release official images of the M70’s updated cabin, but it does feature a handful of changes. The M70 is among the first models to receive the brand’s updated iDrive 8.5 infotainment system. Although iDrive 9 is right around the corner, version 8.5 reconfigures the system’s layout to look more like a phone’s operating system.
The German carmaker calls this new layout QuickSelect because it places quick shortcuts to most of the car’s essential functions on the system’s home screen. This is ideal since the i7 lacks physical buttons, and iDrive 8 often requires shuffling through various menus to access the car’s core controls.
Other updates include a new cloud-based navigation system with more precise and up-to-date electric charger information for better route planning. As expected, BMW hasn’t announced any physical changes to the M70s interior, which is understandable given how many configurations and materials are available for the xDrive60.
Latest BMW News:
While the 2024 BMW i7 M70 xDrive made its official debut today, there’s still plenty of info BMW has yet to unveil. For starters, we don’t know how much it will cost. For context, the xDrive60 starts at $120,295, including a $995 destination charge. However, with options, the vehicle we tested for our review came in at $151,995, including destination. Given that the M70 represents a sizable leap in performance expect it to arrive with a significant price premium.
BMW has yet to announce when its new flagship will go on sale, but if the xDrive60 is anything to go off of, it’ll likely start making it into customers’ hands sometime later this year.
Sources: BMW
