2025 BMW i7

How’s the tech? Two screens come standard: a 12.3-inch instrument cluster display and a 14.9-inch horizontally oriented touchscreen for the infotainment. The touchscreen is canted slightly toward the driver, making it easier to reach, a necessity given how wide it is. Using this system takes some learning — there are a lot of menus and it can be tricky to find what you're looking for and to set up the car to your liking. But thankfully, the voice recognition system understands many natural language commands and can be used to control many of the i7's functions.

Rear passengers get some cool technology features to play with, too. The available rear seat upgrades, such as for ventilation and massage, can be controlled by a small touchscreen mounted on each rear door. There's also an available 31-inch rear seat entertainment screen with 8K resolution that drops down from the headliner. It's powered by Amazon Fire and requires a data plan from BMW for streaming, but there's also an HDMI plug for connecting a game console or a laptop if you'd rather use it that way.

Our test i7 also came with BMW's new Highway Assistant that allows hands-free driving up to 85 mph instead of 40 mph. The system works as advertised, keeping the i7 well centered in the lane and slowing down and accelerating smoothly.

How are the range and efficiency? [Editor's note: The following range numbers are for a 2023 i7.] Our i7 test vehicle came equipped with the largest wheels the sedan offers at 21 inches. So equipped, the i7 gets an EPA-estimated range of 308 miles (versus 318 miles for the 19-inch wheels). It exceeded that estimate in the Edmunds EV Range Test, covering 320 miles, but that leaves it behind each of the Mercedes EQS variants we've tested including the AMG version. We noted a consumption rate of 35.5 kWh of electricity for every 100 miles of driving; that's similar to what we've measured from other high-end EV luxury sedans.

The i7's architecture allows for fast charging up to 195 kW. That's comparable to what the Mercedes EQS is capable of, but not as good as the Audi e-tron GT, Lucid Air or Porsche Taycan.