BMW i7 First Look: The ultimate high tech luxury EV?

The BMW i7 is loaded with tech and feels like an EV from the future.

The all-electric sedan BMW i7 feels like an EV from the future, as it is heavily loaded with tech.

The newly launched BMW i7 is an all-electric EV that happened to drop by the Tech Today studio for an exclusive first look. The all-electric sedan BMW i7 feels like an EV from the future, as it is heavily loaded with tech. This new contender has really done well, given it had big shoes to fill.

One of the coolest tech features of BMW i7 is Augmented Reality (AR). Using this feature, you can mirror your navigation system on your instrument cluster. It uses augmented reality to display route guidance to tell you if we have to go straight; take a right on this particular road and so on. It's a feature which is work in progress, but the fact that they're doing this in a vehicle, and EV really gets me excited.

The only catch is that you can only do this now with the BMW navigation system. You can't do this with Google Maps or Apple Maps at this point. But I'm guessing that will be fixed with the subsequent software update.

As compared to Mercedes EQS, range wise, BMW i7 is nearly half as potent or capable as the EQS, at least in its current avatar, but there is something about the suspension as whenever we drove the i7 on any speed breaker or potholes on Mumbai roads, nine out of 10 times the BMW i7 performed flawlessly.

The BMW i7 comes with three modes: Expressive mode that produces a Star Wars like sound all thanks to the audio tuning in the EV by noted Hollywood composer Hans Zimmer. In Sports mode, you will hear spaceship-like sounds. Out of all modes, Boost mode is the most important mode, especially for the Fast and Furious music fans. Since the mode is valid for just 10 seconds, even the manufacturers don’t want you to use it for longer because of the amount of power on offer.

Expressive mode that produces a Star Wars like sound all thanks to the audio tuning in the EV by noted Hollywood composer Hans Z

The BMW can actually memorise paths in and around. And if you don't feel like parking, then it can do it for you by using its reversing assistant.

For those sitting in the rear seat, they can use the mobile-like display on the side to turn on the theater mode and a huge 31-display that supports Dolby Audio will appear on the front. It can also adjust the seats in the matter of seconds and offer a footrest, in case you want to have a lounge-like experience in the rear seat. In addition to this, the cabin is also insulated from the outside noise.

Power doors on the BMW i7 will bring a smile to tech geeks’ faces. This is a very different approach compared to how Mercedes looks at its EQS, a Tech Today favourite, which is 50 lakhs cheaper than this, but it is built on a very different platform. BMW i7 with its electric powertrain is very potent and slick. And although it's an EV, it does still feel like a BMW, and that's what I enjoyed.

In terms of looks, you will either hate or love its grill. I personally love it because it commands such a presence, knowing that it's an electric but still such a tough nut.

With all the tech we've seen on this BMW i7, it perhaps ranks in the top three big boys we've ever had on Tech Today.