Just picked up a i7 xDrive60

[CSLA]

Hi all, I wanted to introduce myself and my new i7 xDrive 60. My 2022 Tesla Model X is being bought back due to safety related issues so I didn’t have the luxury of ordering.

I had to search long and wide to find a car equipped with both 356 climate comfort glass and the autobahn package. Both of which I had on my prior G12, which was a special order that I worked on directly with BMW Individual in NJ with.

I wasn’t particularly looking for a car in luxury line or in Oxide Grey with the Cashmere interior, however I’ve always found BMWs and the 7 in general highly affected by optional equipment so I prioritized feature content. It’s quite the opposite of my special ordered G12, which was Frozen Dark Grey with no exterior chrome and a Tartufo interior.

I’m slowly warming up to all the chrome and the car has a unique presence. The cashmere is certainly interesting, I’m still warming up to the feel of it and questioning the long term durability of the material.

IMO the G70 feels two generations removed from the G12 and holistically different to other BMWs as a luxury product. Whereas the G12 was a bit less insulated and still had plastic door guards and rubber sills (closer to the rest of the BMW model range) the interior of the g70 is lined in carpet and felt door sills so there will never be squeaking when the chassis flexes over low speed bumps. The seats are exponentially more comfortable and the suspension tuning is miraculous in the effectiveness of the active roll stabilization and its capacity to have one rebound and be done when absorbing a bump.

I’m quite happy, the only detriment is the range is a bit of a disappointment compared to my EQS Mercedes and Teslas. Our 2022 Model S is at 405 miles and Model X at 350. I had an EQS450 sedan, which was around 400 miles that was just replaced with an EQS580 SUV at 318. So far the computers showing me around 278 miles at 100%. Hopefully that improves with further calibration.

Happy to be here and back in the BMW fold!

[Berliner]

Dude, congrats on your car. But this .pdf attachment thingy is not ideal

I took the liberty to reupload your images here

[A-Train]

Looks excellent and enjoy; the Oxide grey is especially interesting in person. I have no idea about durability and experience of that interior; I've only seen it a couple of times, both on the dealer floor. Regardless, the car is amazing and enjoy!

[Caveno]

Congratulations!! Enjoy, looks beautiful.

[Laguna Beach]

Congrats. Nice color combo for sure. Interested to hear your Tesla comparisons

[deutsch100]

Congratulations. Oxide is amazing, I had it on an iX. The easiest colour to keep clean!! The cashmere interior is very comfortable, but I would ask the dealer about stain proofing, as marks and spills will not just wipe up as with leather or Veganza.

I picked up an i7 60 on Saturday, and it is amazing. Fifth 7 Series, and the best so far (it feels as luxurious as out past Rolls and Bentleys...if not better).

[CSLA]

Originally Posted by Berliner

Dude, congrats on your car. But this .pdf attachment thingy is not ideal

I took the liberty to reupload your images here

I’m not sure what magic you did but the website crashed for about 40min while I was trying to upload jpegs 😂. Thank you for the assist!

[CSLA]

Originally Posted by Laguna Beach

Congrats. Nice color combo for sure. Interested to hear your Tesla comparisons

Tesla Comparisons -

Model X - The power doors are much more intuitive here and make sense in their purpose. If your hands are full, you walk in front of the drivers door and it cracks open, as you walk behind it to gain access it swings open automatically. Simply by having your phone or key on you. Additionally as you walk away from the car the trunk, windows, and all doors will close automatically. On the BMW it’s idiotic that holding the lock button will close the doors but not the trunk lid, which requires a button press or foot activation separately. The system also seems to do a lot of thinking while you’re standing there waiting.

Model S - Frankly it’s a better electric vehicle and sports sedan, but not comparable from a luxury perspective. Being on a dedicated ev platform the use of space is almost like magic. I can fit a carry on in the front and under the load floor in the hatch. The floor is completely flat and it feels expansive for being closer to a 5 series in size.

The charging is much faster at 250kw and it’s a range warrior at 405 miles. The air suspension is adept, however less sophisticated at bump rebound with some inherit bounciness. The vehicle is quiet enough with double pane glass but it is overall much less insulated feeling lower to the ground and more in tune with the road surface transferring. That being said it pulls 1.04g and accelerates to 60 in 3 seconds so the car always inspires you to get into trouble, whereas the BMW is urging you to enjoy the journey and environment.

The voice recognition in the Tesla is much more adept and the touch screen larger and easier to navigate. Highway assistant seems pretty on par with auto pilot, which is a remarkable feat and both better than distronic in my new EQS580 SUV.

I prefer the sound system in the Tesla over the Bowers and Wilkins diamond surround. The sound stage is better as the vocals come from in front of you instead of the doors and the bass is much deeper and tighter. That being said bowers has better clarity and the 4d attributes are enveloping. I also appreciate the native Tidal lossless app support in the Tesla.

My biggest miss will be the Hepa filtration system. A foul odor never entered the cabin of either of my Teslas. The air smelled rich, almost sweet, and you felt like you were in a safe space. My previous G12 had the ambient air package, which included the ionizer and scent air. I’m at a loss why a more sophisticated filtration system isn’t available at any cost on the G70 and have noticed foul odors entering the cabin especially in freeway traffic.

Otherwise everything is far superior in the BMW. It is a luxury car with highly sophisticated finishes. It’s the anthesis to the Tesla in that it’s a show of craftsmanship and materials whereas the American company is engineering solutions and optimization of efficiency.the BMW seats have put me in danger of falling asleep and I’ve come to really enjoy the highly insulated yet still deeply competent driving experience. The suspension in the g70 and complete lack of body roll with active comfort drive w/road preview is a real joy. Very happy so far!

[Berliner]

Originally Posted by CSLA

I’m not sure what magic you did but the website crashed for about 40min while I was trying to upload jpegs 😂. Thank you for the assist!

It's a bit tricky. I uploaded the files to an external image hoster (https://imgbb.com) and copied the URLS with the [IMG] tag into the post

[Laguna Beach]

Great comparison thanks for the detailed explanation. Fit and finish are the big turn offs with Tesla and maybe even the service network but the biggest detractor for me especially in CA is how ubiquitous they have become. The i7 is still pretty rare and a special car in that sense and looks nothing like other BMWs. All Teslas look so similar it’s boring. I will say the model S is still pretty cool looking even after all this time without a serious LCI.

[CSLA]

Originally Posted by Laguna Beach

Great comparison thanks for the detailed explanation. Fit and finish are the big turn offs with Tesla and maybe even the service network but the biggest detractor for me especially in CA is how ubiquitous they have become. The i7 is still pretty rare and a special car in that sense and looks nothing like other BMWs. All Teslas look so similar it’s boring. I will say the model S is still pretty cool looking even after all this time without a serious LCI.

I had a couple fit in finish issues at delivery, but I will say that the service center works diligently to rectify everything. They’ve also become very good in that they won’t take your car in until all parts for repair have been delivered. I typically receive my car back from service in one day or less. The issue I have with the service center is they make you accept invoices until they deem something should be goodwilled or covered by warranty. When I complain about creaks and rattles they lecture me how BMW and Mercedes warranties don’t cover those items and then I always have to remind them about the price point of the Model S and X and how it isn’t basic transportation. I’m ready to be back in a more premium experience.

[CSLA]

Originally Posted by deutsch100

Congratulations. Oxide is amazing, I had it on an iX. The easiest colour to keep clean!! The cashmere interior is very comfortable, but I would ask the dealer about stain proofing, as marks and spills will not just wipe up as with leather or Veganza.

I picked up an i7 60 on Saturday, and it is amazing. Fifth 7 Series, and the best so far (it feels as luxurious as out past Rolls and Bentleys...if not better).

I’m right there with you! The i7 feels every bit as isolated and refined as a super luxury car. I spoke with one of the product planners for GKL at BMW USA and he mentioned that the plan is to discontinue the Rolls Royce Ghost and use the 7 series with an Alpina badged product to fill that niche. Essentially a direct competitor to Mercedes-Maybach. This makes sense considering how good the base vehicle is.

[deutsch100]

Originally Posted by CSLA

I’m right there with you! The i7 feels every bit as isolated and refined as a super luxury car. I spoke with one of the product planners for GKL at BMW USA and he mentioned that the plan is to discontinue the Rolls Royce Ghost and use the 7 series with an Alpina badged product to fill that niche. Essentially a direct competitor to Mercedes-Maybach. This makes sense considering how good the base vehicle is.

Our BMW dealer told us the same thing. No more RR Ghost and the very capable 7 Series will be pushed instead, most likely an Alpina variant.

[NewQ]

Really? Who’s saying this again, and where are they getting their information?

I’m just surprised. I can see Alpina taking on Maybach, using the 7, but getting rid of the Ghost seems shocking to me.

[SW17LS]

This is dealer BS lol, RR Ghost isn't going anywhere

[CSLA]

I thought I would post a comparison between my newly acquired i7 xDrive60 and the EQS580 SUV I picked up a week later to replace my EQS450+ sedan.

They are similar MSRP vehicles and both pretty loaded so the best foot forward of EV platforms from both Mercedes-Benz and BMW.

This particular EQS is fitted with the Manufaktur Neva Grey/Biscaya blue interior, which places full Nappa leather on the upper dash, door armrests, and center armrests on top of all the other areas. On top of the yacht grain natural wood, it really elevates the interior atmosphere to reflect an S class level vehicle. The copper stitching is an especially nice touch.

The interior material choices are a lot more classic than my cashmere/merino equipped i7, but really elevated none the less. I have noticed in door entry areas Mercedes is using hard plastic while BMW is lining that area with carpet and felt.

The BMW wins with overall seat comfort, the radiant heating from the dash, door panels, and armrests being a real soothing treat. I will say that I do prefer the Mercedes-Benz massage programs, the rollers are sharper/more targeted and the hot stone program is divine.

The i7 is equipped with the 356 climate comfort laminated glass and the EQS with the acoustic comfort package. They are both eerily quiet. Almost watching the world pass around you without hearing anything. There is slightly more overall wind noise in the Mercedes at freeway speeds maybe due to the suv shape, Hoover I have noticed the slight mirror based wind noise on the i7 that others bring up on this forum.

The EQS580 is faster than the i7 and the range on the display shows 318 miles at full charge, while my i7 shows around 270 miles. The acceleration in the Mercedes is more immediate and seems to continue stronger at higher speeds. Both intelligent regeneration modes seem to operate similarly. Almost like the stopping portion of active cruise control.

The ride and handling quality is where these two vehicles really different themselves. The EQS is like an over powered speed boat. The ride quality is exceptional, however you float and the body exhibits motions as you encounter the road. Airmatic is exceptional at making the car feel like a highly insulated hovercraft. My i7 is equipped with the autobahn package and the ride feels a bit stiffer than the Mercedes, however there is minimal to no head toss or body roll and the car dispels of bumps in one rebound cycle. Every part of the i7 a suspensions seems like it’s working to keep you flat, level, and unperturbed.

The EQS feels much more nimble with 10 degrees of rear wheel steering rather than the 3 in the i7.

Lastly MBUX with hyperscreen feels like an easier to use, more impressive, and more intuitive interface than idrive 8.5. It has become second nature in usage and the zero layer concept really works. Additionally, the augmented reality heads up display that projects navigation arrows and drivers assistance warnings onto the road in front of you seems a lot more advanced than BMWs HUD.

They’re both amazing cars and I feel lucky to be able to experience them on a daily basis. Happy to answer any questions.

[deutsch100]

Originally Posted by SW17LS

This is dealer BS lol, RR Ghost isn't going anywhere

I asked TWO BMW dealers, and both told me the same thing. I guess we will see.

Both said 7 Series Alpina will move upmarket and fill the Ghost slot. Rolls will focus on Phantom, Cullinan and Spectre.

[Berliner]

And please no more Tesla and EQ-something images ;D

[rollingtaser]

thanks! nice comparison

i was coming from an S and tested the S, EQS and 7 - i went for the i7

what would interest me:
- how do you compare the high and low beams (incl. matrix) of both cars?
- which head up display do you prefer?

i decided for the i7 because of the feeling of space and freedom when in the car. i'm an IT guy and i like screens and stuff, but for me, the EQS was too dominant. i wish they would implement some retro/calm instrument panel like they had on the W221.
damn, i miss this...

symbolic picture:
https://www.motor-talk.de/blogs/benz...-t6008164.html

and yes, the rear drive angle... this is a big + on the merc!!!

[CSLA]

Originally Posted by Berliner

And please no more Tesla and EQ-something images ;D

I’m conducting a comparison test! 😂

[CSLA]

Originally Posted by rollingtaser

thanks! nice comparison

i was coming from an S and tested the S, EQS and 7 - i went for the i7

what would interest me:
- how do you compare the high and low beams (incl. matrix) of both cars?
- which head up display do you prefer?

i decided for the i7 because of the feeling of space and freedom when in the car. i'm an IT guy and i like screens and stuff, but for me, the EQS was too dominant. i wish they would implement some retro/calm instrument panel like they had on the W221.
damn, i miss this...

symbolic picture:
https://www.motor-talk.de/blogs/benz...-t6008164.html

and yes, the rear drive angle... this is a big + on the merc!!!

Unfortunately full matrix capabilities are not currently activated in the US. There are parts of the Mercedes-Benz Digital Light that are active though, which includes arrows when Distronic is conducting lane changes, driver assistance warning triangles, and driver assistance lane keep assist icons.

Both headlamps are extremely powerful and distribute light nicely.

I prefer the augmented reality head up display in the EQS. It’s extremely intuitive, seemingly expansive, and better at conveying data. The way navigation arrows and drivers assistance warnings seem to float all over the windshield in their correct places seem like magic.

The curved hyperscreen almost feels decadent to use. Mercedes makes up for the glass dash with a lot of wood and a variety of materials on the console area.

Also loving the scent air and the hepa filtration system in the car.

The i7 is more convincing in being a cohesive luxury sedan though. They didn’t reinvent the wheel. It’s a full size sedan that happens to have a BEV powertrain.

[rollingtaser]

Originally Posted by CSLA

Also loving the scent air and the hepa filtration system in the car.

yes, this is indeed a big pro for the EQS! BMW did a s%(/ job here!