Cars with Better Ride Comfort and Cabin Insulation Than the BMW i7?

[blueice123]

Hello everyone,

Are other cars out there that you’ve driven or been a passenger in which you would say offer superior ride comfort and/or cabin sound insulation compared to the i7?

Thank you in advance

[BMW5and7]

Great question. I’ve been lucky to sample a few high-end cars lately purely out of passion, some owned by friends and some at dealerships..

First, you may need to split the quietness and ride comfort topics for the i7 based on who is providing that feedback:

1. Quietness: The i7 is a touch quieter than the ICE 760/740. Everything in my feedback below compares to the i7 specifically, because I didn't spend too much time test driving 760, and I own an i7.
2. Comfort level: G70 in general with the Autobahn package or Active Roll Stabilization package is VERY different than the standard. Active Roll Stabilization (ARS) only without the camera-based road-preview comfort feature is the best. The Autobahn package (which adds the camera tracking at some speeds) is more than excellent but 2nd best (it feels a bit more “sporty/tense” than “cushy" but still VERY comfy). Either way, Autobahn or ARS-only, they make the G70 more comfortable than a non-equipped G70, and it is noticeable especially for ARS-only... but even the G70 without these options is still better than 99% of cars on the road. I think these 2 packages push it into “near Rolls/Bentley” territory. More about that below.

Where it gets tricky to compare the i7 against other high-end options like RR and Bentley is at 50-70 mph driving speed because the wind on the glass (even with acoustic glass) starts to dominate, and most top-tier cars feel similarly hushed unless the surface is very rough. Most of them use similar tires too... But the comparison is easy at in-town speeds, and that's anyway were I spent most of the time with other cars for friends or dealers.

Feedback for cars I’ve driven/ridden in:

Rolls-Royce Ghost
Feels like a dream...it was for a friend and felt almost complete isolation. It’s so quiet that, and also so comfy that differentiating it from a the i7 with ARS or Autobahn is impossible at this level unless I spent days with each. I never drove the Ghost long enough to give an accurate assessment, but again at this level, it is just too hard to get better or compare unless u owned both long enough (not just test-drove them).

Genesis G90 (latest gen)
Excellent overall and calm. That said, to ne it wasn't as micro-refined as the i7. I actually only test-drove it for fun. I noticed a bit of wind noise through the driver door weather stripping at similar level of what I had in my last two S-Classes or W223 test-drives and other german cars....excellent, just not 100% insulated as the G70/i7.

Among the usual German cars, none of them match the i7’s quietness and comfort at the same time; some feel flatter (S-Class E-ABC, more below), some are exceptionally quiet but not as quite...

W223 with E-ABC...
Very close to an i7 with Autobahn. The S stays flatter over bumps (which some will prefer), vyt the i7 feels a little more floaty/comfy in that setup. With ARS package in the i7 and the lousy camera feature off, and the i7 feels much more comfortable than the W223 e-ABC or i7 with Autobagn on the same roads. Standard W223 (standard suspension) loses very clearly to standard G70/i7 on plushness, although am not a big fan of E-ABC in mbenz but it still the way to go to get lose to G70 with Autobahn. None of of these variants is as good as the G70 with ARC only.

EQS
Fun to drive and nice in many ways, but not the quietest at all... you can hear a touch of e-motor whine and tire noise. Very close to riding a Lucid.. Awesome but not Bently or RR level of course. The i7 feels close to that level.

Audi A8
My test-drive was underwhelming overall. I didn’t try the advanced suspension variant, so I’ll withhold from making any firm comparisons here but the insulation was not as good and suspension will not change that anyway.

Bentley Continental
Always been a dream car for me, and I think it will most likely be my next car once it is electrified.... but I am already entertaining the idea of getting one given the PHEV 50-miles ev-range.. I drove the 4th generation 2024 model year... I was blown away by both comfort and quietness that I came back again for another test drive. I haven’t driven another one since buying the i7, but from memory it felt every as quiet and comfy especially in full ev mode. This is one of the cars that I admire, sporty but luxury enough for my baseline.

What I still want to try: Bentley Flying Spur and the Rolls-Royce Spectre (which I don't think I will get the chance to test-drive anyway).... I’d expect both to be as good or better than i7 with ARC package but really would love to hear from actual owners

I noticed that tire choice matters so much for the i7 as far as noise. The Perilli's that come with the 21" are almost 100% silent (they also have foam insulation). I don't think u can get them with the smaller wheels and that makes the smaller wheels option more noisy sometimes from my experience. I recently switched also to Michelin NRF (MICHELIN PILOT SPORT ALL SEASON 4) and now i can barely hear anything even on rough roads which is exceptional for an EV.

[ArviHujan]

Went from 7 to flying spur but to be honest no major difference in ride both air suspension best ride i had was in an older s600 mercedes with hydraulic suspension

[blueice123]

Originally Posted by BMW5and7

Great question. I’ve been lucky to sample a few high-end cars lately purely out of passion, some owned by friends and some at dealerships..

First, you may need to split the quietness and ride comfort topics for the i7 based on who is providing that feedback:

1. Quietness: The i7 is a touch quieter than the ICE 760/740. Everything in my feedback below compares to the i7 specifically, because I didn't spend too much time test driving 760, and I own an i7.
2. Comfort level: G70 in general with the Autobahn package or Active Roll Stabilization package is VERY different than the standard. Active Roll Stabilization (ARS) only without the camera-based road-preview comfort feature is the best. The Autobahn package (which adds the camera tracking at some speeds) is more than excellent but 2nd best (it feels a bit more “sporty/tense” than “cushy" but still VERY comfy). Either way, Autobahn or ARS-only, they make the G70 more comfortable than a non-equipped G70, and it is noticeable especially for ARS-only... but even the G70 without these options is still better than 99% of cars on the road. I think these 2 packages push it into “near Rolls/Bentley” territory. More about that below.

Where it gets tricky to compare the i7 against other high-end options like RR and Bentley is at 50-70 mph driving speed because the wind on the glass (even with acoustic glass) starts to dominate, and most top-tier cars feel similarly hushed unless the surface is very rough. Most of them use similar tires too... But the comparison is easy at in-town speeds, and that's anyway were I spent most of the time with other cars for friends or dealers.

Feedback for cars I’ve driven/ridden in:

Rolls-Royce Ghost
Feels like a dream...it was for a friend and felt almost complete isolation. It’s so quiet that, and also so comfy that differentiating it from a the i7 with ARS or Autobahn is impossible at this level unless I spent days with each. I never drove the Ghost long enough to give an accurate assessment, but again at this level, it is just too hard to get better or compare unless u owned both long enough (not just test-drove them).

Genesis G90 (latest gen)
Excellent overall and calm. That said, to ne it wasn't as micro-refined as the i7. I actually only test-drove it for fun. I noticed a bit of wind noise through the driver door weather stripping at similar level of what I had in my last two S-Classes or W223 test-drives and other german cars....excellent, just not 100% insulated as the G70/i7.

Among the usual German cars, none of them match the i7’s quietness and comfort at the same time; some feel flatter (S-Class E-ABC, more below), some are exceptionally quiet but not as quite...

W223 with E-ABC...
Very close to an i7 with Autobahn. The S stays flatter over bumps (which some will prefer), vyt the i7 feels a little more floaty/comfy in that setup. With ARS package in the i7 and the lousy camera feature off, and the i7 feels much more comfortable than the W223 e-ABC or i7 with Autobagn on the same roads. Standard W223 (standard suspension) loses very clearly to standard G70/i7 on plushness, although am not a big fan of E-ABC in mbenz but it still the way to go to get lose to G70 with Autobahn. None of of these variants is as good as the G70 with ARC only.

EQS
Fun to drive and nice in many ways, but not the quietest at all... you can hear a touch of e-motor whine and tire noise. Very close to riding a Lucid.. Awesome but not Bently or RR level of course. The i7 feels close to that level.

Audi A8
My test-drive was underwhelming overall. I didn’t try the advanced suspension variant, so I’ll withhold from making any firm comparisons here but the insulation was not as good and suspension will not change that anyway.

Bentley Continental
Always been a dream car for me, and I think it will most likely be my next car once it is electrified.... but I am already entertaining the idea of getting one given the PHEV 50-miles ev-range.. I drove the 4th generation 2024 model year... I was blown away by both comfort and quietness that I came back again for another test drive. I haven’t driven another one since buying the i7, but from memory it felt every as quiet and comfy especially in full ev mode. This is one of the cars that I admire, sporty but luxury enough for my baseline.

What I still want to try: Bentley Flying Spur and the Rolls-Royce Spectre (which I don't think I will get the chance to test-drive anyway).... I’d expect both to be as good or better than i7 with ARC package but really would love to hear from actual owners

I noticed that tire choice matters so much for the i7 as far as noise. The Perilli's that come with the 21" are almost 100% silent (they also have foam insulation). I don't think u can get them with the smaller wheels and that makes the smaller wheels option more noisy sometimes from my experience. I recently switched also to Michelin NRF (MICHELIN PILOT SPORT ALL SEASON 4) and now i can barely hear anything even on rough roads which is exceptional for an EV.

Thank you! How much of a difference does ARS make to the ride quality at typical city-driving speeds and highway speeds when compared to the standard suspension, is it a large difference?

What you mentioned about the tyres is interesting. My i7 has 20" wheels fitted with Yokohama Advan Sport V107 tyres that feature ‘silent foam’. I’d be curious to see how they compare with the 21" Pirelli tyres in regard to road noise and ride comfort.

[blueice123]

Originally Posted by ArviHujan

Went from 7 to flying spur but to be honest no major difference in ride both air suspension best ride i had was in an older s600 mercedes with hydraulic suspension

Thanks, did your 7 come with the standard air suspension?

How does the sound insulation in the 7 compare to the flying spur?

[BMW5and7]

Originally Posted by blueice123

Thank you! How much of a difference does ARS make to the ride quality at typical city-driving speeds and highway speeds when compared to the standard suspension, is it a large difference?

What you mentioned about the tyres is interesting. My i7 has 20" wheels fitted with Yokohama Advan Sport V107 tyres that feature ‘silent foam’. I’d be curious to see how they compare with the 21" Pirelli tyres in regard to road noise and ride comfort.

City-driving is exactly where it matters the most for ARS. It completely eliminates all the body roll, but still allows the car to be floaty before the cameras aren’t done the road preview thing keeping it stable like a sporty car. Mostly on roundabout and turns. For a car of this size ARS was a must. Still the car is better than all competitors without it, but ARS adds magic.
On highway it matters only when changing lanes but not on straight line.

[BMW5and7]

Originally Posted by ArviHujan

Went from 7 to flying spur but to be honest no major difference in ride both air suspension best ride i had was in an older s600 mercedes with hydraulic suspension

Wow that’s awesome.
Also agree about the S600; I assume that was the hydraulic MBC W222 or older one in W221. All owners liked that setup until mbenz ruined it with E-ABC relatively speaking.

[blueice123]

Originally Posted by BMW5and7

City-driving is exactly where it matters the most for ARS. It completely eliminates all the body roll, but still allows the car to be floaty before the cameras aren’t done the road preview thing keeping it stable like a sporty car. Mostly on roundabout and turns. For a car of this size ARS was a must. Still the car is better than all competitors without it, but ARS adds magic.
On highway it matters only when changing lanes but not on straight line.

So does the ARS mainly reduce body roll as opposed to improving the primary/secondary ride quality?

In straight lines, how does the ride quality of the standard i7 compare to the i7 with ARS?

[BMW5and7]

Originally Posted by blueice123

So does the ARS mainly reduce body roll as opposed to improving the primary/secondary ride quality?

In straight lines, how does the ride quality of the standard i7 compare to the i7 with ARS?

It’s an “active” body roll system, so its job is to keep the car flat during turns and lane changes without making it feel more firm. On a straight line, they “should” be similar. However, these are experiences that can be difficult to describe unless you drive both car setups long enough (like days). In my opinion, the G70 suspension is already phenomenal, and on a straight, like in both setups, you’ll get one of the best experiences possible. But when it comes to curves and turns, there are differences in my view and based on my experience. I spent months searching and driving the G70 variants as well as other cars.

[blueice123]

Originally Posted by BMW5and7

It’s an “active” body roll system, so its job is to keep the car flat during turns and lane changes without making it feel more firm. On a straight line, they “should” be similar. However, these are experiences that can be difficult to describe unless you drive both car setups long enough (like days). In my opinion, the G70 suspension is already phenomenal, and on a straight, like in both setups, you’ll get one of the best experiences possible. But when it comes to curves and turns, there are differences in my view and based on my experience. I spent months searching and driving the G70 variants as well as other cars.

Very interesting, thank you for your insight

How did the build quality and interior ambience of the i7 compare to its competitors?

[bruno787]

i own both a Rolls Royce Spectre and a 735i (g70) and the ride is pretty much identical.......though rolls has 23wheels and my 7 has 19wheels

[BMW5and7]

Originally Posted by bruno787

i own both a Rolls Royce Spectre and a 735i (g70) and the ride is pretty much identical.......though rolls has 23wheels and my 7 has 19wheels

That’s phenomenal…. I don’t remember any German car with an MSRP sub $150,000 being as quiet and comfortable as any Rolls Royce from the same era.

[blueice123]

Originally Posted by bruno787

i own both a Rolls Royce Spectre and a 735i (g70) and the ride is pretty much identical.......though rolls has 23wheels and my 7 has 19wheels

How does the sound insulation and overall refinement compare?

[ArviHujan]

Originally Posted by blueice123

Thanks, did your 7 come with the standard air suspension?

How does the sound insulation in the 7 compare to the flying spur?

M sport 750e the spur suffers from tyre roar from the p zeros on some surfaces only rest is fine

The 7 has better tech but the spur has the nicer finish

[ArviHujan]

Originally Posted by BMW5and7

Wow that’s awesome.
Also agree about the S600; I assume that was the hydraulic MBC W222 or older one in W221. All owners liked that setup until mbenz ruined it with E-ABC relatively speaking.

W221 👍still got a w126 560sel 91

[SW17LS]

Honestly, there really aren't any. Cars at this level (7, S Class etc etc) are really largely as good as it gets. When you step up to something like a Rolls Royce Phantom there are improvements but when you look at the cost of that, its not really attainable.

The way they all ride etc is also actually very similar. The i7 benefits from the smoothness of the EV powertrain but ride compliance, sound isolation etc are very similar comparing G70 7, W223 S Class, D5 A8 etc. Full Range Rover also have an incredible ride and are very quiet but the higher profile brings some wind noise with it.

IMO The i7 Rides and drives better than the 760, the extra weight plants it down, and the 760s I drove tend to be floatier and less connected to the road than my W223 S Class. i7 isn't that way though.

Its the kind of thing where I would drive one and I would say "This is it, I have gotta have this" and then I would drive the other and say the same thing, then I would get back into my W222 S CLass I was trading and I would say "You know, this is also incredible"....I really don't think you can go wrong

[hufington]

The new Panamera has a great three-chamber adaptive air suspension with PDCC. IMHO, it's slightly better than the G70 with air suspension and Autobahn package.

[It's Good]

Do you mean Porsche Active Ride?If so, that's a $7k+ option that's way further advanced than ARS.The standard suspension also has numerous upgrades to in the new generation that keeps the chassis very level and stable.Don't think either uses a three chamber system.

[BMW5and7]

Originally Posted by It's Good

Do you mean Porsche Active Ride?If so, that's a $7k+ option that's way further advanced than ARS.The standard suspension also has numerous upgrades to in the new generation that keeps the chassis very level and stable.Don't think either uses a three chamber system.

That system is phenomenal based on the reviews and materials I’ve read. I’m still waiting for an opportunity to test-drive a Panamera with that setup. I expect the difference in ride quality to be much more noticeable compared to the standard i7 vs i7 with ARS or Autobahn, or the Mbenz standard to E-ABC/MBC, which are still significant enough for me to consider them must-haves for the 7 specifically. I can only imagine how fantastic the Porsche setup would be if the demo’s and online materials are close to reality. Only the Chinese were able to develop a system that appears to be that capable. I can’t wait to actually test-drive a Panamera with the new active ride dampers..

[F5506m]

Originally Posted by blueice123

Thank you! How much of a difference does ARS make to the ride quality at typical city-driving speeds and highway speeds when compared to the standard suspension, is it a large difference?

What you mentioned about the tyres is interesting. My i7 has 20" wheels fitted with Yokohama Advan Sport V107 tyres that feature ‘silent foam’. I’d be curious to see how they compare with the 21" Pirelli tyres in regard to road noise and ride comfort.

How does one order ARS in US on a i7 60 - I only see an option for the Autobahn Package? I thought ARS was standard?

[SW17LS]

Originally Posted by hufington

The new Panamera has a great three-chamber adaptive air suspension with PDCC. IMHO, it's slightly better than the G70 with air suspension and Autobahn package.

Haven't driven one with it but I have also heard great things.

[BMW5and7]

Originally Posted by F5506m

How does one order ARS in US on a i7 60 - I only see an option for the Autobahn Package? I thought ARS was standard?

No, it’s not standard very unfortunately. Standard suspension doesn’t come with ARS, and the difference is quite noticeable. ARS and/or Autobahn is the only way to get closer to other brands that cost 2-4X more in terms of comfort and road isolation. You’ll need to ask your dealer to add the ARS option code or just add the Autobahn package all together. You can’t add ARS through the online configurator, and unless you have an experienced dealer, you might face resistance in adding the ARS option code individually. If the dealer can build it for your that way, your car will leave the production line with the ARS hardware as well as the ARS option code on the build. The safest option is to add the Autobahn package as this package also adds ARS but it also forces you to take the camera road-preview option which is standard in the M70 and it is geared from my own experience towards “sporty” firm ride staying flatter than you really need at the expense of comfort (like an M car but not really), hence why it is standard in the M70 anyway. So in summary, I’ve had my own real-life experiences with the Camera Road-Preview that gets automatically added (and enforced) with the Autobahn, but if I have to choose, I would still take the Autobahn just to get the ARS suspension instead of the standard suspension with no ARS if that’s the only option. Otherwise ask the dealer to custom build one for you with ARS. From dozens of test drives I did before I settles on my needs for my i7, I’ve ranked as follows ARS-only > Autobahn >>> standard. Note that standard is still superior to 99% of other cars on the road, but Autobahn or ARS is noticeably superior to standard.