It is clear that the protagonist of this article is BMW's new generation 7 series. More precisely, it is the pure electric version of the i7. Of course, there will also be its "nemesis", Mercedes-Benz EQS.
But before talking about the new car, I would like to share this picture with you.
The two cars in this picture, which should have been taken in the 1980s, are BMW's first-generation 7 Series, code-named E23, introduced by BMW in 1977, and the third-generation S-Class, code-named W116, introduced by Mercedes-Benz in 1972.
This is the first time that BMW's "7" and Mercedes-Benz's "S" have met, and this encounter has officially opened the game between the 7 Series and the S Class in the luxury D-Class market.
In the 45 years that followed, BMW and Mercedes-Benz almost always followed the convention of renewing the generation every 7 years. Mercedes-Benz launched the eleventh generation S-Class code-named W223 in 2020, and BMW officially launched the seventh-generation 7 Series code-named G70 last night.
But after nearly half a century of fighting, times have changed.
The internal combustion engine is coming to an end, pure electric has become the master of the new era, and Mercedes-Benz and BMW should also change. So in 2021, Mercedes-Benz preemptively launched the EQS, taking the lead in bringing pure electric power to the flagship.
As the first luxury brand to touch the pure electric vehicle market, BMW is slightly conservative, until ten years later, it has injected the gene of the i brand into the new generation of 7 series.
However, since they have met again in the new era, it is time for the BMW i7 and The Mercedes-Benz EQS to start a new contest.
BMW's new 7 Series changes
First of all, let's first understand the new generation of BMW 7 Series.
Like the iX3 and i3 already on the market, the i7 is inextricably linked to the new generation of the 7 series, and even they share the same chassis codename, G70.
As the iconic design of the BMW family, the area of the "double kidney" has been increased unsurprisingly on the new generation of the 7 series. Coupled with the newly designed split headlight group, it does take a little time to adapt to the appearance of the new 7 series.
However, I have a hunch that in the end, everyone's reaction will basically be "true incense". Because compared with the previous generation of 7 series, the front of the new 7 series is thicker, and even a little rolls-Royce shadow.
The advantage of this is that when you park a new 7 Series with an S-Class of a W223, this time BMW should be able to overshadow the Mercedes. But the ensuing "hidden danger" is that the body of the founder will have a certain impact on the wind resistance, so will it become a disadvantage for the mileage of the i7?
Back to the design, in the front face shape, there is still a certain difference between the 7 series and the i7.
Probably because the 7 series released this time uses the M sports kit, while the i7 is the appearance of the executive version. Therefore, the front face design of the 7 Series is significantly more radical, with more design elements. The front face of the i7 is relatively simple, and it has a sense of honor in the simplicity of Rolls-Royce.
Pressing the button, the electric door automatically popped open and we followed the trend into the car. Although the 12.3-inch + 14.9-inch dual screen has become commonplace on BMW models. But on the flagship 7 series, BMW used a wrap-around interactive light strip to make this originally familiar interior have a completely different feeling.
I have to say that BMW is really about to play the crystal out of the flower.
From the very beginning of the crystal gear handle, to today's crystal seat buttons, crystal day running lights, crystal atmosphere lights and so on. Although I am a straight man, I am indeed a bit caught up in seeing these crystal components.
Especially that interactive light strip, there is a sense of luxury and elegance, even if it is lit, there is actually a little bit of technology when it is lit, which you can stand?
Of course, for the new generation of the 7 Series, the biggest highlight in the interior is nothing more than the 31.3-inch cinema-level giant screen on the roof.
Foldable, curved screen, wide scale and 8K resolution, although I have not experienced a real car, but these parameters alone I can imagine the experience of lying in the back row, watching movies.
Oh yes, the new 7 Series can also be equipped with an optional 40-speaker Borger Weggian 4D Diamond Surround Sound, with a maximum power of 1965kW. As long as you can find the right source, the back row of the new 7 Series can really be regarded as a private theater.
If you don't have too many requirements for the film source, the self-contained iQiyi can also meet the viewing experience of the vast majority of people. BMW also has an HDMI interface for this screen, and if necessary, it can also connect to other devices to use.
In short, you just use it as an 8K monitor.
i7 vs. EQS
As a parameter party, let's start with a graph flow and compare the BMW i7 and Mercedes-Benz EQS.
For D-Class luxury cars, size and space are certainly the most important figures. In the Chinese market, the i7 is only available in a long wheelbase version, while the EQS is only available in one version. So in terms of body size, the i7 is obviously larger.
And from the side shape, it can also be seen that the EQS with such smooth lines has a certain disadvantage in the rear space. In fact, from the seat function, it can also be seen that the rear row of the EQS is not as luxurious and noble as the traditional S-class, and it feels like an ordinary luxury car.
The rear of the i7, like the 7 Series, is obviously more like a D-class luxury executive sedan. In addition to the folding giant screen mentioned earlier, the i7 is also equipped with an integrated leg rest for a more relaxed sitting position.
The same as the 7 series is the advantage of the i7, but it can also be said to be a disadvantage.
In terms of daily use, in addition to the energy replenishment method, I can say that there is almost no difference between the 7 Series and the i7, after all, the driving quality of the 7 Series is also infinitely close to pure electric vehicles. And EQS and S Class, the only possibility of these two cars being similar is the driving experience.
Because the 7 Series and i7 are products of the same platform, they are based on BMW's CLAR platform. The EQS and S-Class are basically two cars, the former is based on Mercedes-Benz's pure electric platform EVA, while the latter is the traditional MRA platform.
From the perspective of research and development, for the new era, BMW and Mercedes-Benz have different choices.
Reflected in the range, the EQS is certainly more energy efficient than the i7. Taking the dual-motor four-wheel drive version as an example, the official 100-kilometer energy consumption of EQS is 16.7kWh, while the i7 reaches 18.4kWh.
Some of the reasons for this are the impact of vehicle weight and motor power, but the shape of the new 7 Series undoubtedly limits the efforts of the i department in the endurance of the i7.
Of course, BMW's approach is to plug a large battery of 120kWh, so under the comprehensive working conditions of WLTP that is closer to the actual use, the cruising range of the i7 still reaches 625 kilometers. Then in the 40 and 50 versions of the smaller power motor, the actual endurance of the i7 should not be much worse than that of the EQS.
To put it bluntly, in fact, BMW's CLAR is really not "oil to electricity". I feel that what everyone wants to complain about the most is that the front cabin does not have a storage box like Tesla? Why isn't the platform flat?
However, the EQS based on the pure electric platform does not actually have a front load box, and the rear floor platform also has a certain bulge. Therefore, the thinking of traditional car companies may really be different from that of new power brands.
Finally, let's talk about the comparison of intelligence, i7 and EQS can be said to have no commonality in screen layout.
The i7 chose to innovate in the rear row, in addition to the 31.3-inch giant screen, there is also a 5.5-inch touch screen on each armrest on both sides. The EQS has made changes in the front row, the 12.3 + 17.7 + 12.3-inch MBUX super screen with the equivalent 77-inch AR-HUD, everywhere you see is the screen.
Through this point, it can also be seen that the i7 is also an administrative car suitable for business travel. And EQS, Mercedes-Benz may prefer to make it a luxurious private car.
In addition, in terms of intelligent driving, these two are currently equipped with their own highest-level intelligent driving assistance systems. Of course, both models also have the ability to upgrade to L3 level automatic driving, and in the installation scheme of lidar, i7 and EQS have chosen to add lidar in the closed grille.
So in smart driving, BMW and Mercedes-Benz may be at the same level.
Write at the end
At the end of the writing, I felt more and more that the BMW i7 and Mercedes-Benz EQS were not competitors.
Although it is a contrast between the new era "7" and "S", the i7 is still a D-class executive luxury sedan, and the EQS I feel more and more like pure electric CLS. Compared to the rear, it pays more attention to the feelings of the front driver.
So people who buy i7 should only struggle between the 7 Series, S-Class and i7, and not consider EQS. Conversely, those who intend to choose EQS will not really compare it to the i7.
So the new question is, what kind of D-class luxury pure electric vehicle will Audi launch?