Ask anyone to name the most luxurious car they can think of and they’ll undoubtedly say Rolls-Royce, but after spending some time using the BMW i7’s new Theater Mode, which features a 31.3-inch 8K screen that slides gracefully out of the roof, your opinion might change.
When it comes to Rolls, there’s no actual MSRP, but customers can specify just about any option they can think of within their budget. Dig a little deeper, however, and you’ll find that BMW plays a big role in this story.
The German giant has been providing parts and know-how to streamline production processes since it bought the British brand in 1998. Whisper it, the latest Rolls-Royce Spectre, the brand’s first EV, has a lot in common with the BMW 7 Series, particularly the fully electric i7.
But in a bold move, BMW has reserved perhaps the most impressive piece of technology for its own vehicle, rather than showering all of its touchscreen glory on its generally more luxurious sibling.
With the keys in hand for a UK-specific, entry-level i7, with prices starting at £106,000 (about $105,000 / AU$320,00) and rising to over £160,000 (about $168,500 / AU$364,00), I spent a few days pressing buttons and getting smacked on the hips in the name of journalism.
Screen burn-in
(Image courtesy of BMW)
Before we show you the awesome Theater mode, let’s take a quick look at the rest of the i7’s interior: The latest approach to car interiors seems to be to put touch screens on every possible surface, and while BMW has kept it low-key at the front, it’s gone completely crazy at the rear.
The driver is provided with a curved 12.3-inch dial display and a 14.9-inch infotainment screen that allows for almost all operations. The dashboard area is purposefully devoid of physical buttons, which is both beautiful and frustrating.
My kids were thrilled with the prospect of a proper movie night during a long drive.
Add to this the crystal-like iDrive controller that looks like it’s been lifted straight from a Premier League footballer’s dining room, and backlit glass trim throughout the interior.
Combined with the beautifully soft (and immaculate) leather optional on this press demonstrator’s ridiculously large and luxurious seats, it truly felt like a luxurious place for everyone on board to enjoy the many miles of driving.
(Image courtesy of BMW)
The 12.3-inch driver display is packed with some seriously cool innovations, including augmented reality navigation, which neatly overlays digital turns and arrows onto a live camera feed as you approach an intersection.
Additionally, BMW has focused on developing its camera-based gesture control technology and updated it to be more responsive than ever before: twirling your index finger in front of the main infotainment system will turn up the volume, for example.
If that’s not your thing, you can also use a variety of natural voice commands to get the vehicle to do what you want.
Everything is highly customizable, from the screen layout to the information you want on both the digital driver display and the head-up display projected onto the windshield – making driving your car a breeze.
(Image courtesy of BMW)
Without getting too hung up on specs, the model I drove boasted just over 450 horsepower, an electronically limited top speed of 127 mph, a 0-62 mph acceleration time of just 5.5 seconds, and an all-electric range of 357-380 miles.
Those are big figures for an entry-level model, and they’re even more impressive when you get behind the wheel.
Progress is quick but effortless, bumps in the road are smoothed over, and the car’s massive 5,391mm (17ft) overall length is well hidden thanks to the rear-wheel steering, making the i7 feel as agile as a Fiat 500 around town.
Mobile Cinema
(Image courtesy of BMW)
Driving the i7 is nice, but the proper way to approach it is to experience it from the comfort of the back seat. All four doors open automatically, although finding the buttons can be a bit of a pain.
Rear-seat passengers press a small button that’s flush with the metal door panel to close the enormous opening, and once inside, the chaos of modern life is comfortably sealed off, thanks to copious amounts of soundproofing and insulation.
Rear seat passengers are treated to a small, incredibly clear touch screen next to the door handle that controls every comfort, from massaging seats, to climate control and even the ambience of hundreds of hidden LEDs beautifully installed throughout the cabin.
There are several preset modes available, ranging from Digital Art, which displays vibrant colours and numerous digital artworks across a range of displays, to Relax mode, which plays a soothing soundtrack through the powerful Bowers & Wilkins surround sound system.
At night, the sunroof glass also lights up thanks to integrated LED threads that create a hatch effect, similar to the system that protects precious jewels in the Mission: Impossible films.
But it’s in Theatre mode that the i7 really comes alive: the 31.3-inch 8K display slides gracefully from its stowed position in the roof panel to the viewing angle, before blinds majestically appear to cover the side and rear windows, creating the darkest possible atmosphere.
The screen boots up in Dolby-esque grandeur, bass thumps from the seat’s “exciters” and BMW graphics scroll across the digital screen, complete with the aroma of popcorn wafting from the HVAC system.
(Image courtesy of BMW)
The display itself runs Amazon Fire TV software and relies on the BMW eSIM to get a data feed. Unfortunately, this press car didn’t come with an eSIM, and we tried to create a hotspot from various devices to get it to work, but without success.
One solution I found was to connect a traditional Amazon Fire Stick to the HDMI input on the back of the screen and create a hotspot with my phone. It’s not suitable for everyday use as there are a lot of wires, but at least it helped me get the feel of a mobile theater.
Immersive experiences
(Image courtesy of BMW)
While we weren’t able to confirm the 8K figures, the image was certainly sharp and the sound from the Bowers & Wilkins system was excellent, thumping through our seats during action scenes.
Obviously, the user interface would be much better without my shaky Fire Stick setup: simply tap the screen to select movies and TV shows via the built-in Amazon Fire TV OS.
BMW’s system does have some quirks, however, and certain apps within the Amazon ecosystem, mainly YouTube, cannot be operated via the touchscreen, requiring you to use small displays built into the door handles that act as a remote control.
If you have the Amazon Fire TV app installed on your smartphone, you can use your phone as a controller, which is extremely useful when playing games on the big screen.
(Image courtesy of BMW)
Secondly, not all of the width of a theater screen is used for entertainment purposes by default: the sides are usually populated with general information widgets such as the date, ambient temperature, weather forecast, etc.
Thankfully, rear seat passengers can move the main media block to the left or right if they want to stop watching movies, and you can also adjust the aspect ratio or set the display to full-screen mode to remove any annoying widgets.
The screen itself can be adjusted forwards and backwards, as well as the tilt angle, but because the display is so large it feels a little cramped and requires a bit of bending of the neck to operate comfortably.
This is easily forgivable given the immensely impressive volume of 2000W surround sound, but if the driver starts to get annoyed, passengers can connect headphones via Bluetooth (the only device the system currently allows).
It’s also worth noting that the Theater Screen also has a front-facing camera, which can be used for web conference calling if Amazon Fire TV OS offers an app for web conference calling in the future.
Although I haven’t tested it, I think two-way video calling with Alexa is feasible.
Technology is the new luxury
(Image courtesy of BMW)
Comparing BMW to Rolls-Royce is like comparing apples to oranges, as the prestigious British brand has always focused on “understated technology” – minimizing the amount of gadgetry in its cars in favor of pure luxury and relaxation.
But times are changing and the next generation of the ultra-rich is increasingly looking to clever use of technology as a status symbol – and the BMW i7, alongside the latest 7 Series in general, fulfils this requirement with distinction.
Sure, some might find adding a giant TV to the back of a car jarring, but it never failed to make an impact: I almost always heard “wow” or “wow” from everyone I showed it to, and my kids were thrilled at the prospect of enjoying a full-fledged movie on long drives.
But above all else, the i7 is a great car: packed full of technology, yet also a smooth, quiet and powerful machine to drive… but only if you want to be in the driver’s seat.
