[deutsch100]

I did a forum search, and found no results for this topic...but I apologize if this has been discussed before.

I love my i5 M60. It looks, handles and feels soooo good (really good!).

I very recently drove an i7 xDrive 60 and the new M70. Both are pretty phenomenal.

I however noticed little things right away like the padded door compartments, better feeling and looking sun visors, super plush and almost illegally comfortable seats, butter smooth Merino leather, deeper pile carpets, etc...

And while the i7 is big (like really big), it did not feel that much bigger than the i5 whilst driving, and the rear steering made it park and maneuver like a much smaller car.

I am toying with the idea of changing to an i7, but not there yet...since the i5 is so great too.

[LVBMW]

I considered it when looking at the iX. I mean, who wouldn't want a gigantic cool theater screen in their backseat (incidentally you can get this on the i5 in China, but that's another story) and Swarovski crystal headlights with automatic doors? But I realized that literally the i7 is probably too big to fit in the garage with all the cabinets, etc.

[RichardInCA]

I thought about it, but just not crazy about the front end, and the 5 is plenty big enough for me. The price point is so substantially north of the 5 that it wasn’t really something I thought about seriously.

[agorski]

I went to a driving event at Westworld in Scottsdale to sample the EV experience and drove both the i4 and i7. The i4 had a smaller interior than my 2014 328i and the interior felt a little dated. The i7 was great but the rear seat was ridiculous and I felt I needed a harbor pilot to get me out of the parking lot.

I was sold on EVs though. So I waited for the dealer to get an i5 demo to test drive and placed an order that same day. No regrets.

[SkykingUSA]

I thought about it but not for long. My wife found the i7 more comfortable and wanted that one, but neither of us could justify the price difference between an eDrive40 and an i7 of any flavor.

I prefer the exterior look of the i5, but the inside of the i7 is definitely more luxurious and it has more luxury features. It was simply out of our budget, and I wasn't as fond of the exterior as I am of the i5 exterior.

[deutsch100]

Thanks for all the replies.

We have had four 7 Series, so we are "used" to the size. LVBMW totally get the "will not fit with cabinets".

A few years back, we had a Rolls-Royce fetish The Ghost fit in the garage, but the Phantom would not. We had to extend the garage, so the Phantom could park in the garage. So I know now...if the Phantom will fit, the i7 for sure will, LOL. But....not much extra room for walking around.

I agree the new 5 looks better in the front, but once you get used to seeing the i7, I think it grows on you and has a lot of road presence!

[RichardInCA]

Originally Posted by deutsch100

Thanks for all the replies.

We have had four 7 Series, so we are "used" to the size. LVBMW totally get the "will not fit with cabinets".

A few years back, we had a Rolls-Royce fetish The Ghost fit in the garage, but the Phantom would not. We had to extend the garage, so the Phantom could park in the garage. So I know now...if the Phantom will fit, the i7 for sure will, LOL. But....not much extra room for walking around.

I agree the new 5 looks better in the front, but once you get used to seeing the i7, I think it grows on you and has a lot of road presence!

This reminds me of Kyle’s out of spec review of the M60 where he really loved the car, but said he’d been spoiled by driving the i7 the day before - the acoustic glass and touches were apparent BUT he did note that he thought the i5 had the better drivers seat/position. Sounds like you’ve had quite the stable of great cars Deutsch-I dunno how you let them go! (Assuming you don’t have a barn full of 10 high end sedans)

[AddyDaddy]

I did, my brother a couple months ago got the M sport i7 white on white and zero gravity seats are great, the vibrating seats with stereo (we both bought subs to assist the BW system), and it’s a great car, soft close doors, press a button all that stuff I would love in my M60, but…. For me I’d love the interior space, BUT, it’s a very large car, feels and looks much bigger than his last 7(last gen). You want a sense of sport driving go i5 M60, you want cloud floating feeling type of ride and feel like your cars a butler, get the 7. I wanted both but I like sporty more than sleeping while I drive . Both extremely great cars.

[Scrapula]

I love the i7 interior when you spec it out with the full merino. My build price was $50k over the i5 and I didn’t really care for the exterior. It’s definitely not a car to buy, but a corporate lease as a business expense, maybe. I have thought about retirement and creating a limo/shuttle service with one. We use a service for going out to dinner as we enjoy a couple of bottles of wine. They have your bog standard Town Car. With the theater screen, it could be a cool car for taking people out for their anniversary, a wedding reception, etc.

[ntailor]

I did very briefly however the i7 is huge and I also felt price point was a bit much. We already have a X7 for family trips. I wanted something smaller for myself but enough space for my son's car seat.

[Theophilus]

I have both an i7 and i5. Here are my quick bullet point thoughts:

- The cabin of the i7 far exceeds the i5 in the choices of materials and implementation.

- The i7 commands more respect on the road. People in California cut me off all the time in the i5, but for some reason, they seem shy of coming too close to the i7.

- The stereo of the i7 is far better than even the B&W stereo in the i5.

- The i5 M60 has better acceleration.

- My 2023 i7 had a LOT of problems and recalls, and was at the service center for weeks of repairs. My 2024 i5 has been absolutely rock solid and has never been in service.

In addition, I can answer any specific questions if you have any.

[deutsch100]

Originally Posted by Theophilus

I have both an i7 and i5. Here are my quick bullet point thoughts:

- The cabin of the i7 far exceeds the i5 in the choices of materials and implementation.

- The i7 commands more respect on the road. People in California cut me off all the time in the i5, but for some reason, they seem shy of coming too close to the i7.

- The stereo of the i7 is far better than even the B&W stereo in the i5.

- The i5 M60 has better acceleration.

- My 2023 i7 had a LOT of problems and recalls, and was at the service center for weeks of repairs. My 2024 i5 has been absolutely rock solid and has never been in service.

In addition, I can answer any specific questions if you have any.

Thank you. Playing with the i7 xDrive 60 yesterday...and the roof blind that covers the pano LED roof was very "persnickety".

While driving, it would not open or close the roof blind. "Hey BMW" would control side and rear blinds, but not the roof blind. iDrive would allow the rear and side blinds to open and close, but not the roof blind.

Once stopped, the physical button on the roof by the dome lights allowed me to open or close the roof blind, but "Hey BMW" and iDrive would not control the roof blinds.

Just a fluke, or is this common?

Thanks so much!

[mrrairai]

Originally Posted by deutsch100

Thank you. Playing with the i7 xDrive 60 yesterday...and the roof blind that covers the pano LED roof was very "persnickety".

While driving, it would not open or close the roof blind. "Hey BMW" would control side and rear blinds, but not the roof blind. iDrive would allow the rear and side blinds to open and close, but not the roof blind.

Once stopped, the physical button on the roof by the dome lights allowed me to open or close the roof blind, but "Hey BMW" and iDrive would not control the roof blinds.

Just a fluke, or is this common?

Thanks so much!

I set a shortcut by using the 5-0-5 hand gesture to open/close my top shade. You can also click the button on the driver’s door and it opens up a menu in idrive to open the shade. We also have an i5 M60 and i7 xDrive60 and I love both of the vehicles but I find myself walking to the 7 more than I do the 5.