Car review
Car review
Compact electric SUV wades in with design flair, a useful range and reasonable pricing – and shuns the bloat of many modern family cars
The new Fiat 600e is an Italian car. Stellantis most certainly won’t let you forget it, and you can’t really blame it for wanting to push that point.After all, this is the land that gave us da Vinci, Michelangelo, Caravaggio, Dante, ‘Nino’ Farina, Valentino Rossi, the Colosseum, central heating, those strappy gladiator-style sandals, tricolore salad, pizza, pasta, Valentino Rossi, Gucci, Versace, Ducati, Vespa, Ferrari, Maserati, Lancia, Lamborghini, Valentino Rossi and – obviously - Fiat. And Valentino Rossi. To name but a few of Italy’s resoundingly epic ‘things’.This is nothing if not a colourful, charismatic and dramatic heritage to draw on, and Fiat is absolutely right to shout about it from the top of its historic Lingotto test track, while supping espresso, eating gelato and looking effortlessly fabulous.So, in deference to that, there isn’t only an Italian flag embossed on the 600e’s rounded rear bumper, but there will also be no grey cars here. Fiat will not bow to the universal trend to paint every car in a variety of shades from the conservative end of the Farrow & Ball neutrals collection. Good on you, Fiat. I’d rather have my 600e in blue ‘Sky of Italy’ or orange ‘Sun of Italy’, or grey ‘Earth of…'. Hang on. No. Surely not. No, it is. That really is a grey Fiat, cunningly dubbed ‘sand – Earth of Italy.’
Fiat 600e with Giga Gears
Compact electric SUV wades in with design flair, a useful range and reasonable pricing – and shuns the bloat of many modern family cars
The new Fiat 600e is an Italian car. Stellantis most certainly won’t let you forget it, and you can’t really blame it for wanting to push that point.After all, this is the land that gave us da Vinci, Michelangelo, Caravaggio, Dante, ‘Nino’ Farina, Valentino Rossi, the Colosseum, central heating, those strappy gladiator-style sandals, tricolore salad, pizza, pasta, Valentino Rossi, Gucci, Versace, Ducati, Vespa, Ferrari, Maserati, Lancia, Lamborghini, Valentino Rossi and – obviously - Fiat. And Valentino Rossi. To name but a few of Italy’s resoundingly epic ‘things’.This is nothing if not a colourful, charismatic and dramatic heritage to draw on, and Fiat is absolutely right to shout about it from the top of its historic Lingotto test track, while supping espresso, eating gelato and looking effortlessly fabulous.So, in deference to that, there isn’t only an Italian flag embossed on the 600e’s rounded rear bumper, but there will also be no grey cars here. Fiat will not bow to the universal trend to paint every car in a variety of shades from the conservative end of the Farrow & Ball neutrals collection. Good on you, Fiat. I’d rather have my 600e in blue ‘Sky of Italy’ or orange ‘Sun of Italy’, or grey ‘Earth of…'. Hang on. No. Surely not. No, it is. That really is a grey Fiat, cunningly dubbed ‘sand – Earth of Italy.’
Car review
Better range and motorway performance for this likeable mid-sized EV are very welcome, but they demand a price premium
The Citroën ë-C4 wasn’t one of the very first mid-sized hatchbacks to go fully electric and we should probably be glad that it wasn’t. Because if it had been in the vanguard of affordable EVs, an electric powertrain might well have been novelty enough. Would there have been room left over for Citroën to do its habitual quirky thing and bake a bit of alternative design appeal and left-field joie de vivre into the car?As it was, when the ë-C4 finally came along in 2020 and the affordable EV segment was already established, it could plough a furrow of its own - and now, that furrow is pushing out just a little bit more widely. Having had a series of upgrades to its mechanical and equipment specification introduced incrementally over the past couple of years - a cheaper entry-level model at the turn of 2022, and series of hardware revisions later that year (among which were a new heating and ventilation system, with an efficiency-boosting heat pump as standard, as well as longer transmission gearing) - the car has now had a minor facelift. As part of it, every ë-C4 in the range has been made marginally more aerodynamic and efficient again, with electric range on the standard car extended up to 224 miles. And there’s also a new, range-topping model with more battery capacity and a more efficient and powerful motor.
Citroen e-C4 with Giga Gears
Better range and motorway performance for this likeable mid-sized EV are very welcome, but they demand a price premium
The Citroën ë-C4 wasn’t one of the very first mid-sized hatchbacks to go fully electric and we should probably be glad that it wasn’t. Because if it had been in the vanguard of affordable EVs, an electric powertrain might well have been novelty enough. Would there have been room left over for Citroën to do its habitual quirky thing and bake a bit of alternative design appeal and left-field joie de vivre into the car?As it was, when the ë-C4 finally came along in 2020 and the affordable EV segment was already established, it could plough a furrow of its own - and now, that furrow is pushing out just a little bit more widely. Having had a series of upgrades to its mechanical and equipment specification introduced incrementally over the past couple of years - a cheaper entry-level model at the turn of 2022, and series of hardware revisions later that year (among which were a new heating and ventilation system, with an efficiency-boosting heat pump as standard, as well as longer transmission gearing) - the car has now had a minor facelift. As part of it, every ë-C4 in the range has been made marginally more aerodynamic and efficient again, with electric range on the standard car extended up to 224 miles. And there’s also a new, range-topping model with more battery capacity and a more efficient and powerful motor.
Car review
Fetching family freighter was a true wolf in sheep's clothing – one of the best-driving MPVs we've tested
The Ford S-Max 2.5T of 2006 to 2009 was the Clark Kent of motoring.A comic-book hero that doubled as a sober-suited executive MPV during the week and responsible family holdall at weekends, but which, thanks to the 217bhp 2.5-litre five-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine from the contemporary Focus ST under its bonnet, could morph into a hot hatch-baiter capable of 0-62mph in 7.4sec.Today it’s extremely rare, although we did find a well-maintained 2006-reg example with 136,000 miles for £3995. More commonplace, and nearly as much fun, is its successor of 2012, powered by a 2.0T Ecoboost petrol engine making 237bhp.This version cracks the benchmark sprint in a shade under eight seconds, and it would be quicker but is paired with an automatic gearbox, whereas the 2.5T version enjoyed a six-speed manual. Both too much for your heart and your pocket?Then seek out the more plentiful 200bhp 2.0T from 2010 that takes half a second longer and drinks a little less fuel. Whichever version you choose, they are impressive figures for a seven-seat family car.Incidentally, we’re talking about the first-generation S-Max, launched in 2006, updated in 2010 and replaced in 2015 by the second. The latter is sleeker-looking and sports a lot more technology, but this magazine’s testers preferred the first-gen’s ride, handling and steering.The model was voted European Car of the Year in 2007, and there’s plenty more to celebrate. Those potent petrol engines were offered alongside a range of diesels. Among the latter, our favourite is the 161bhp 2.0 TDCi, especially combined with the Powershift dual-clutch automatic gearbox.Thanks to the engine’s wide spread of torque, you should see around 50mpg with moderate driving. From 2010, petrol and diesel engines were either replaced or updated, but don’t expect to drive one of the diesels into a ULEZ area scot-free. At best they are Euro 5-compliant – Euro 6 is required – so they will attract a charge.Also as part of the 2010 update, Ford improved the S-Max’s ride and handling – not that the engineers had to burn too much midnight oil, because beneath that capacious body is the chassis of our favourite repmobile, the Mondeo.We described the S-Max as a seven-seater, although Ford called it a 5+2 – an acknowledgement that the rearmost seats are big enough only for children. There’s not much head room, either, owing to the S-Max’s raked roofline – but it’s one reason why people bought it over the more upright Galaxy. Those seats and the middle row fold into the floor to give a 2m-long load bay.Trim levels rise through Zetec and Titanium to Titanium X Sport. This last adds a sports bodykit, twin chrome-tipped exhausts and – don’t laugh – a rear diffuser. In this spec, and with either the 163bhp 2.0 TDCi under the bonnet or the punchy but reasonably efficient 200bhp 2.0T, a post-2010-reg S-Max looks a proper eyeful.Diesels outnumber petrols and Titanium trim is the most plentiful; sports suspension was an option. It firms up the ride, which, fortunately, remains comfortable. When Autocar tested the S-Max, our testers saved their biggest accolade for the verdict, stating simply: “The car is comfortable and secure yet can also put a smile on your face.” We’ll take that
2006-2014 Ford S-Max | Giga Gears – Used
Fetching family freighter was a true wolf in sheep's clothing – one of the best-driving MPVs we've tested
The Ford S-Max 2.5T of 2006 to 2009 was the Clark Kent of motoring.A comic-book hero that doubled as a sober-suited executive MPV during the week and responsible family holdall at weekends, but which, thanks to the 217bhp 2.5-litre five-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine from the contemporary Focus ST under its bonnet, could morph into a hot hatch-baiter capable of 0-62mph in 7.4sec.Today it’s extremely rare, although we did find a well-maintained 2006-reg example with 136,000 miles for £3995. More commonplace, and nearly as much fun, is its successor of 2012, powered by a 2.0T Ecoboost petrol engine making 237bhp.This version cracks the benchmark sprint in a shade under eight seconds, and it would be quicker but is paired with an automatic gearbox, whereas the 2.5T version enjoyed a six-speed manual. Both too much for your heart and your pocket?Then seek out the more plentiful 200bhp 2.0T from 2010 that takes half a second longer and drinks a little less fuel. Whichever version you choose, they are impressive figures for a seven-seat family car.Incidentally, we’re talking about the first-generation S-Max, launched in 2006, updated in 2010 and replaced in 2015 by the second. The latter is sleeker-looking and sports a lot more technology, but this magazine’s testers preferred the first-gen’s ride, handling and steering.The model was voted European Car of the Year in 2007, and there’s plenty more to celebrate. Those potent petrol engines were offered alongside a range of diesels. Among the latter, our favourite is the 161bhp 2.0 TDCi, especially combined with the Powershift dual-clutch automatic gearbox.Thanks to the engine’s wide spread of torque, you should see around 50mpg with moderate driving. From 2010, petrol and diesel engines were either replaced or updated, but don’t expect to drive one of the diesels into a ULEZ area scot-free. At best they are Euro 5-compliant – Euro 6 is required – so they will attract a charge.Also as part of the 2010 update, Ford improved the S-Max’s ride and handling – not that the engineers had to burn too much midnight oil, because beneath that capacious body is the chassis of our favourite repmobile, the Mondeo.We described the S-Max as a seven-seater, although Ford called it a 5+2 – an acknowledgement that the rearmost seats are big enough only for children. There’s not much head room, either, owing to the S-Max’s raked roofline – but it’s one reason why people bought it over the more upright Galaxy. Those seats and the middle row fold into the floor to give a 2m-long load bay.Trim levels rise through Zetec and Titanium to Titanium X Sport. This last adds a sports bodykit, twin chrome-tipped exhausts and – don’t laugh – a rear diffuser. In this spec, and with either the 163bhp 2.0 TDCi under the bonnet or the punchy but reasonably efficient 200bhp 2.0T, a post-2010-reg S-Max looks a proper eyeful.Diesels outnumber petrols and Titanium trim is the most plentiful; sports suspension was an option. It firms up the ride, which, fortunately, remains comfortable. When Autocar tested the S-Max, our testers saved their biggest accolade for the verdict, stating simply: “The car is comfortable and secure yet can also put a smile on your face.” We’ll take that
Car review
Lamborghini Huracan Sterrato is the rough-and-ready swansong for the company's staple supercar
The Lamborghini Huracán Sterrato, the last and perhaps most entertaining variant of the company’s staple supercar, has the Lamborghini Urus to thank for its existence.While developing the SUV, the firm’s engineers thrashed a development car around a sterrato (Italian for dirt road) at the Nardò test track, had a great time, then decamped for a team dinner and wondered how much fun a Huracán could be in the same circumstances. A tired durability prototype was resuscitated and given raised suspension, and everyone who drove it, initially sceptic or otherwise, was a convert. So here we are.Of the Huracáns still to be built before the car goes out of production at the end of next year, a third – 1499 – will be Sterratos. The basis is a regular 4WD Huracán coupé, raised by 44mm and given 25% softer springs and an additional 35% (front) and 25% (rear) suspension travel. The track is 30mm (front) and 34mm (rear) wider and the wheelbase is 9mm longer. Then there's what chief technical officer Rouven Mohr describes as good honest chassis tuning, including tweaking the 4WD system’s distribution, the torque-vectoring via braking and the rear limited-slip differential’s operation, and only after that allowing calibration of the stability control. The Sterrato is finished with rugged plastic cladding, rally-spec lights, Bridgestone Dueller run-flat tyres and a £232,820 price tag. A few are still up for grabs, but they won’t be for long.Mohr says that Huracáns – or any other super-sports Lamborghinis – are usually developed with measurable performance parameters in mind. Some are applied here, but there was also an emphasis on the subjective. Unless you can put measurable KPIs on smiles.Lamborghini is one of the more flamboyant sports car companies, so you settle into a lively Huracán-spec interior, whose only notable nods to being a Sterrato are the switch for the spotlights, some instrumentation changes (inclinometer, compass, steering angle indicator) and a new Rally calibration on the driving-mode selector. Those aside, the naturally aspirated 5.2-litre V10 – Lamborghini’s last – fires with a noisy bark to a loud idle. This, like track-focused Huracáns, isn't the subtlest car in the world. It's a slight surprise, then, to discover just how docile the Sterrato is as a road car. On its 235/40 R19 front and 285/40 R19 tyres, it has a relaxed, easy and absorbent gait to its ride that’s slightly at odds with the sharpness of the 602bhp engine and quick seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. On British roads, it borders on tender. So velvety is the steering response that the point at which the car stops moving in a straight line and begins to arc into a change of heading isn’t something of which you're ever particularly conscious. It all means that when you have defanged the powertrain in Strada mode (short-shifting gearbox, exhaust valves closed, longest effective throttle), the Sterrato is confoundingly easy company when just getting from A to B. And that’s when you forget what you’re driving. Our drive demonstrated just how immaculately the Sterrato rides. Were it not for the visibility-wrecking snorkel that feeds the V10, this would be the Huracán to drive daily, no question. Even isolation isn’t half bad. With uncarpeted floors and unupholstered door cards, you would think road roar would be an issue on the motorway, but this unhinged Huracán feels about on par with a Porsche 911. Possibly better. Suspension? Not that exciting, as it happens. The Sterrato uses an adapted version of the regular car’s BWI damper (no Reiger beauties here). That, controlling a longer spring, is it. The car also uses ceramic brake discs, rather than the cast-iron ones favoured by rally cars right up to those in the WRC. Lamborghini says the surface has been treated to better dispel grit. The gearbox and electronically controlled limited-slip differential in the back are also carried over from the Evo, as is the Haldex coupling that engages the front axle. On looser surfaces, the Sterrato feels amazingly natural. So natural that once you have had only a mile or so to acclimatise to the blunted braking response and the need to use the throttle every bit as much as the Alcantara-clad steering wheel to rotate the car, it’s ESC off, foot down. Throwing this car about on dirt and gravel is, frankly, intoxicating. The wailing mortar just behind you is accompanied by the percussive roar of gravel flung into the underside of the car’s aluminium-carbon chassis. Flares of mud and dust are flung up into your peripheral vision as the front Bridgestones hunt for traction. There’s also the mad juxtaposition of bearing down on grass-lined chutes while staring through a classic Huracán letterbox view forward that normally depicts glass-smooth roads or rumble strips. And that’s just the audiovisual thrill. It doesn’t matter if you’re in Sport or Rally mode: once the electronics are off, the Sterrato wants to throw shapes. It’s an indulgent, composed and expressive handler on gravel, and there’s never any danger of spinning out, it seems. The precision of the powertrain is as useful and rewarding on dirt as it is on the road. And on the highway, the Sterrato does show those kinds of tendencies. If it wasn’t quite so loud, didn’t have quite such a focused and cramped interior and a rear-view mirror that was rendered helpless by a roof-mounted air scoop, it would make a very pleasing grand tourer.It has sweet steering, too: modestly weighted, very accurate and communicative.It reminds us of an Ariel Nomad, mixed with a pinch of Alpine A110, which Mohr previously cited to Autocar as an inspiration: a light car with a chilled, relaxed gait and one that’s keen to turn off-throttle. It’s hugely entertaining. It goes sideways, it makes a great noise and it’s easily controllable. And the nice thing about it is that, for all of the giggles that are virtually inevitable with an engine like this and a softly sprung off-road chassis, there’s real depth of ability to the dynamics too.This blend of surreal softness and suspension travel with modern control means the Sterrato is possibly the most exploitable supercar to leave Sant’Agata. At least, it is once you've learned its style, which involves getting greedy with the throttle and using weight transfer to kill the front tyres’ habit of shuffling. You don’t tiptoe to the limit of grip. It’s an unexpected joy to drive. Compared with its Evo sibling, what you lose in grainy steering feedback and telepathically instant responses, you gain in a lucid awareness of how the mass of the car is moving.The importance of this can’t be overstated. Along with the diminished contact patch and the V10, the result is a supercar that wants to play, not just show off its raw ability. The Sterrato changes course with the elastic swagger of a mogul skier, taking slithers of angle as you like. Yes, you can do this in a Huracán STO, but only on a near-perfect surface, with sky-high confidence. Even then, is it quite as fun?The Sterrato shows that the A110 approach is scalable from 248bhp to 602bhp and 1600kg. And is a soft chassis with a scalpel-sharp, atmo motor not just a little bit McLaren F1? It feels like there’s a lesson in the Sterrato, if anyone’s listening. Is the Sterrato a fitting finale for the Huracán? Intended to go off-road but accidentally glorious on it, it is. Lambo’s junior supercar is a congenital entertainer, never more so than in this form.
Lamborghini Huracan Sterrato: Giga Gears
Lamborghini Huracan Sterrato is the rough-and-ready swansong for the company's staple supercar
The Lamborghini Huracán Sterrato, the last and perhaps most entertaining variant of the company’s staple supercar, has the Lamborghini Urus to thank for its existence.While developing the SUV, the firm’s engineers thrashed a development car around a sterrato (Italian for dirt road) at the Nardò test track, had a great time, then decamped for a team dinner and wondered how much fun a Huracán could be in the same circumstances. A tired durability prototype was resuscitated and given raised suspension, and everyone who drove it, initially sceptic or otherwise, was a convert. So here we are.Of the Huracáns still to be built before the car goes out of production at the end of next year, a third – 1499 – will be Sterratos. The basis is a regular 4WD Huracán coupé, raised by 44mm and given 25% softer springs and an additional 35% (front) and 25% (rear) suspension travel. The track is 30mm (front) and 34mm (rear) wider and the wheelbase is 9mm longer. Then there's what chief technical officer Rouven Mohr describes as good honest chassis tuning, including tweaking the 4WD system’s distribution, the torque-vectoring via braking and the rear limited-slip differential’s operation, and only after that allowing calibration of the stability control. The Sterrato is finished with rugged plastic cladding, rally-spec lights, Bridgestone Dueller run-flat tyres and a £232,820 price tag. A few are still up for grabs, but they won’t be for long.Mohr says that Huracáns – or any other super-sports Lamborghinis – are usually developed with measurable performance parameters in mind. Some are applied here, but there was also an emphasis on the subjective. Unless you can put measurable KPIs on smiles.Lamborghini is one of the more flamboyant sports car companies, so you settle into a lively Huracán-spec interior, whose only notable nods to being a Sterrato are the switch for the spotlights, some instrumentation changes (inclinometer, compass, steering angle indicator) and a new Rally calibration on the driving-mode selector. Those aside, the naturally aspirated 5.2-litre V10 – Lamborghini’s last – fires with a noisy bark to a loud idle. This, like track-focused Huracáns, isn't the subtlest car in the world. It's a slight surprise, then, to discover just how docile the Sterrato is as a road car. On its 235/40 R19 front and 285/40 R19 tyres, it has a relaxed, easy and absorbent gait to its ride that’s slightly at odds with the sharpness of the 602bhp engine and quick seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. On British roads, it borders on tender. So velvety is the steering response that the point at which the car stops moving in a straight line and begins to arc into a change of heading isn’t something of which you're ever particularly conscious. It all means that when you have defanged the powertrain in Strada mode (short-shifting gearbox, exhaust valves closed, longest effective throttle), the Sterrato is confoundingly easy company when just getting from A to B. And that’s when you forget what you’re driving. Our drive demonstrated just how immaculately the Sterrato rides. Were it not for the visibility-wrecking snorkel that feeds the V10, this would be the Huracán to drive daily, no question. Even isolation isn’t half bad. With uncarpeted floors and unupholstered door cards, you would think road roar would be an issue on the motorway, but this unhinged Huracán feels about on par with a Porsche 911. Possibly better. Suspension? Not that exciting, as it happens. The Sterrato uses an adapted version of the regular car’s BWI damper (no Reiger beauties here). That, controlling a longer spring, is it. The car also uses ceramic brake discs, rather than the cast-iron ones favoured by rally cars right up to those in the WRC. Lamborghini says the surface has been treated to better dispel grit. The gearbox and electronically controlled limited-slip differential in the back are also carried over from the Evo, as is the Haldex coupling that engages the front axle. On looser surfaces, the Sterrato feels amazingly natural. So natural that once you have had only a mile or so to acclimatise to the blunted braking response and the need to use the throttle every bit as much as the Alcantara-clad steering wheel to rotate the car, it’s ESC off, foot down. Throwing this car about on dirt and gravel is, frankly, intoxicating. The wailing mortar just behind you is accompanied by the percussive roar of gravel flung into the underside of the car’s aluminium-carbon chassis. Flares of mud and dust are flung up into your peripheral vision as the front Bridgestones hunt for traction. There’s also the mad juxtaposition of bearing down on grass-lined chutes while staring through a classic Huracán letterbox view forward that normally depicts glass-smooth roads or rumble strips. And that’s just the audiovisual thrill. It doesn’t matter if you’re in Sport or Rally mode: once the electronics are off, the Sterrato wants to throw shapes. It’s an indulgent, composed and expressive handler on gravel, and there’s never any danger of spinning out, it seems. The precision of the powertrain is as useful and rewarding on dirt as it is on the road. And on the highway, the Sterrato does show those kinds of tendencies. If it wasn’t quite so loud, didn’t have quite such a focused and cramped interior and a rear-view mirror that was rendered helpless by a roof-mounted air scoop, it would make a very pleasing grand tourer.It has sweet steering, too: modestly weighted, very accurate and communicative.It reminds us of an Ariel Nomad, mixed with a pinch of Alpine A110, which Mohr previously cited to Autocar as an inspiration: a light car with a chilled, relaxed gait and one that’s keen to turn off-throttle. It’s hugely entertaining. It goes sideways, it makes a great noise and it’s easily controllable. And the nice thing about it is that, for all of the giggles that are virtually inevitable with an engine like this and a softly sprung off-road chassis, there’s real depth of ability to the dynamics too.This blend of surreal softness and suspension travel with modern control means the Sterrato is possibly the most exploitable supercar to leave Sant’Agata. At least, it is once you've learned its style, which involves getting greedy with the throttle and using weight transfer to kill the front tyres’ habit of shuffling. You don’t tiptoe to the limit of grip. It’s an unexpected joy to drive. Compared with its Evo sibling, what you lose in grainy steering feedback and telepathically instant responses, you gain in a lucid awareness of how the mass of the car is moving.The importance of this can’t be overstated. Along with the diminished contact patch and the V10, the result is a supercar that wants to play, not just show off its raw ability. The Sterrato changes course with the elastic swagger of a mogul skier, taking slithers of angle as you like. Yes, you can do this in a Huracán STO, but only on a near-perfect surface, with sky-high confidence. Even then, is it quite as fun?The Sterrato shows that the A110 approach is scalable from 248bhp to 602bhp and 1600kg. And is a soft chassis with a scalpel-sharp, atmo motor not just a little bit McLaren F1? It feels like there’s a lesson in the Sterrato, if anyone’s listening. Is the Sterrato a fitting finale for the Huracán? Intended to go off-road but accidentally glorious on it, it is. Lambo’s junior supercar is a congenital entertainer, never more so than in this form.
Car review
Munich’s new flagship arrives as technology-laden electric luxury saloon to rival Mercedes-Benz EQS
Perhaps it’s the inherently traditional character of the full-sized limousine that has made it one of the slower vehicle classes to embrace electrification. The race is now on, however, to carve out a lead in the fully electrified luxury saloon market – and BMW is joining the vanguard.Mercedes struck first with the EQS at the end of 2021, before the Genesis Electrified G80 arrived in 2022. And in 2023, we will see the segment-defining Tesla Model S return to the UK market in its latest form, reportedly followed by right-hand-drive examples of the Lucid Air. An all-electric Audi A8 is expected in 2024. There’s clearly no time to waste for any firm to build an early lead in luring luxury car buyers who are ready to electrify.The seventh generation of Munich’s BMW 7 Series limo is designed to do just that. In UK showrooms now, the car has launched in all-electric form only, in the shape of this week’s road test subject: the i7 xDrive60. In due course, 7 Series buyers will also be offered two plug-in hybrid versions, and a range-topping M Performance model – the 651bhp M70 – has also now arrived.Unlike some of its opponents, this car shares its platform with combustion-engined alternatives – but, as we will explain, that doesn’t prevent it from offering what looks, in principle, like a very complete package of performance, range, space and features, all wrapped in the expected 21st-century luxury.Range at a glanceBMW’s 7 Series limousine now comes in long-wheelbase form only, and with either plug-in hybrid or fully electric power. Diesel engines are offered in some European markets, but not in the UK.All versions get four-wheel drive. While upper-level M Performance derivatives (M760e, i7 M70) are a trim level in their own right, on the lesser models the choice is between Excellence and M Sport trims, with additional option packs (M Sport Pro, Ultimate) also available.VersionPowerBMW 750e xDrive483bhpBMW i7 xDrive60536bhpBMW M760e xDrive563bhpBMW i7 M70651bhpTRANSMISSIONS8-spd automatic (750e, M760e) 1-spd planetary per motor (i7)
BMW i7 | Giga Gears: A High-Performance Combination
Munich’s new flagship arrives as technology-laden electric luxury saloon to rival Mercedes-Benz EQS
Perhaps it’s the inherently traditional character of the full-sized limousine that has made it one of the slower vehicle classes to embrace electrification. The race is now on, however, to carve out a lead in the fully electrified luxury saloon market – and BMW is joining the vanguard.Mercedes struck first with the EQS at the end of 2021, before the Genesis Electrified G80 arrived in 2022. And in 2023, we will see the segment-defining Tesla Model S return to the UK market in its latest form, reportedly followed by right-hand-drive examples of the Lucid Air. An all-electric Audi A8 is expected in 2024. There’s clearly no time to waste for any firm to build an early lead in luring luxury car buyers who are ready to electrify.The seventh generation of Munich’s BMW 7 Series limo is designed to do just that. In UK showrooms now, the car has launched in all-electric form only, in the shape of this week’s road test subject: the i7 xDrive60. In due course, 7 Series buyers will also be offered two plug-in hybrid versions, and a range-topping M Performance model – the 651bhp M70 – has also now arrived.Unlike some of its opponents, this car shares its platform with combustion-engined alternatives – but, as we will explain, that doesn’t prevent it from offering what looks, in principle, like a very complete package of performance, range, space and features, all wrapped in the expected 21st-century luxury.Range at a glanceBMW’s 7 Series limousine now comes in long-wheelbase form only, and with either plug-in hybrid or fully electric power. Diesel engines are offered in some European markets, but not in the UK.All versions get four-wheel drive. While upper-level M Performance derivatives (M760e, i7 M70) are a trim level in their own right, on the lesser models the choice is between Excellence and M Sport trims, with additional option packs (M Sport Pro, Ultimate) also available.VersionPowerBMW 750e xDrive483bhpBMW i7 xDrive60536bhpBMW M760e xDrive563bhpBMW i7 M70651bhpTRANSMISSIONS8-spd automatic (750e, M760e) 1-spd planetary per motor (i7)