• Generous space for four
• Sizeable boot
• Ski flap for longer loads

At nearly 5.4 meters in length, you should expect palatial passenger space in the i7. It certainly delivers with lots of headroom, a driver’s seat that has loads of fore and aft adjustment and an exceedingly wide, supple, heated armrest between the front seats.

Move to the rear and the leg room available is quite ridiculous, especially if you’ve moved the front passenger seat forwards using the rear remote control. Even with a tall driver in front of you, legroom is unlikely to be an issue while headroom is also excellent. It solidly thrashes both the Porsche Taycan and Tesla Model S for space.

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Even with fancy electrically adjustable rear seats fitted, the i7 is still a five-seater. The centre seat is raised a little so you won’t be as comfy as the people either side of you, but cabin width is good and everyone will have somewhere to put their feet despite a hump in the floor.

Boot space and storage

While rivals such as the Mercedes EQS and Tesla Model S have luggage areas accessed by handy hatchbacks, the i7 is a conventional saloon. Thankfully the i7’s length and not inconsiderable height means the boot is still large and very usable.

The large opening, electric operation and low loading lip make it easy to lift bulky items in and out, and there’s easily enough space for a baby’s pushchair plus a large food shop. Given the two Isofix child seat points In the back, you can really spoil your offspring.

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Inside there are door pockets of a good size front and rear, generous cupholders and enough little cubbies to stash your keys, phone and wallet/purse. Wireless phone charging pads are available front and rear, while there’s a selection of handily placed USB-C ports, too.

Is it easy to park?

Naturally the i7’s vast size means you’ll need a very large space to park it – we found the nose or tail would overhang a typical supermarket spot, for instance. All models get all-round parking sensors, a reversing camera and parking assist, with a surround-view camera a reasonably priced and worthwhile extra.

Even without all that tech, the slab sides make it easy to place the i7 while the windscreen pillars aren’t too obstructive. Just remember to close the Theatre screen if you want any view out of the back at all.

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Safety

Euro NCAP is yet to test the BMW i7, and judging by previous form they seem unlikely to because of the car’s relatively limited production numbers. Even so, lesser BMW’s generally get five stars, so the more technologically advanced i7 should manage that score easily.

Regular cruise control is partnered with a rear cross-traffic monitoring system with braking and blindspot monitoring as standard. Should you want adaptive cruise control and steering assistance, you’ll need the Driving Assistant Professional option.