BMW i7

Electric luxury limo promises a long range and an indulgent rear seat experience On sale December Price from £107,400

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EYE-CATCHING WATCHES are a mainstay of luxury culture, but while a mechanical Rolex was once the height of wrist-based oneupmanship, now the tech-heavy Apple Watch is muscling into the crowd. The new BMW i7 is all the evidence you need that luxury cars are going the same way; it aims to offer all the comfort and refinement you’d expect from a traditional range-topping model, with the added benefit of electric car technology.

Arriving first in xDrive60 form, the i7 is powered by front and rear-mounted electric motors that together produce 537bhp and 549lb ft of torque – enough for a 0-62mph time of just 4.7sec. Power is drawn from a 101.7kWh battery, giving the i7 an official range of up to 388 miles. That’s significantly more than the Audi E-tron GT (298 miles) can manage, but less than the Mercedes-Benz EQS 450+ (an impressive 453 miles).

The i7 has a peak charging speed of 195kW, which means you can add 100 miles of range in just 10 minutes, or go from 10-80% in about 35 minutes if you can find a suitably powerful public charger. A full charge via a 7kW home wall box will take about 16 hours.