2023 BMW i7 vs. Audi, Lucid, Mercedes, Porsche and Tesla: Luxury EVs Compared
Here's how BMW's new i7 stacks up against a growing crop of luxury EVs.
- North American Car, Truck and SUV of the Year (NACTOY) Awards Juror
The all-electric sport sedan wars are continuing to heat up. Tesla may have been the original disruptor, but Porsche came to bat with the gorgeous Taycan and Lucid is throwing the Air into the mix as well. The latest players in this space are Audi's E-Tron GT -- which shares a lot of its underpinnings with the aforementioned Taycan -- and Mercedes-Benz's new all-electric flagship, the EQS. Making its debut Wednesday, the 2023 BMW i7 now joins the party.
For this comparison we'll discuss the Tesla Model S Long Range, Model S Plaid, Porsche Taycan, Taycan with the Performance Battery Pack, Taycan 4S, Taycan 4S with the Performance Battery Pack, Taycan GTS, Taycan Turbo and Taycan Turbo S. We'll bring the top trims of the Lucid Air on board when we talk about power, performance and price, since each is pretty distinct and we'll leave the base Lucid Air model out as specs are not currently available. For the Audi, we'll talk about the standard GT as well as the RS E-Tron GT. Finally, the single-motor EQS450 and dual-motor EQS580 4Matic and AMG EQS models enter the fray representing Mercedes-Benz. BMW only offers the i7 in xDrive60 guise, so that'll be it for the Bimmer.
Dimensions
At 212.2 inches from bumper-to-bumper, the i7 is the longest model in this roundup by a long shot -- the rest all measure around 196 inches. The BMW's 60.8-inch roof rises over an inch taller than the next competitor, the EQS. Interestingly, the Mercedes is the narrowest of the bunch, at 75.8 inches, about an inch narrower than the class average.
Sizing these models up internally isn't as clear cut, since most don't provide interior dimensions or passenger volume. A good rule of thumb is that a longer wheelbase means more legroom for passengers, which bodes well for the i7's 126.6-inch stretch, which is nearly 10 inches longer than its competitors. That said, most of these automakers claim some sort of enhancement to interior volume versus a comparable combustion-powered sedan.
Lucid claims that the Air has "the largest frunk of any electric car to date and incredible bilevel storage capabilities in both front and rear compartments," but nearly all have some form of under-hood front trunk (BMW and Mercedes don't). At the rear, most use a liftback design, but have some discrete trunks, further complicating this comparison.
Exterior Dimensions
| Length | Width | Height | Wheelbase | |
| Audi E-Tron GT | 196.4 in | 77.3 in | 55.6 in | 114.2 in |
| BMW i7 | 212.2 in | 76.8 in | 60.8 in | 126.6 in |
| Lucid Air | 195.9 in | 76.3 in | 55.9 in | 116.5 in |
| Mercedes-Benz EQS | 205.4 in | 75.8 in | 59.5 in | 126.4 in |
| Porsche Taycan | 195.4 in | 77.4 in | 54.3 in | 114.2 in |
| Tesla Model S | 195.7 in | 77.3 in | 56.9 in | 116.5 in |
Powertrain
All of these EVs are pushing out a lot of range. Lucid was the first to break the 500-mile barrier with the Air Grand Touring. The Porsche so far has the shortest EPA estimated range at just 199 miles for the Taycan 4S with the Performance Battery -- shorter even than its platform-mate, the E-Tron GT. That said, Porsche's numbers are a bit conservative in our testing; Roadshow's own Steven Ewing reports the Taycan can go much farther than its EPA numbers suggest. Ewing estimates a real-world range of around 250 miles for the Taycan Turbo and even more for the base car.
Comparing charge times can be a little difficult as manufacturers opt to describe the parameters differently. Since charging times aren't linear, it's tough to just "do the math" to make all parameters equal. Lucid says the Air can get 300 miles of range in 20 minutes of charging. The EQS DC fast charges from 10% to 80% in 35 minutes, the Model S gets an 80% charge in 30 minutes, while the Audi E-Tron GT and Porsche Taycan can go from 5% to 80% capacity in 22 minutes. BMW says the i7 can do a 10% to 80% charge in 34 minutes.
Battery and Range
| Battery size | Range | |
| Audi E-Tron GT | 93.4 kWh | 238 miles |
| Audi RS E-Tron GT | 93.4 kWh | 232 miles |
| BMW i7 xDrive60 | 105.7 kWh | 300 miles (est.) |
| Lucid Air Pure | TBD | 406 miles (est.) |
| Lucid Air Touring | 113.0 kWh | 406 miles (est.) |
| Lucid Air Grand Touring | 113.0 kWh | 516 miles |
| Lucid Air Grand Touring Performance | 113.0 kWh | 446 miles |
| Lucid Air Dream Edition Performance | 113.0 kWh | 451 miles |
| Mercedes-Benz EQS450 | 107.8 kWh | 350 miles |
| Mercedes-Benz EQS580 | 107.8 kWh | 340 miles |
| Mercedes-AMG EQS | 107.8 kWh | TBD |
| Porsche Taycan | 79.2 kWh | 200 miles |
| Porsche Taycan PBP | 93.4 kWh | 225 miles |
| Porsche Taycan 4S | 79.2 kWh | 199 miles |
| Porsche Taycan 4S PBP | 93.4 kWh | 227 miles |
| Porsche Taycan GTS | 93.4 kWh | TBD |
| Porsche Taycan Turbo | 93.4 kWh | 212 miles |
| Porsche Taycan Turbo S | 93.4 kWh | 201 miles |
| Tesla Model S Long Range | 100.0 kWh | 405 miles |
| Tesla Model S Plaid | 100.0 kWh | 396 miles |
Performance
Lucid and Tesla offer seriously quick quarter-mile times; the two should be pretty fierce if they ever get to a drag strip. It looks like the Lucid can't match the Model S from 0 to 60 mph, however, with Tesla saying the Plaid can do the deed in 2 seconds. Since Audi and Porsche share a battery and architecture, you'll notice some similarities between the E-Tron GT and Taycan specs. Bringing up the rear is the luxury focused i7 -- no surprise, it's the largest and likely the heaviest sedan here -- sprinting to 60 mph in a still very respectable 4.5 seconds. Not bad for a sedan that weighs nearly 6,000 pounds.
Performance
| Max power | Max torque | 0-60 mph | Top speed | |
| Audi E-Tron GT | 522 hp | 472 lb-ft | 3.9 sec | 152 mph |
| Audi RS E-Tron GT | 637 hp | 612 lb-ft | 3.1 sec | 155 mph |
| BMW i7 xDrive60 | 536 hp | 549 lb-ft | 4.5 sec | 149 mph |
| Lucid Air Touring | 620 hp | NA | 3.2 sec | NA |
| Lucid Air Grand Touring | 819 hp | NA | 3.0 sec | 168 mph |
| Lucid Air Grand Touring Performance | 1,050 hp | NA | 2.6 sec | 168 mph |
| Lucid Air Dream Edition Performance | 1,111 hp | NA | 2.5 sec | 168 mph |
| Mercedes-Benz EQS450 | 329 hp | 417 lb-ft | 5.9 sec | 130 mph |
| Mercedes-Benz EQS580 | 516 hp | 631 lb-ft | 4.1 sec | 130 mph |
| Mercedes-AMG EQS | 751 hp | 752 lb-ft | 3.4 sec | 155 mph |
| Porsche Taycan | 321 hp | 254 lb-ft | 5.1 sec | 143 mph |
| Porsche Taycan PBP | 402 hp | 263 lb-ft | 5.1 sec | 143 mph |
| Porsche Taycan 4S | 522 hp | 472 lb-ft | 3.8 sec | 155 mph |
| Porsche Taycan 4S PBP | 562 hp | 479 lb-ft | 3.8 sec | 155 mph |
| Porsche Taycan GTS | 590 hp | 626 lb-ft | 3.5 sec | 155 mph |
| Porsche Taycan Turbo | 670 hp | 626 lb-ft | 3.0 sec | 161 mph |
| Porsche Taycan Turbo S | 750 hp | 774 lb-ft | 2.6 sec | 161 mph |
| Tesla Model S Long Range | 417 hp (est.) | 485 lb-ft (est.) | 3.1 sec | 155 mph |
| Tesla Model S Plaid | 1,020 hp | NA | 2.0 sec | 200 mph |
Tech
Mercedes' suite of advanced driver assistance systems, so far, looks a lot like the great tech we've come to expect in the gasoline-powered Benz stable. The EQS stands apart from its predecessors and the rest of this class with its available MBUX Hyperscreen, three massive digital displays that merge together beneath a single, 58-inch wide curved glass panel. BMW doesn't lag behind, though, what with its immersive Theater Screen rear-seat entertainment system, hands-free highway driving assistant and newly updated iDrive 8 infotainment suite.
Tesla's Autopilot is still very much a hands-on system, despite what the name suggests. Tesla's tech may guide drivers around curves in the road, but they must keep their hands on the wheel and remain alert at all times. Porsche, meanwhile, offers its InnoDrive tech for the Taycan, which bundles adaptive cruise control with lane-keeping assist, just like the Tesla. Audi brings a number of familiar technologies to the party, including its 12.3-inch Virtual Cockpit and MMI Touch Response infotainment system.
Price
Tesla is known to change the price of its EVs all the time, so this information -- as well as the other MSRPs -- is current as of the time of publishing.
Price
| Price | Destination | |
| Audi E-Tron GT | $99,900 | $1,095 |
| Audi RS E-Tron GT | $139,900 | $1,095 |
| BMW i7 xDrive60 | $119,300 | $995 |
| Lucid Air Pure | $77,400 | TBD |
| Lucid Air Touring | $95,000 | TBD |
| Lucid Air Grand Touring | $140,500 | TBD |
| Lucid Air Grand Touring Performance | $180,500 | TBD |
| Lucid Air Dream Edition Performance | $170,500 | TBD |
| Mercedes-Benz EQS450 | $102,310 | $1,050 |
| Mercedes-Benz EQS580 | $119,110 | $1,050 |
| Mercedes-AMG EQS | TBD | $1,050 |
| Porsche Taycan | $82,700 | $1,350 |
| Porsche Taycan 4S | $103,800 | $1,350 |
| Porsche Taycan GTS | $131,400 | $1,350 |
| Porsche Taycan Turbo | $150,900 | $1,350 |
| Porsche Taycan Turbo S | $185,000 | $1,350 |
| Tesla Model S Long Range | $99,990 | $1,200 |
| Tesla Model S Plaid | $135,990 | $1,200 |
