BMW 7 Series vs Leapmotor B10

What's the difference?

While the new 7 Series won’t visually appeal to everyone, nor is it at the forefront of spirited driving dynamics, it’s hard to argue that it isn’t fit for purpose.

Its rear theatre screen and lounge layout might seem gimmicky at first, but it’s difficult to think of a more comfortable way to be transported on wheels short of putting a chassis under your loungeroom. Even then, you’d have to ask someone for a massage.

This is one of those cases where a car becoming larger isn’t such a bad thing, and BMW should feel like it’s achieved, seemingly, what it set out to do in building an electric limousine that doesn’t fall short in range or dynamics.

If BMW can bring this level of refinement down to its more affordable models, its electric future is looking promising.

Note: CarsGuide attended this event as a guest of the manufacturer, with meals provided.

I’ll be a shame if the B10 doesn’t sell well, because it doesn’t suffer from many of the downfalls of its compatriots and its price is extremely competitive for what you get.

As a comfortable smallish SUV, it meets par, and it’s on the better side of tech when it comes to cars from China, and it doesn’t have any major on-road red flags.

You really wouldn’t be disappointed with this having paid $40K, just skip the base model and go for the Design.

Note: CarsGuide attended this event as a guest of the manufacturer, with travel, accommodation and meals provided.

BMW freely calls the new 7 Series “monolithic” in its press material, and it’s hard to argue. The seventh-generation of its luxo limo is bigger in every dimension, and with a higher bonnet and bootlid, the car is convincingly imposing even when parked. Even more so in black.

From the front, the 7 Series clearly has a new face compared to its predecessor, with split headlights now an indicator of BMW’s luxury oriented models - the incoming XM SUV features the same.

Its LED daytime running lights feature Swarovski crystals, while the grille surround illuminates while the vehicle is parked and on. It’s currently unable to be illuminated while driving to comply with Australia’s laws.

It’s perhaps less elegant and more aggressive than previous generations, but that doesn’t mean there won’t be those who approve. It’s certainly emotive, especially when compared to the side and rear of the car.

The side profile of the 7 requires quite a few steps back from the car to really take in - it’s almost 5.4 metres long - though it's hard to hide the size of a car that allows its rear passengers to almost lay down.

From the rear, the 7 Series is probably at its most uninspiring, which is a reverse from the interior where the front feels more minimalistic than some of its rivals like the Mercedes-Benz S-Class.

BMW has used crystalline geometric shapes throughout the cabin, and the front ‘interaction bar’ is perhaps the best example.

In keeping with the minimalism, its screen sits in an almost freestanding style out from the dash, with no physical buttons seen around it.

Right after we praise the B10 for its value, we need to talk about its looks. A slight drop in tone as the second Leapmotor to land in Australia looks an awful lot like the first, and it’s relatively bland.

It’s not ugly, but it’s not particularly inspiring and there’s not much character to this little electric SUV.

It’s got a very upright silhouette at the front with a slightly sloping roofline at the rear, so the overall shape is appealing, but the lack of distinct features makes the B10 an anonymous commuter for now, especially with its similarities to the C10.

You can tell them apart by the C10’s slightly larger size if they’re near each other, or the B10’s more in-line headlight bar, where the C10’s have a ‘droop’ at the sides.

The large section of black at the lower half of the front is also unappealing, though darker colours like the optional 'Starry Night Blue' or 'Dawn Purple' (both $990) blend into it better than standard 'Light White'.

To its credit, at least the B10 doesn’t fall victim to the design crutch of adding trim and plastic for no reason.

In terms of the specifics, the B10 is 4515mm long, 1885mm wide and 1665mm tall with a 2735mm wheelbase, making it quite the large small SUV.

Inside, the cabin looks and feels roomy thanks to the test car’s light interior, decent windows and the light from the sunroof, as well as the fact the EV powertrains are compact and generally don’t interfere with cabin space.

Materials aren’t all scratchy hard plastic, though it is dotted around, and the general look of the B10 inside feels more premium than its price would have you thinking, despite the simplicity of the layout and design.

If the word ‘practicality’ brings to mind simplicity, the 7 Series might require you to have a bit of a mental reset. If it means plenty of space and a long list of elements to keep you comfortable, you’d be closer to the money.

While it’s visually restrained in some ways, the space accessible to the driver is thought out reasonably well, as you’d expect from a car costing more than a quarter-million.

The front seats certainly aren’t the main event, but the Merino leather and cashmere wool combination seats are far from uncomfortable, with the heating, cooling, and massage functions accessible from the central multimedia screen.

The controls for those, as well as functions like the climate control, are easily accessible, though could probably be even easier with a physical climate control panel. 

Controls for the individual vents, and even the glovebox are found along the BMW interaction bar, which can (frustratingly) reflect light thanks to its crystalline design, meaning it’s hard to see while driving on a sunny day.

Similarly, while the centre console where the main control dial for BMW’s 'iDrive' isn’t far removed from previous versions, it’s less tactile and requires a look sometimes to see what’s being pressed. Here, too, sunlight can reflect (this time off the dial) and make it more distracting.

Fortunately, the steering wheel controls remain physical buttons, and they’re laid out in a way that previous BMW owners or drivers will find familiar. 

The 7 Series also now leans more heavily on voice activation, so if the lack of physical climate controls or the multimedia screen is a little distracting, much can be achieved by actually asking the car with a “hey, BMW… ”.

There’s a large storage unit in the centre console, as well as two cupholders and a phone charging platform in front of the multimedia controls.

The rear seats, especially the one behind the front passenger, are where the 7 Series begins to feel its worth. If you’re buying one with the intention of being the driver 100 per cent of the time, you’re missing a trick.

The ability for the front passenger seat to shift forward and maximise legroom while the rear seat reclines into a lounge position is nothing new, limousine sedans have been able to do this for years, but the 7 Series takes it to another level.

Not only is there plenty of space for even the tallest of humans to stretch out, but the positioning and angle of the huge 31.3-inch theatre screen is great, even if it impedes the driver’s rear view, and the ability to use it as a touchscreen for some functions means less need for the handy but sometimes fiddly door-mounted control screen.

If you plan on playing games, the controls (and the fact you’re likely in a moving car) can make it a little difficult, but the small control panel is overall easy to use and well-placed.

The cushioned armrest that folds down in place of a middle passenger is comfortable, features a phone charging pad and pop-out cupholders, as well as a storage space under the armrest.

Finally, the boot space in the BMW 7 Series is far from small, with the electric i7 offering 500 litres (VDA) of space, while the 740i boasts 540 litres thanks to its lack of battery.

Getting into the B10 requires a minor annoyance - unlocking and locking the car requires a keycard to be tapped on the drivers’ side mirror like you're scanning to access your floor in a hotel elevator.

There’s an app that adds a fair bit of functionality, but having to whip your phone out ahead of jumping in the car is also irritating.

Once you’re in, though, the space inside the B10 is well laid-out, even if much of its functionality is crammed into the big central touchscreen - it’s always ‘points off’ for a lack of physical buttons in this section of a review.

Once you’re used to it and have sorted out your personal settings on the multimedia software, it becomes more natural and less distracting, though Apple CarPlay and Android Auto would occasionally lag in the car on test.

The good news is they now exist for the brand in the B10, with the Leapmotor C10 still lacking the vital in-car mirroring tech.

The ergonomics and interior space work well, generally, with comfortable pews and good vision, plus decent spaces to keep things out of the way. The phone charger being in a very visible and accessible position might tempt some naughty screen-keen drivers, and being in the sun without a vent for cooling while charging means your phone will get proper hot.

The second row is extremely spacious, belying the fact this car is classified as a small SUV. Oodles of legroom and enough headroom for a tall adult means the B10 outguns rivals in terms of good options for parents (note the B10’s extremely strong 95 per cent child safety score from ANCAP, too) or anyone who needs to cart humans around regularly.

Behind the second row is a 490L boot, which becomes 1475L when the second row is folded down.

There’s space under the floor for cables and messy bits, but unfortunately no spare wheel, just a tyre repair kit, so more points off for that.

Talking about the price may well be us highlighting the Leapmotor B10’s strongest point right up top, because you can get into one for less than $40K, drive-away, before the end of March 2026.

While regular pricing for the B10 starts from $37,888, before on-road costs, for the base Style and $40,888 for the kitted-out Design LR, Leapmotor has a limited-time deal starting from $38,990, drive-away, for the B10 Style and $41,990 for the Design LR. LR for Long Range, by the way.

That runs until the end of March, 2026, but even its standard pricing is impressive for what you get.

The entry-grade B10 Style comes with plenty of kit, including an 8.8-inch LCD driver display and large 14.6-inch central multimedia touchscreen, a wireless phone charger, auto climate control, a panoramic sunroof with retractable shade, heated mirrors, auto LED headlights, a set of 18-inch wheels, surround-view parking cameras with dashcam recorder capability, over-the-air (OTA) updates and Level 2 advanced driver assistance (ADAS).

That’s a list of inclusions that can, on paper, rival much more expensive models.

The Design LR, for not much more money, adds heated and ventilated synthetic leather seats with electric adjustment (six-way for the driver, four-way for the passenger), a heated steering wheel, a 12-speaker sound system, ambient lighting, a power tailgate, tinted privacy glass, LED tail-lights and auto folding mirrors.

You’d hate to be in the product planning team of a legacy manufacturer trying to put together a competitive spec for a small electric SUV to sell in Australia against that.

Even other small electric SUVs from China come with much smaller batteries or fewer features around the $40K mark, like the MG S5 EV Essence RWD with its 49kWh battery ($42,990 D/A) or the base Geely EX5 Complete FWD ($40,990 BOC) and the higher Inspire variant is $4000 more.

The BMW 740i is powered by a 3.0-litre turbocharged in-line six-cylinder petrol engine, as is the way with many of BMW’s larger cars. It’s also a mild hybrid, incorporating a 48-volt electric starter/motor combination.

The 740i makes 280kW between 5200-6250rpm, and 520Nm between 1850-5000rpm, which is transferred to the rear wheels via an eight-speed automatic transmission.

The electric i7 xDrive60 is the flagship model, with its dual-motor all-wheel drive powertrain good for 400kW and 745Nm, allowing for a claimed 0-100km/h time of 4.7 seconds - 0.7s faster than the 740i.

There’s only one powertrain option for the Leapmotor B10, a single, rear-mounted electric motor that produces 160kW and 240Nm, which makes the electric SUV good for a claimed 0-100km/h time of 8.0 seconds in both variants.

Top speed is a claimed 170km/h, also regardless of the variant.

BMW Australia hasn’t yet specified local figures for fuel consumption or energy efficiency for either variant of the 7 Series at the time of our review, but the international specifications for both i7 xDrive60 and 740i give a relatively accurate guide.

BMW claims the electric i7 has a power consumption of between 19.6 and 18.4kWh/100km, which means its 101.7kWh battery allows a range of between 591 and 625km according to the brand.

It’s claimed to charge from 10 per cent to full in less than 5.5 hours with a 22kW AC wallbox, or in 34 minutes to reach 80 per cent using DC fast charging at 195kW.

The petrol powered 740i will use between 7.0 and 8.0 litres per 100km, according to BMW, which equates to between 183 and 159g/km of CO2.

Leapmotor claims the B10 will, from its LFP battery of either 56.2kWh for the Style or 67.1kWh for the Design LR, draw 17.2kWh/100km or 17.3kWh/100km, respectively under WLTP testing.

The result is the Style offering up a 361km WLTP-tested driving range, and the Design LR a more useful 434km.

While we were unable to properly confirm this claim on the launch, the trip computer after a mix of highway driving and more spirited back-road testing displayed a figure of 13.5kWh/100km, while the previous 1447km of driving had reportedly measured in at 14.7kWh.

Charging from 30 to 80 per cent takes approximately 20 minutes regardless of spec and battery size. The smaller battery can be charged via DC fast-charging at a maximum 140kW, and the larger at 168kW. Both max out at 11kW under AC charging.

BMW hopes for two things for the new 7 Series: one, that it’s the best car to be driven in, and two, that it’s the best car to drive.

While one of those things could be argued to be true, we suspect there are some engineers in BMW’s M department who would be frustrated at the thought of a more-than 2.6-tonne limo being called better to drive than a car half that size with a manual gearbox.

But, perhaps unsurprisingly, the BMW 7 Series is rather refined from the driver’s seat, especially on roads where the speed limit is high and the corners are long.

The two variants Australia has available, the i7 xDrive60 and the 740i, differ in their drivetrains as mentioned above, and the dynamics of each are slightly different. 

The all-wheel drive electric i7, despite its extra heft (the 740i is almost 600kg lighter) the EV feels more nimble thanks to its immediate torque delivery and higher outputs give it more flexibility in dynamic driving.

The lower centre of gravity, even with the extra weight, helps the electric i7 hold its own against the turbo six-powered 740i.

Both variants come standard with BMW’s rear-wheel steer system, or ‘Integral Active Steering’, which is vital to providing the agility needed for keeping the 7 Series in shape on tight roads, where it tightens the turning circle below 60km/h, though its 3215mm wheelbase does a lot to keep it feeling stable.

Above 60km/h, the rear-wheel steering improves stability further by turning slightly with the front wheels as opposed to against them, allowing for smoother flowing cornering and highway lane changes.

In either case, the 7 Series is easy to drive, with the steering able to be set to Comfort regardless of the drivetrain’s intensity (Sport and Comfort are the only options), which leaves the wheel feeling lighter.

The ride, whether from the front or the back, is impressive, even when being chauffeured through rough backroads. 

The 7 Series, despite not being engineered specifically for Australia’s sometimes shockingly pockmarked roads, manages to soak up impacts before they transfer from the tyre into the seats, and that goes for the sound and road noise, too.

Unfortunately, our launch test drive was hampered by some roadworks out of BMW’s control, so stay tuned for a more in-depth drive soon.

The Leapmotor B10 was developed with testing at Stellantis’ European proving ground in Italy. This is because despite Leapmotor being its own brand within China, its international operations are a joint-venture between itself and Stellantis.

There are some on-paper shreds of evidence for this, a rear-wheel drive layout and a claimed 50/50 weight distribution help, but get the B10 on the road and it’s clear this isn’t a car that’s relying entirely on price, a long list of features and some showroom shine to sell.

After the initial familiarisation that comes with many new electric cars, particularly from China, the Leapmotor B10 becomes easy to settle into a rhythm with, especially if you turn off some of its more intrusive ADAS features like lane-keep, driver monitoring and speed limit warning. The latter can sometimes get a limit wrong, and though the B10’s chimes aren’t audibly overbearing, they are persistent.

While the B10 doesn’t excel in any areas on the road, it doesn’t fall down significantly in any either.

Its suspension soaks up bumps relatively well, and despite some vibrations on rougher roads the B10 is pretty comfortable. The tyres it rides on as standard, however, are rather noisy, so if there’s an opportunity to swap out the Linglong defaults to something better, we’d advise it.

The tyres also squeal rather quickly when cornering, not necessarily because the B10 is about to let go, but just because the weight of the car appears to be pushing on the front outside tyre in cornering.

The B10 holds up better than\ a family car really needs to in dynamic driving, but we wouldn’t be doing mountain runs or track days in one. 

There’s a little body roll in corners, but not nearly as much as has been in other models riding on the apparently soft suspension preferred in China.

The steering, braking and acceleration all have a mild vagueness to them, but once you’re honed in they’re all predictable. The steering can be adjusted for weight, and its lightest setting is too light, while the acceleration feels lethargic in its lowest setting and too aggressive in its highest.

There’s not a lot of regenerative braking strength, but it’s enough to help regulate speed once you’re used to how mildly it comes in - again, depending on your preferences and settings.

The good news here is that the B10 is easy to drive, and only very serious road bumps on fast corners unsettled it on test - the kind you’d expect to upset any car.

The Leapmotor B10 was bestowed a five-star ANCAP rating in early February 2026 under the body’s most recent criteria.

There are seven airbags, including an important centre airbag, plus the B10 boasts 17 ADAS systems with 12 cameras and sensors helping monitor the road, surroundings and the driver.

As mentioned, those systems can be a little intrusive sometimes, but less than other new models from brands new to Australia.

The B10’s list of safety features includes multi-collision braking, collision sensors, an emergency data recorder, the aforementioned dashcam-style surround-view recording system, belt pretensioners, plus all the elements of the ADAS suite Leapmotor calls 'Leap Pilot'.

This includes adaptive cruise and lane centring, lane departure warning and emergency intervention, collision avoidance and warnings, blind-spot detection, rear cross-traffic alert and brake, speed assist, and driver monitoring and distracted driver warnings.

For baby capsules and child seats there are three top tethers across the second row with ISOFIX anchors on the two outer positions.

BMW offers a five year, unlimited kilometre warranty and that extends to both variants of the 7 Series.

BMW also offers servicing packs for its new cars, though the pricing for each group of models excluded the 7 and 8 Series and its M cars. 

Given the most expensive servicing pack listed is the BMW X7’s $2800 five-year, 80,000km pack, expect anything similar for the 7 Series to cost more.

In terms of when servicing is required, BMWs are condition-based, meaning the car’s own systems detect whether something like an oil change or part replacement is required, and provides that data to your BMW service centre to help calculate an estimate for work needed, ahead of time.

The B10’s post-purchase prospects are generally solid, though Leapmotor’s six-year, 160,000km warranty is an area where it falls short of rivals which are offering longer, unlimited kilometre warranties.

The battery is covered for eight years or 180,000km, whichever comes first, which is pretty par for an EV.

Servicing is capped-price for the first eight years, with each service costing $370 on average. The eight-year span makes it pretty appealing, per 12-month interval or every 20,000km.

There are currently 20 dealers across the country, though more are coming, while Leapmotor also offers eight years of roadside service.