It’s only been 4 years since we first saw the G70 BMW 7 Series, and so radical was the design that it still looks fresh today. Still, that hasn’t stopped Munich from performing a double-quick refresh of its luxurious flagship – unveiled in Beijing ahead of this 12 months’s Auto China show – because it remakes its entire lineup within the Neue Klasse‘s image.
Not that the refreshed 7er looks anything just like the latest iX3 and i3 from the surface, as BMW continues to keep up a definite design language for its luxury models – which also include the X7 – that’s separate from the remaining of the lineup. Thus, the automotive remains to be set apart through split headlights and a ginormous double kidney grille; in the event you didn’t like what the last one looked like, there’s a high likelihood you won’t like this latest one, either.
The truth is, BMW has doubled down on this aesthetic with what it calls a “monolithic appearance”, featuring slimmer and flatter eyebrow-style daytime running lights – still optionally available with crystals, just without the Swarovski branding – and vertical headlights tucked into the bumper corners. These flank a slimmer, more upright grille with horizontal as an alternative of vertical slats, making it look barely less ostentatious.
The Iconic Glow grille illumination returns, however the lighting now goes around everything of the dual kidneys as an alternative of being split in the center. This has been enabled through the moving of the front camera and various sensors from the center to the left side.
Up top, the BMW badge is “cupped” by a central bonnet valley – one among the few design cues lifted from the Neue Klasse models. The optional M Sport package is now more subtle, with a bigger centre air intake (really just a much bigger gloss black surround) being the one differentiator from the front – surely a less polarising look in comparison with its almost gurning two-tone predecessor.
Along the side, the 7 Series gains the new-look door mirrors from the Neue Klasse models, in addition to a slimmer trim strip on the side skirts. These strips are actually finished in silver, as BMW continues to cut back its reliance on the less eco-friendly chrome. Perhaps probably the most controversial aspect of the redesign is on the back, where you’ll find dramatically widened dual-bar taillights that reach all of the method to the badge.
The rear roundel is framed by the identical indentation because the front, while the bumper – which still houses the number plate – gets a cleaner design with a sportier diffuser-like look. Ending off the outside revamp are latest welcome and goodbye sequences for the lighting, in addition to a “dynamic” light carpet with a linear pattern and the BMW script – a surprisingly classic interpretation.
Meanwhile, wheel sizes are actually an inch larger than before and now range from 20 to 22 inches, while the collection of over 500 paint finishes (still including two-tone color schemes with a pinstripe) gains a brand new BMW Individual Dual Finish option, the world’s first combination of matte and gloss finishes from the factory.
Step inside through the powered doors (now faster and with more precise radar sensors to make them easier to make use of) and also you’ll see where all of the inspiration from the Neue Klasse has gone into. Yes, even the 7 Series now gets the most recent Panoramic iDrive interface, led by the big 17.9-inch parallelogram touchscreen placed near the steering wheel.
The eyes can even be drawn to the Panoramic Vision projected display that spans from pillar to pillar at the bottom of the windscreen. We’ve been told that the windscreen has been treated with a special coating at the underside to permit the display for use with polarised sunglasses, so owners trying to tint the glass are advised to chop the film on the frit (black line). There’s also a 3D head-up display that projects driving information on top of the Panoramic Vision display.
For the primary time on a BMW, the 7 Series comes with a passenger display as standard. Significantly smaller than the most important touchscreen, it is available in a 21:9 aspect ratio that makes it higher for watching widescreen movies. The passenger can watch videos while on the move, with the driving force monitor camera in a position to detect if the driving force is the screen; the display is then darkened to forestall distracted driving.
As per the iX3 and i3, the 7 Series gets a new-style steering wheel with clearly-defined thumb rests and spokes at 12 and 6 o’clock. Here, the spokes are lined in leather for a classier touch, but in the event you think the unconventional spoke positions are only a bit much, there’s at all times the standard M Sport ‘wheel with the spokes at 5 and eight o’clock. The “Shy Tech” controls feature indents and haptic feedback in a bid to make them more intuitive to make use of, making up for the very fact they’re capacitive touch panels in the primary place.
You may, as before, spec the automotive with loads of high-end features, including a 36-speaker Bowers & Wilkins sound system with seat cushion exciters for a “4D” effect, now with Dolby Atmos surround sound support and optimised acoustics. A panoramic sunroof and four-zone auto air conditioning come standard, and buyers also can pick from various trim and fabric options, plus crystal controls.
In true luxury sedan form, the rear seats are really where you’d wish to be, with optional Executive Lounge seats that may almost fully recline and are available with an ottoman on the passenger side. You get your individual Qi wireless charger back here and latest halo lights built into the backs of the front headrests, however the pièce de résistance still comes from the ceiling.
There sits the 31.3-inch 8K Theatre Screen that folds out, now with an extra camera for video conferencing. It now not has a built-in Amazon Fire TV; as an alternative, the streaming apps are integrated into BMW Operating System X itself and shared with the remaining of the displays. As before, the side and rear sunshades deploy routinely every time Theatre Mode is activated.
Under the bonnet, the 7 Series is powered solely by uprated 3.0 litre turbo straight-sixes paired with an eight-speed automatic gearbox, fitted with an 18 PS/200 Nm 48-volt mild hybrid technology across the range. The B58 petrol mill makes 286 PS and 425 Nm of torque within the 735 (note the dearth of an “i” this time around) and 400 PS and 580 Nm within the 740, while the B57 diesel makes 313 PS and 670 Nm within the 740d.
The 760i powered by a detuned BMW M S68 4.4 litre twin-turbo V8 has been discontinued for now, but a comfort performance multi-cylinder variant will likely soon return to tackle the Mercedes-Maybach S-Class. This is anticipated to form a part of the now wholly BMW-owned Alpina sub-brand, featuring revamped versions of the Buchloe tuner’s throttle-body-and-crankshaft badging, side graphics and 20-spoke alloys.
Plug-in hybrid models are also on offer, these being the 750e with a 310 PS/450 Nm B58 and a 197 PS/280 Nm electric motor for an unchanged 489 PS and 700 Nm combined, in addition to an M760e with a tuned 426 PS/540 Nm B58 for a complete of 612 PS and 800 Nm (up 41 PS). They arrive with pure electric ranges of as much as 82 km and 80 km respectively, which is definitely down on the previous maximum of 87 km and 85 km.
The large change is to the electrical i7, which has received a string of tweaks. Even the bottom 50 xDrive (previously the eDrive50) is now dual-motor all-wheel drive, although the output figures are unchanged at 455 PS (335 kW) and 660 Nm for the 50 xDrive, 544 PS (400 kW) and 745 Nm for the 60 xDrive (née xDrive60) and 680 PS (500 kW) and 1,015 Nm for the M70 xDrive.
It’s the battery that’s all latest, using the Gen6 cylindrical cells from the iX3 and i3 (installed in the unique casing by Rimac in Croatia, then shipped over to Dingolfing where the remaining of the automotive is made), offering a 20% increase in volumetric energy capability in comparison with the old prismatic Gen5 cells. Total capability has thus risen from 101.7 kWh to 112.5 kWh nett, meaning that the i7 is now a real 700 km automotive.
Range figures are 708 km for the 50 xDrive (up from 611 km within the previous eDrive50, despite the switch to AWD), 707 km for the 60 xDrive (up from 625 km) and 650 km for the M70 xDrive (up from 560 km). You furthermore mght get more powerful DC fast charging at as much as 250 kW (up from 195 kW).
You need to note, nevertheless, that the i7 remains to be built on a 400-volt electrical architecture, and the upper charging rate was achieved by increasing the amperage to 630A, moderately than switching to an 800-volt system. As such, you’ll only reach maximum speeds in the event you’re using a charger with high enough amps, like a Tesla Supercharger, which the overwhelming majority of 800-volt chargers in Malaysia won’t find a way to achieve.
The 7 Series continues to ride on air suspension on the front and rear, with standard and Skilled versions (the latter with energetic roll stabilisation) of Adaptive Chassis Control – each with rear-wheel steering – available as options. Also fitted is a brake-by-wire system and a traction control built directly into the ECU for faster actuation – each technologies are actually commonplace on BMWs.
As standard, the 7 Series comes with Driving Assistant Plus suite of driver assists, including adaptive cruise control and lane centring assist for Level 2 semi-autonomous driving functionality, in addition to autonomous emergency braking, evasive steering assist, blind spot monitoring with collision prevention, front and rear cross traffic alert with auto brake and a door opening warning. Park assist with space detection using AI technology can also be fitted to all models.
Unfortunately, BMW is discontinuing Level 3 autonomy with the appearance of the LCI, citing low demand. As a substitute are highly-automated Level 2 systems that provide hands-off, eyes-on driving on highways and city streets, the latter likely launching in China first.
As with the Neue Klasse models, the system allows the driving force so as to add steering, throttle and even light braking inputs – BMW calls this Symbiotic Drive – without either fighting you (like many highly autonomous cars from China, for instance) or switching off altogether (like with Tesla’s Autopilot). The 7 Series LCI will enter production in Dingolfing starting this July.
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This Article First Appeared At paultan.org
