…it’s growing on me
Of course BMW had to come out with something that would tip the cart over considering the new S-Class is magnificent and somewhat polarizing design-wise. Well, they did it with a striking front end.
Recent years have shown BMW presenting a larger and larger front grille. Sometimes to the extent that it seemed too big. When the previous 7s had their grille get so large that it rolled up into the hood seemed extreme, the smaller models had their grille grow vertical and span from top to bottom. Striking.
So with the taller front end resulting from larger grilles, the ever slimming headlamps would look somewhat out of place on a large gap. Soooo, they split the light design.
We saw it coming on other models. Even other manufacturers have presented a slim light that appears to be the headlamp only to have the actual headlamp be a minor unit below. I can’t say it looked bad either. 
Upon first view of the new 7 all I could think of was “wow, that’s going to have to grow on me”. Well in the right color, it has.
From all the images I’ve seen it looks MUCH better on a dark color. One that somewhat hides the actual headlamps. It’s a fact that the slim prism lighting is magnificent as are other elements of the car. So, I’m sure it will continue to grow on me.
Last thing about the initial impressions on the looks…I notice the sides are seem a bit more taller and slab-sided than in the past. The whole vehicle in fact. I wonder if this has something now or in the future to do with the fact that BMWs share a family member with Rolls Royce. Who knows, I also think that though it appears taller its flatter and presumably more wind efficient for aerodynamics.
The good part
If you can’t say anything else about the new 7, you MUST admit that it’s a technological feat. The design of the prism theme and its application is wonderful as well as beautiful. The touch screen applications within the door panels is “next level”. Then we come to the theater styled monitor that presents itself from the roof. This is the actual game changer. At some point I expect to see this inside of a Phantom or Ghost.
We’ll revisit this again during the year once we get our hands on one, but for now I can admit that in the right color (darker hues) this new front end is growing on me. It makes the new S-Class look rather plain. Good work BMW for stepping outside the box and setting the bar high. Polarizing, but that’s fine.
BMW is leading the luxury segment into a new era that will be shaped by innovations in the fields of sustainability and digitalisation. With the new BMW 7 Series, the world’s most successful manufacturer of premium vehicles is creating forward-looking ways to enjoy driving pleasure, unsurpassed long-distance comfort and a top-end digital experience. Central to this reinterpretation is the BMW i7.
BMW Press Release Text
BMW is leading the luxury segment into a new era that will be shaped by innovations in the fields of sustainability and digitalisation. With the new BMW 7 Series, the world’s most successful manufacturer of premium vehicles is creating forward-looking ways to enjoy driving pleasure, unsurpassed long-distance comfort and a top-end digital experience. Central to this reinterpretation is the BMW i7. The all-electric luxury sedan is a fully integrated member of the model family and clearly demonstrates how an exclusive driving experience and the ultimate feeling of on-board wellbeing can be combined with an unwavering commitment to sustainability.
The generation change at the pinnacle of BMW’s model range is wrapped up in a new definition of luxury that focuses on the individual and their personal attitudes, needs and emotions. In addition to presence, elegance and exclusive premium quality, there is a progressive approach characterised by innovations that directly enhance the user experience, wide-ranging connectivity and standard-setting sustainability of the car. In this way, the new BMW 7 Series has been designed to meet the needs of a modern target group that sees itself as committed to meeting challenges in a responsible manner – and one that views personal mobility as a way to experience unique moments in everyday life and on trips away.
A symbol of innovative strength and a milestone in the current model offensive.
The new BMW 7 Series incorporates a modern style that focuses on the essentials in its exterior and interior design. The front-end design for BMW vehicles in the luxury segment is dominated by features that are typical of the brand, but a clear distinction is maintained between these models and the others in the BMW range. Innovative features such as the BMW Theatre Screen, the multi-sensory vehicle experience BMW iDrive with the latest generation of BMW Operating System 8, plus the BMW Curved Display and the Manoeuvre Assistant for automated parking and manoeuvring, highlight the progressive character of the luxury sedan. In addition to the enhanced level of comfort and the unique in-car entertainment system, the Executive Lounge option for the rear with optimised reclining seat position and new BMW Individual Merino leather/cashmere wool interior trim takes a pioneering route to maximising wellbeing inside the car.
45 years on from the debut of the BMW 7 Series, the seventh model generation takes to the stage as the most advanced and innovative vehicle in the luxury segment. At the same time, the new edition captures the imagination with an overall design coherence unmatched by any rival. The BMW 7 Series is therefore once again a symbol of the BMW Group’s innovative strength.
The world premiere of the new BMW 7 Series in April 2022 and its global market launch starting in November 2022 are the key milestones in the brand’s current model offensive in the luxury segment.
Market-specific drive system portfolio, tradition-rich production location.
The new BMW 7 Series was designed from the ground up for particularly demanding target groups in a globalised marketplace. This is also reflected in a market-specific drive system portfolio that includes exclusive offerings for China – as the company’s most important sales region – and a diesel model for Europe.
The new generation of luxury sedans from BMW opens up a whole new dimension in spaciousness. Unlike its predecessors, the new BMW 7 Series will be available worldwide exclusively as a long-wheelbase model that maximises space in the rear. Different facets of its character are defined by the use of specific design features and drive system variants. The new BMW 7 Series range also includes models from the BMW i and BMW M brands, which allow its myriad characteristics – from elegant, modern and sustainable to expressive, sporty and dynamic – to be brought prominently to the fore.
The new BMW 7 Series now offers a choice of combustion engines, plug-in hybrid systems and all-electric drive for the first time ever. The degree of diversity in the drive system portfolio is based on a newly developed flexible vehicle architecture and is an expression of a global model strategy for the new edition of the BMW 7 Series. This enables the BMW Group to take into consideration a customer’s individual needs, infrastructure factors and legal regulations in all relevant automotive markets around the world. The market launch in Europe will initially feature only the BMW i7. In the USA, China and other selected sales regions, two models will be offered at market launch in addition to the all-electric variant, each equipped with a petrol engine and 48V mild hybrid technology.
Plug-in hybrid variants of the new BMW 7 Series are expected to follow in numerous markets from the beginning of 2023. These will include the first BMW M model with a six-cylinder in-line petrol engine and plug-in hybrid drive system. A model variant with a diesel engine and 48V mild hybrid technology will be added to the range in Europe just after the market launch. Further variants of the all-electric BMW i7, including the future top-of-the-line BMW i7 M70 xDrive, will be made available at a later stage.
As was the case with all its predecessors, the new BMW 7 Series will be built at BMW Group Plant Dingolfing. The company’s largest production facility in Europe will be fusing tradition with the future and is also the BMW Group’s centre of excellence for the production of e-drive components. The highly integrated electric drive system and the high-voltage battery of the BMW i7 will also be manufactured there. Vehicles with combustion engines, plug-in hybrid systems and all-electric drive systems will come off the same production line in Dingolfing. In addition to the all-electric BMW iX and the new BMW 7 Series, the BMW 8 Series luxury sports car and BMW 5 Series models, among others, are also produced here.
Two BMW M models based on the new BMW 7 Series.
The new BMW 7 Series model range worldwide will expand to include two BMW M models equipped with electrified drive systems. The new BMW M760e xDrive (fuel consumption combined: 1.2 – 1.1 l/100 km [235.4 – 256.8 mpg imp]; electric power consumption combined: 26.9 – 25.8 kWh/100 km; CO2 emissions: 28 – 25 g/km in the WLTP cycle; figures in NEDC cycle: –) has output of 420 kW/571 hp and torque of 800 Nm (590 lb-ft) and will debut as early as spring 2023. Its electric motor generates a temporary boost worth an extra 30 kW/40 hp when particularly invigorating acceleration is the order of the day. An M-specific design for the exterior and interior, including an exhaust system featuring the distinctive twin tailpipes with unique geometry, underscores the performance characteristics of the BMW M model with plug-in hybrid technology.
The future flagship model, the new BMW i7 M70 xDrive (power consumption combined in the WLTP cycle: 26.4 – 21.2 kWh/100 km; CO2 emissions: 0 g/km; figures in NEDC cycle: – ), will have an all-electric drive system with two motors – on the front and rear axle – and will be available later in 2023. Its drive system generates maximum output of well over 600 hp and maximum torque of more than 1,000 Nm (737 lb-ft). The most powerful BMW model ever registered for road use accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in under 4.0 seconds. (All output, performance and energy consumption figures for the BMW i7 M70 xDrive are estimates based on the car’s current development stage incl. temporary boost.)
Unique digital experience with the new vehicle experience BMW iDrive and BMW Operating System 8.
Driving pleasure, long-distance comfort and the user experience in the new BMW 7 Series are shaped largely by the latest innovations in the field of digitalisation. The new BMW 7 Series offers customers the new multi-sensory vehicle experience BMW iDrive with the latest generation of BMW Operating System 8. With the fully digital BMW Curved Display, the innovative BMW Interaction Bar, the enhanced capabilities of the BMW Intelligent Personal Assistant – plus additional My Modes, the latest version of the BMW Head-Up Display, and the Augmented View function available for the first time on the information display behind the steering wheel – intuitive dialogue between the driver and vehicle has reached a new level.
Passengers in the rear are greeted by a unique entertainment offering in the form of the new BMW Theatre Screen – a 31.3-inch panoramic display in 32:9 format with 8K resolution which extends downwards from the roof and transforms the second row of seats into an exclusive private cinema on wheels. The driver and front passenger can also use YouTube video-on-demand streaming on the control display for the first time. A 5G-compatible aerial system takes care of high-speed connectivity in the new BMW 7 Series.
Security redefined: the new BMW 7 Series in BMW Protection Vehicle specification.
A high-security vehicle based on the new BMW 7 Series is now being developed and will be added to the range in the course of 2023. With its integrated protection concept, which is unique in the segment and has been developed entirely from scratch, the armoured model variant meets the special requirements of authorities, state representatives and high-profile individuals in need of special protection.
The development of the new high-security BMW 7 Series centres on an innovative protection concept developed by the BMW Group. This provides extremely high standards of security combined with the levels of interior comfort, driving dynamics and ride comfort applied across the new BMW 7 Series range. Integrated development and production in a special manufacturing process at BMW Group Plant Dingolfing will ensure the high-security vehicle based on the new BMW 7 Series sets new standards.
CO2 EMISSIONS & CONSUMPTION.
The new BMW 760i xDrive*.
Fuel consumption in l/100km (combined, WLTP): 11,2 l/100 km,
CO2 emissions in g/km (combined, WLTP): 255
* All figures are preliminary values.
The new BMW i7 xDrive60*.
Power consumption in kWh/100 km (combined, WLTP): 19,6 – 18,4;
Electric range in km (WLTP): 590 – 625; 310 mls (EPA)
* All figures are preliminary values.
The new BMW M760e xDrive.
Fuel consumption in l/100km (combined, WLTP): 1,2 – 1,1/100 km,
Power consumption in kWh/100 km (combined, WLTP): 26,9 – 25,8
CO2 emissions in g/km (combined, WLTP): 28-25
* All figures are preliminary values.