BMW shows off a bold new face for the 7

Friday, 22 April 2022

Watch the world premiere of the new BMW 7 Series, including the all-electric i7.

BMW has revealed the new seventh generation 7 Series with a bold new face that adds to the polarising effect of the front end by introducing a split headlight arrangement alongside the now-expected huge grille.

But probably the biggest news about the new 7 Series is the fact that it will only be heading here as an EV. Initially at least.

While the new 7 is heading into Australia with a choice of BMW’s excellent 3.0-litre twin-turbo inline six-cylinder petrol engine or an all-electric drivetrain, we will only be getting the EV at launch.

The all-new BMW 7 Series will be launching in New Zealand only in electric i7 form.

The i7, as it is called, will arrive on our shores in the last quarter of this year as a single model – the xDrive60, with a 101.7kWh battery and two electric motors pumping out 400kW of power and 745Nm of torque. BMW says the big battery should be good for a WLTP-tested range of between 590 and 625 kilometres.

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The bold new nose features the split headlight set up that first debuted on the facelifted X7 recently.

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Yes, that is a massive 31-inch screen that folds down from the roof in the back of the 7 Series. Optional, of course.

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BMW New Zealand says the i7 will be here before the end of the year.

The new 7 is bigger than the previous 7 Series, with long wheelbase being standard now – the new 7’s wheelbase of 3215mm is 5mm longer than the sixth generation long wheelbase model, while overall vehicle length, width and height has increased by 130mm, 48mm and 51mm respectively.

Of course, on the inside it is pure luxury, with what BMW saying its new iDrive system with the latest generation of BMW Operating System 8 offers “a new multi-sensory vehicle experience.”

The new car is longer, taller and wider than the last, and will only come in LWB form as standard.

The dash is dominated by the fully digital curved display and the new ‘BMW Interaction Bar’ that stretches across the dashboard and onto the front door panels and functions as both an ambient light and a control surface, changing its display based on various ‘My Mode’ presets and also performing “dynamic light animations,” for instance to give visual feedback for incoming phone call audio.

There is also 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. The driver and front passenger can also use YouTube video-on-demand streaming on the control display (while static for the driver), while a 5G-compatible aerial system manages high-speed connectivity.

The star of the interior show is found in the rear of the cabin however – an optional 31.3-inch, 8K ‘BMW Theatre Screen’ that folds down from the ceiling and is powered by the same software as Amazon’s Fire tablets.

Also on the options list is a thunderous 36-speaker, 1,965-watt Bowers & Wilkins Diamond sound system, with an 18-speaker setup being offered as standard.

In addition to the enhanced level of comfort and the unique in-car entertainment system, the Executive Lounge option for the rear features an ‘optimised’ reclining seat position and new Merino leather/cashmere wool interior trim..

Other prominent interior elements include a subtly backlit control panel in the centre console with a new gear selector, as well as glass applications for selected controls. Newly designed function buttons on the steering wheel include active haptic input.

Newly-developed seat surfaces in Veganza – a material with leather-like properties – will also be available in multiple tones to further personalise cabin ambience.

While New Zealand only gets the i7, other markets – like Australia – will get a version 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 launch.

BMW says the model range worldwide will eventually expand to include two M models equipped with electrified drive systems – the M760e xDrive with power of 420kW and torque of 800Nm, while the future flagship model, the i7 M70 xDrive will pump out “well over” 445kW and 1000Nm, making it the most powerful BMW model ever registered for road (beating out the old model’s outrageous V12-powered M760Li that previously held the title), and it will accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in under 4.0 seconds.

BMW New Zealand says it will launch the i7 here in fourth quarter of this year, with pricing and specification to be announced closer to the time.