Last night, at an event held in Steyn City in Johannesburg, BMW took the wraps off its new 7 Series and i7 sedans. Also in attendance were the company’s new X7 SUV and a rather stylish-looking 8 Series convertible. Stuff only had eyes for the pair of sevens on display, however.
Both vehicle lineups share a spot of design language. The distinctive front grille in particular has undergone an evolution, with some inspiration coming from… gaming keyboards? That’s not far off, as it happens. Most of the company’s luxury lineup features LED lighting around the iconic kidney grille. But it’s not always about what’s on the outside. It’s what’s on the inside that really counts.
7th son of a 7th son
BMW’s new 7 Series is a monster of a vehicle. It measures more than five metres in length and is two metres wide. The overall impression, from the outside, is one of solidity. Like it’s packing tank armour underneath the matte paint job. It’s not, though we wouldn’t be surprised if it wasn’t a custom option. A range of front ends are available from BMW, ranging from sedate to especially sporty, but it’s never going to look like anything other than a very expensive sedan. It’s also the first car we’ve seen in ages that we’d prefer not to drive.
We’ve got nothing against the idea of slipping behind the wheel of one of these. BMW’s thrown a considerable amount of work at making the driver’s seat an appealing place to be. The company’s gone a little heavy on its crystals for our liking. Twinking Swarovski crystal headlights are an interesting design feature, but using great big lumps of them to adjust the 7 Series’ seats seems a little ostentatious.
There’s a massive curved display facing the driver. BMW is de-emphasising physical controls, so everything is touch-enabled. There’s a collection of physical controls in the centre console, but not as many as you’d think. The gear selector is there (it’s also a Swarovski crystal), as is a rotating selector (also a Swarovski crystal). For the most part, you can interact with touchscreens and a new interactive bar that stretches across the cabin. It’s also found in the X7 SUV and the i7, of course.
Calling for back-up
But if the front is packed with tech, it’s got nothing on sitting in the rear. The seats are deep and plush and there’s plenty to do in the back. Like… streaming Amazon Prime. BMW’s got a 31in 8K display living on the ceiling of the 7 Series. It slides down into Theatre mode at the touch of a button, which lives in touchscreen control panels on either rear door.
Start up Theatre mode and the screen drops into place. You can stream content, with audio pumping out through up to 40 Bowes and Wilkins speakers. In action, it doesn’t feel dissimilar to sitting at an Imax theatre. The screen is a bit smaller, sure, but there’s the same bassy rumble through the car’s frame. The screen also has a camera set into it, meaning you can have an online meeting as your chauffeur whisks you off to your private jet. It’s… extravagant, is what it is.
Core i7
BMW’s new i7 electric sedan has many of the same functions going for it. There’s a difference available for the exterior, though. The German motor company is offering two-tone paint for the first time, something it compared to the folks at Rolls Royce. That comparison came up with regards to the 7 Series’ size — it was a bit of a trend on the night.
The illuminated grille is rather slick, but the front-end design is a little different to its fossil fuel-burning companion. The major aspect we would have liked to have tested was its takeoff from a standing start. Sadly, we didn’t get to explore its EV-provided torque. That would have meant moving a considerable amount of furniture and people, and it just wasn’t that sort of party.
Inside, the fit and finish is almost identical to that found in the 7 Series. The 8K screen and door-mounted touchscreens in the rear were complimented by reclining seats that wouldn’t have felt out of place in a movie theatre. Our only worry was that it’s an option to put your feet up on a pristine white leather footrest, a travesty we couldn’t even begin to contemplate.
The front seats are more or less identically appointed. Swarovski crystals are embedded in strategic places. They’re functional, for the most part. The angled lumps aren’t just sticking out for the sake of it. But, with the BMW i7, we’re considerably more torn about where we’d prefer to sit. The 7 Series is easy — let a driver take care of matters. But what we really want is to get behind the steering wheel of BMW’s massive electric sedan and see what it can really do.
This might not be that far off. As soon as Stuff gets to take a spin in one (or more) of BMW’s newest high-end cars, we’ll let you know exactly whether it’s worth saving between R2.16 million (the base price for the 7 Series) and R2.83 million (for the i7) to own one of these.