“New 7” – Obese naked mole rats presented

Before we devote ourselves to the classic content of car journalistic work, we are allowed to make a purely editorial comment on the new seven.

With an external length of 5.39 meters and the front of a central combined heat and power plant, the new seven looks a lot, but not elegant, not shy and restraint is also defined differently in the dictionary. Nevertheless, the seven is nothing more than the result of extensive market surveys and also a logical further development of our everyday automotive life, even beyond 130 km/h.

There is also criticism from time to time, even from a corner from which there has otherwise been little criticism of the German premium idea.

The answer is surprisingly simple.

People like the aforementioned Prof. Dr. or the average automotive journalist if BMW wrote it down, the seventh generation of the Bavarian statement would be nothing as powerful as it was attention-grabbing. But, it's always mobbed. In this case about the #central heating as a nose, the height of the front, which also makes SUVs feel slowed down, and the idea of ​​a lightness in driving that was placed completely at the back - if you look at the curb weight of the vehicle. BMW does everything to be right. There will be no willful blame to be sought from designers and engineers. It is the circumstances that lead us to these vehicles. The premium claim, for example, of ourselves, of our brands, of our future. And then we combine battery packs weighing 800 kg, whose footprint is a very real one #Student pad would result and speed 250 in terms of our freedom. A mobile cinema, a mobile concert hall and complete freedom when deciding on the drive technology must transport all of this – if you still want to be surprised about the result, throw the first kidney.

BMW likes a kind #Family business be, but as everywhere, you have to pay your highly qualified workforce, a large number of whom still work in Bavaria, which is not a low-wage country, not only generate sales, but even generate profits. This requires a balancing act between "never change a running system" and the desire to shape the future. Changes don't come for free and purchasing power needs to be convinced. And to do this, the engineers pack deep into their bag of tricks.

And who doesn't want all that anymore. Who wants to go back to elegance. If you don't want to take part in the robbery of resources, you can see if you can buy your first seven back from the flag dealer. Whether he can really refuse progress in comfort, safety and luxury. But then you would have switched to a BMW i2013 in 3. Would have said goodbye to masculine aggressiveness in the company parking lot early on and sustainably before that #Dieselgate discovered for themselves. Because you can accuse BMW of many things in 2022, but certainly not that you haven't tried it differently - and in the end only the mean Mammon counts. That's not reprehensible, it's #System relevant.

Text: Bjoern Habegger

Let's now turn to classic auto-journalism:

The BMW flagship 7 Series has been relaunched every seven years since the 90s. Accordingly, the G2015 introduced in 11 is on the home stretch. The successor will be the G70 that has now been unveiled and will be available from November, which has grown to an enormous length and, as a purely electric i7, is also entering new spheres in terms of weight. 

The new edition of the prestige sedan, which will be built exclusively as a long version with plenty of legroom in the rear, is a proud 5,39 meters. Uniform worldwide. Here, the Munich-based carmaker is primarily focusing on well-heeled customers in China, who prefer chauffeur-driven limousines in the luxury segment. Slit-like lighting units at the front and rear are striking, as are door handles flush with the sheet metal skin and a kidney grille that has also grown enormously in line with the vehicle length. 

The screens in the cockpit of the new 7 Series have also become significantly larger. Behind the steering wheel there is a 12,3-inch information display and a 14,9-inch touchscreen. In addition to infotainment, many vehicle functions can be controlled here. There are also controls on the center console and in the steering wheel. 

But in the future, the new 7 Series will primarily be about amenities in the rear. The standard scope includes comfort seats, 4-zone automatic air conditioning or a fixed panoramic glass roof. Options include a glass roof with LED light threads, a reclining seat on the passenger side, surface heating for armrests or the entertainment system with a "theater screen" that extends from the roof lining. 

The new 7 Series will no longer be available to customers in Europe as a classic petrol engine. The variants 735i and 740i with in-line six cylinders and the 760i with V8 will only be available outside of Europe. Here the 7 Series starts as a purely electric i7 xDrive60 with a twin-engine all-wheel drive that delivers 400 kW/544 hp and 745 Newton meters. The 2,7-tonne Stromer should sprint to 6,1 km/h in 100 seconds and reach a maximum speed of 240 km/h. The reason for the enormous weight is, among other things, the generously dimensioned battery with a net energy content of 101,7 kWh, which in return allows a WLTP range of 590 to 625 kilometers. Thanks to fast charging technology, it should be possible to recharge from 10 to 80 percent with up to 195 kW charging power in 34 minutes. Using AC power previously at 11 kW, filling from 10 to 100 percent takes around 9,5 hours.  

However, 7-series customers in Europe do not have to do without diesel and petrol engines entirely. In spring 2023, BMW wants to submit the 740d xDrive, which thanks to the combination of a three-liter six-cylinder and a small electric motor will achieve a total output of 200 kW/300 hp. The mild hybrid reaches 100 km/h in 6,3 seconds and a maximum of 250 km/h, the WLTP consumption is said to be around 6 liters of diesel. With the 750e and 760e xDrive, two plug-in hybrids with six-cylinder petrol engines with 360 kW/490 hp and 420 kW/571 hp respectively are planned. In both cases, purely electric driving is possible up to a speed of 140 km and a range of almost 90 km. 

Incidentally, the diesel should also mark the financial entry into the new 7-series world, which will be in the six-digit range in the future.

Text: Mario Hommen

Vehicle prices BMW seventh generation BMW seven

In the future, prices for the new BMW 7 Series will start at over 100.000 euros. For the electric version there are even more, especially if you add a few extras. 

BMW has announced first prices for the new BMW 7 Series, which will be available from autumn. The entry marks the 740d for 107.300 euros. The purely electrically powered i7 starts at 138.310 euros. Options such as two-tone paintwork (7 euros), 12.000-inch wheels (21 euros), leather-merino/wool-cashmere seat covers (3.750 euros) or rear entertainment system (11.400 euros) can be selected for the electric 4.750 Series in the configurator.