7 Series First Look

BMW’s flagship sedan has undergone a major change for the first time in six years. Yes, we are talking about the 7 Series and there is a new generation. In typical German fashion, it may not look very different from the previous car in terms of styling but there are a host of new elements to give the car an all-new feel.

It will make a full debut at the 2015 Frankfurt Motor Show and will go on sale later this year for European markets and then in March next year for the American markets. India will get the car by the middle of next year in the 750Li and 730Ld variants.

The 2016 BMW 7 Series (codenamed G11) appears to be more of an evolutionary design rather than a completely new one. The fascia gets a wider kidney grille, sleeker LED headlamps and a wider bumper giving the car a strong and squat stance. Further, the hood now gets a prominent dome to increase pedestrian safety.

Moving over to the side we can see flared wheel arches and rear heavy roofline. There is a strong shoulder line while the entire window section gets a chrome outline to up the premium factor. At the rear, we can see the familiar wrap around tail lamps, thick bumper and chrome line running through the centre of the rear section. BMW will launch the car with the option of Pure Design and M Sport design packages which gives the car a lot cosmetic updates as well as additional cabin trim options.

The cabin is typical of what we have been seeing in the new range of BMW cars over the last few years. The layout remains almost the same as the outgoing model but now the cabin has been trimmed out in a combination of black and beige with wood inserts in doors and dashboard. Photos also reveal that the car can be trimmed out in other materials but the black bits and wood inserts remain common throughout.

In addition to the standard luxury features already available with this car, it also gets a new touchscreen infotainment system with gesture control. The instrument cluster is fully digital unit but has a smaller screen than the iDrive. Also included in the deal is a full-fledged rear-entertainment package with screens that double up as tablets and can be used to control the various functions of the car.

Taking a cue out of its closest rival’s book, the new 7 Series is being offered with a rear executive package which includes a fold out table, additional cup holders and the above mentioned tablets.

The 2016 BMW 7 Series will be offered with three engines - two petrol and one diesel. The two petrol engines are the 750i and 740i and for markets like India these will become the 750Li and the 740Li where only the LWB version of the car is sold. The diesel on the other hand is the 730d/730Ld which is powered by a 3.0-litre straight-six diesel.

While there is no mention of the top-of-the-line 760Li, we believe that it will be launched at a later date and we suspect in a much longer form to rival the Mercedes-Benz Maybach S600. All variants are expected to get only the ZF eight-speed dual-clutch transmission.

When launched, the BMW 7 Series will rival the Mercedes-Benz S-Class, Audi A8/A8L and the Jaguar XJ/XJL.