The All New 7 Series seems to have redefined this Highly Exclusive Luxury Mobility Segment like never before & makes the time on-board (Rear Seat + Driver’s Seat) a truly rewarding experience.
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Likes;
- Interior Design, Ambient Lighting Implementation & Features (USP)
- Road Presence (Design, Dimensions are unlike anything you’l spot on road)
- Fantastic Engine, Gearbox & Handling (740i with the B58 in this setup is enjoyable)
- Omission of RunFlats has aced the Ride Quality (Probably the best riding 7 series of all time)
Dislikes;
- Pricing (Starts @ INR 1.70 Cr. ex-showroom, 1st few units are CBU but no price cut later).
- Exterior Design will take time getting used to (Also the rear looks bland in comparison to the front).
- Lack of engine options & no Diesel (Currently you can buy only the 40i & I think at this price it deserved a V8).
- Lack of buttons, knobs (A/C Controls too need to be accessed via the iDrive 8 screen, in the meantime BMW has already launched iDrive 8.5).
For those who prefer text may read on;
Exterior Design;
Personally the looks have grown on me and the blocky design seems to be carved out of one single solid chunk of exotic metal;
In comparison to the front the rear feels a bit bland;
Modern interpretation of the Hofmeister Kink;
The car exudes presence for sure;
Note: The car has the M Sport Exterior Kit/Package (Standard for India).
Platform;
This platform was internally called ’35up’ before being named CLAR. This car is based on the updated CLAR platform. CLAR is the short form of Cluster Architecture & this new CLAR platform fits into BMW’s “Power of Choice” strategy which means this platform enables not 1 or 2 but totally 3 combinations of drivetrains;
1) Internal Combustion + Mild hybrid
2) Internal Combustion + Plug in hybrid
3) EV (i7)
Hence providing a One platform solution for BMW. Also, the car now comes in only 1 Wheelbase. There are no “li or ld” models as its all standardised to one wheel base (Looking at the space in cabin & rear seat probably the Long Wheel base has been standardised).
Driving Experience
The test car was a 740i which means it is gets the 3L turbo 6 cyl Petrol engine. This is the same engine which comes in the M340i but now it is hybridised & we get a 48V Mild hybrid system attached to it. Also because it is the Technical 2 update (B58TU2) it means it gets about 380 hp tune which is 40 HP more than the previous 740i but interestingly the torque number is variable between 520 NM & 540 NM because of the momentary boosts given by the mild Hybrid system attached to the engine. The mild hybrid system not only helps in power but also efficiency as everytime you let off the accelerator the deceleration energy is stored in the hybrid system’s generator & helps in coasting for cruising at constant speeds therefore increasing efficiency & reducing emissions.
The 0-100 km/h acceleration numbers quoted by the factory are typically BMW modest as in reality it feels like a 5 Second car. Never did the car feel underpowered in any situation, but the driving experience could have been enhanced with better material selection for the paddle shifter. Also a V8 would suit the personality of the car more, Interestingly the V8 is now called 760i indicating there may not be a V12.
This car debuts the new 8-speed Steptronic Sport transmission, which is standard across all combustion-engine variants.
Driving Modes
This 7th Gen All New 7 Series gets 7 Driving Modes;
- Expressive Mode
- Digital Art Mode
- Efficient Mode
- Relax Mode
- Sport Mode
- Theatre Mode
- Personal Mode
The Vehicle Dynamics, Displays & Interior Ambiance are altered based on the driving mode selected.
However some of the Modes (Digital Art, Theatre) are more psychological & visual drama than technical.
Handling / Suspension
Handling remains true to BMW genetics as the car is able to mask its weight and dimensions very well to achieve confidence inspiring driver involvement.
Important to note that the car gets a 2 axle Air suspension with electric dampers which have the capability to maintain the ride height irrespective of where the passengers are seated. This really changes the overall stance of the car at high speeds or braking situations to give it a proper ASSURED handling experience. This generation gets Wider Tracks (Front > 1.9 inch, Rear > 0.16 inch) to provide remarkable agility & steering response. Note: The test car did not have rear wheel steering.
The suspension feels agile and well tuned, as it is adaptive it drops about 10 mm in Sport Mode (above 140 km/h) & for rough roads and speed breakers it can be raised by 20mm from the standard ride height.
I have driven the new gen. S Class too which feels comparatively floaty where as this All New 7 series just does the handling job better.
Ride Quality
This luxury sedan sedan’s double-wishbone front suspension and five-link rear suspension provides great levels of ride comfort at all speeds. However let’s immediately appreciate the fact that BMW has omitted the runflats (finally) and this contributes greatly to the ride quality.
Front
255/45 R20
Rear
285/40 R20
The body rigidity has been enhanced for this new gen G70 7 series which adds a sense of unshakability over road undulations & expansion joints. This All New 7 gets new hydro mounts for the rear axle subframe which are another factor contributing to the vehicle’s enhanced ride comfort. The suspension’s air supply is controlled individually for each wheel, making it possible to balance out an unevenly loaded car which not only aids handling (mentioned above) but also the comfort levels. More comfort for the rear passengers as there are New rod end bearings for the rear dampers which are designed to bring a improvement in ride quality over small bumps and undulations on the road. Do note that the test car had 20″ rims but still the comfort levels were similar to CKD S Class riding on 19″ers which I drove few months back. To be honest the 7 was never the best riding car in the segment but with this all new generation it has closed the gap with the S Class to a great extent.
Interior Experience
The rear executive seat experience and the cabin ambience, material selection feels Modernly Rejuvenating;
Interestingly Sunroof (Non Openable) blinds fold in forward direction, designed for more headroom at the back.
Coming to the centre console, it is definitely beautifully designed and looks Futuristically Elegant
The Crystal – Glass finish on the dashboard discreetly houses the Ambient lighting which is fascinatingly intuitive.
In Sport Mode the ambient lighting lights up in the M Colours
The glass elements continues on the door trim and this theme is also implemented on the seat controls, gear selector & the idrive controller.
Note: Music System is a 20 speaker 655 watt Bowers & Wilkins unit.
A Closer look at the newly designed M Sport steering wheel of the all new 7 Series
Its Interesting to note that it’s also a flat-bottomed wheel, something that BMW has typically stayed away from in the past. Overall love the implementation of design & skeletonized metal spokes.
Final Thoughts
The All New 7 Series seems to have redefined this Highly Exclusive Luxury Mobility Segment like never before & makes the time on-board (Rear Seat + Driver’s Seat) a truly rewarding experience.
Keyword: Video review: The 2023 BMW 7-Series