The hubbub over the new G11/G12 BMW 7 Series is just starting to die down. BMW made huge waves with its latest flagship, showing the world what it’s truly capable of.
In North America, the new 7 Series will come in a couple of different flavors; a 740Li and 750Li. A 740e xDrive might follow in the future and we recently found out that a 760Li might be in the works as well. It will also be available with an M Sport package on all models, which adds some aggression to the overload of technology and luxury.
This is an exciting time for BMW, because the 7 Series has the capability to regain control of the full-size luxury car market. The breadth of the new 7 Series lineup is truly impressive. There are luxurious models, sporty models and economic models. There are six-cylinder engines, an eight-cylinder engine and possibly a twelve-cylinder engine. Both gas and diesel, will be available as will a plug-in hybrid variant.
With so many excellent options to choose from, it’s almost difficult to choose which to buy if you have the means to do so. What a bad problem to have, right? So which are you excited for most?
On one hand, the new 7 Series brings ultimate luxury back to the blue and white roundel. In models like the 740Li, 750Li and possibly the 760Li, without the M Sport package, the 7 Series is the ultimate luxury cruiser. It has reclining rear seats with enough screens and ambient lighting to make it feel like the inside of the Starship Enterprise. It’s seats can massage in a variety of different ways and it can shut the world out with powered sunvisors and a Bowers & Wilkins surround sound system. In luxury trim, the 7 Series is like a private jet for the road.
However, it can also be a frugal, high-tech hybrid. The plug-in hybrid system works in much the same way as it does in the i8, just with a larger four-cylinder engine and one less electric motor. However, it should deliver best-in-class fuel economy and still have enough power to stay competitive in a segment filled with twin-turbo V8s. It can also remotely park itself, even if the option isn’t available Stateside, and has more sensors and cameras than the NSA.
But technology and luxury aren’t the only things the 7er can do well. Being that BMW cut over 100 lbs out of the latest 7 Series, lowered the center of gravity and stiffened the structure by making most of the passenger cell out of CFRP, the new 7 Series should be a sharp handling car. It has also been fitted with a revised electric steering rack, new all-aluminum suspension components and geometry, a BMW-first air suspension and is available with an intelligent xDrive all-wheel drive system. But that’s just the standard car. It can get even sportier with an M Sport package, which comes with a lower setting for the air suspension, lighter 19” wheels and bigger brakes. So it can be still be the great handling car that the 7 Series has always been.
The new 7 Series can have many different personalities and wear many different hats. Which aspect of the new 7 Series are you most excited about and which one would you get?
