Pictures of BMW’s all new 7-series have emerged, months ahead of its official reveal. Known internally as the G11, the new S-class competitor features plenty of new-age styling, loads of high tech, and a whole new take on efficiency and performance.
Now even more coupé-like from the side, the lower-slung silhouette of the new 7 says ‘luxury sport’ quite clearly. Featuring a design language first seen on the new 3-series, X5 and X6, the nose has an even more prominent chrome kidney grille that protrudes from the bonnet almost vertically. As with newer BMWs, the curvy headlamp pods extend all the way to the grille, and the double-barrel detailing inside them is really well executed. The new 7-series will also be available with laser headlights, a first in its segment. Other interesting bits on the nose include a really wide looking chin with prominent chrome inserts around the edges. BMW has used LED running lamps too, but only in the chin. Unlike the Mercedes-Benz S-class, which has a more relaxed look to it, the BMW is more tightly skinned, further accentuating its sporty stance. And while the rear does look a bit generic and in line with recent BMWs, the slash of chrome that goes right through the tail-lights looks really neat.
The look on the inside is even more BMW. The centre console, steering wheel and gear selector at first glance appear to be from current BMWs, but they’re a little different. Look closer and you’ll find the wooden base of the dash looks quite impressive. There’s a new pop-up i-Drive screen that takes away some of the heaviness of the earlier hooded setup and now works as a touchscreen too. Other technology we could see on this new 7 include gesture-based controls, wireless charging for smartphones, self parking via the key, and an all-new i-Drive interface.
Under the skin, the new BMW 7-series is expected to be more than a 150kg lighter, due to the extensive use of aluminium, carbon-fibre-reinforced-plastic (CFRP, as seen on the BMW i8 sportscar) and high-strength steel. It is also likely to come with air suspension all around as standard, to help deliver a wider spread of suspension settings, all the way from Comfort to Sport+. As on the current car, rear-wheel steering is likely to be carried forward on the more powerful variants for greater agility on the move, and BMW is likely to use a variable ratio, self-correcting steering too.
Under the hood, BMW is likely to provide an interesting mix of engines, dominated as ever, by straight sixes. The 730d will continue to be the mainstay, and there will likely be both twin and tri-turbo versions of BMW’s famous high revving diesel, called the 740d and 750d, as with the current car. Straight six and V8 turbo-petrol motors will return as well, and to add flexibility, BMW will use an all-new, nine-speed automatic gearbox. For customers interested in a cleaner, greener car, BMW will have a plug in hybrid in the range.
BMW is expected to bring the long wheelbase version of the G11 7-series to India sometime in early 2016. Question is, will it have what it takes to take on the S Class, even a year down the line?
Dipan Sur
Viraaj Bhatnagar
