BMW has launched its new 7 Series at a price tag of Rs 1.70 crore (ex-showroom, India). Offered in a single petrol variant – 740i M Sport, the luxury limousine now sports the brand’s new design language, which first debuted on the X7 facelift, and a revised cabin with several tech upgrades that focus on rear passenger comfort and convenience. The deliveries are slated to commence in March this year. A diesel engine will be added to the line-up in the coming months.
- Based on BMW's heavily reworked CLAR platform
- Gets only one petrol engine for now
- Rivals the Mercedes S-class, Lexus LS, and Audi A8 L
New BMW 7 Series: exterior, interior and features
The 7 Series now sports a completely revised front end that includes a split-LED headlight setup and an illuminated lighting element that surrounds the large kidney grille. This new design philosophy has also been implemented on its electric counterpart, the i7. Along the sides, the luxury limousine now features flush door handles with an internal touchpad and electronic mechanism, replacing the traditional handles. Moreover, it now sports 19-inch wheels as standard with the option to upgrade to 22-inches. The rear of the 7 Series also sees some changes in the form of horizontal LED tail-lights and a reprofiled bumper.
On the inside, the new 7 Series now sports a revamped cabin that includes the latest curved infotainment screen, similar to other recent BMWs like the iX and i4. This comprises a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster and a 14.9-inch touchscreen running the latest iDrive 8 software. Between the front seats is a control panel with a gear selector, a traditional rotary iDrive controller, and other touch-sensitive controls.
It is at the rear where BMW has incorporated major changes as the 7 Series now gets a 31.3-inch, 8K 'cinema' screen that’s mounted on the roof and folds down to offer video streaming via Amazon Fire TV in 16:9, 21:9 and 32:9 formats. Other feature highlights include the 5.5-inch touchscreens on rear door pads, soft closing doors, a panoramic sunroof with LED lighting elements, and ambient lighting.
New BMW 7 Series: powertrain, platform
Globally, the 7 Series gets a plethora of powertrain options including mild-hybrid petrol and diesel engines, and even a plug-in hybrid petrol. However, for now, BMW is offering just one petrol engine option in India - a 3.0-litre, inline-six-cylinder unit which puts out 380hp and 520Nm of torque. This engine now get mild-hybrid tech and has been paired to an 8-speed automatic transmission. With this powertrain, the luxury limousine can accelerate from 0-100kph in a claimed 5.4 seconds and go on to achieve a top speed of 250kph. The 7 Series also gets adaptive air suspension and electronically controlled dampers as standard.
The new 7 Series is underpinned by a heavily modified version of BMW’s CLAR platform, and unlike the previous gen model, it is only available in long-wheelbase guise for added space and comfort. The luxury limousine also gets the latest version of BMW’s Integral Active Steering, which provides up to 3.5 degree of steering angle to the rear wheels.
New BMW 7 Series: rivals
The new 7 Series goes up against other luxury limousines in India such as the Mercedes Benz S-class (Rs 1.65 crore), Lexus LS500h (Rs 1.96 crore), and the facelifted Audi A8 L (Rs 1.34 crore).
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