BMW 7 Series

BMW's redesigned 7 Series sedan, includes the new fully electric i7 xDrive60, a first-ever for the 7 Series, and a slate of newly improved gasoline-powered versions.

The new gasoline-powered versions have added features and luxuries, as well as updated engines that BMW says are vastly improved over the older models. The six-cylinder version, for instance, gains 40 horsepower.

It competes with the Audi A8, Lexus LS, Mercedes-Benz S-Class and EQS, and Tesla Model S.

The new 7 Series is a big car, having grown more than 5 inches longer than the previous model, to 212.2 inches. It is also nearly 2 inches wider and 2 inches taller. For the most part, it looks like a generic sedan—conservatively styled and relatively nondescript. It bears a passing resemblance to a Rolls-Royce, except for the front-and-center kidney/baboon-posterior-shaped grilles, and the Hofmeister kink in the rear door window’s trailing edge. Those two cues are very BMW. The slit headlamps on either side of the grille, popularized by models like the 2011 Nissan Juke and 2014 Jeep Cherokee, are new, but now part of the automaker’s new design language, BMW says.

Outside of the steering wheel, don’t expect to find many buttons. The interior aesthetic is spare in a refreshing way, and screens tend to dominate. The 12.3-inch instrument cluster and 14.9-inch infotainment screens are combined behind a single, curved glass strip that takes up a good bit of real estate on the upper dash. BMW says it has designed touch-screen operation to resemble smartphone function, including bold, easily recognizable icons that can be moved to a favorites bar depending upon the driver’s preference. Although it is a significant departure from BMW’s current iDrive system, there is still a physical control knob with surrounding buttons on the center console, which, along with voice commands, give options to those who prefer not to use a touch screen. There is a smartphone-sized control panel—glass-faced with app-like selections—in the armrest of each rear door.

A glass spear runs across the entire dash beneath the curved instrument panel. BMW is calling it the “interaction bar,” and most of it is a touch screen that operates the climate system controls, glove box door, and other functions. It can be configured in a variety of colors and themes, and can also display moving graphics. The heating and cooling vents are mere slits and don’t command much notice.

The center console contains a large storage cubby, and there is a smaller one in a fold-down armrest in the middle of the rear seat back. The armrest also conceals a pass-through door for longer objects such as skis. Front seat heat and ventilation, as well as a massage function, are standard on the 760i xDrive, and optional on the 740i. The same equipment is optional on all trims for the rear seats.

An optional 31-inch theater screen drops down from the ceiling, and includes built-in Amazon Fire TV, 8K resolution, and a Bowers & Wilkins Diamond Surround Sound system. Rear seat passengers can use the door armrest controls to close all the rear shades simultaneously to darken the rear seat for better viewing. The theater system includes streaming capability for videos, movies, and games, but CR found in a brief in-person assessment that the high, centered location of the screen made for odd head and eye angles during viewing.

There is an interior camera system that serves two functions: BMW says it can be a fun way to capture passenger activity for social media purposes, and on the serious side, the cameras can monitor parking attendants and look inside the car using a smartphone app if the alarm system has been activated. As with the BMW iX, the interior camera is not for driver monitoring.