BMW i7

Love it or hate it, there’s no denying that the previous generation 7 Series had a lot going on design-wise, especially on the front of the internal combustion models. While the 2027 version still has BMW’s controversial large-kidney grille, it reins in all of the different design elements for a dramatically simpler look. The dual kidneys are narrower, but they do light up for emphasis, and character lines down the hood further emphasize their size.

A pair of very narrow daytime running lights—each one split into two sections—line the leading edge of the car around the grille. Crystal headlights are an option, with each light having 12 faceted glass elements. Adaptive LED headlights that can illuminate through corners come standard. The 7 Series’ low- and high-beam headlights are hidden in a dark section underneath the daytime running lights for a cleaner look when they’re not in use.

It also has a series of lighting animations as you approach and park, including a Ceremonial Light Carpet that projects an image onto the ground when you open the door. No mere puddle light has ever been this fancy.

The blocky appearance continues down the side all the way to a rather squared-off trunk. Flush door handles and one simple character line low on the door further emphasize the simpler look. Open the doors (which can open and close automatically with the press of a button) and there’s an Easter egg on the B-Pillar: the number 7. You can also open and close the motorized doors using the BMW app, as well as a button inside the door itself, and they have integrated radar sensors to prevent collisions with other items or people.

Smoked rear taillight lenses hide the unlocking button for the trunk lid, backup camera, and camera-washer nozzle, so they don’t add visual clutter to the car. The wide, horizontal taillights themselves emphasize the width of the car. A BMW badge recessed in between the two lights finishes it off.

Those wanting a slightly sportier appearance can add one of the M Sport packages, which include additional aerodynamic elements such as air intakes, a rear diffuser, and side skirts, and a sport steering wheel, darker design elements, upgraded 21-inch wheels, and larger brakes.

The BMW Individual Dual-Finish paint package is an especially unique option, with matte paint on the lower portion of the 7 Series, a glossy metallic finish added on top, and a hand-drawn Coach Line that sits above the lower matte portion of the car.

BMW highlights its efforts toward reducing powertrain noise, including quieter steering gear mounts on the front-axle subframe, additional door insulation, acoustic glass, more aerodynamic mirror-caps designed to reduce wind noise, and, on select 7 Series cars, tires with internal foam sound absorbers.

If you get into a car to avoid adding to your screen time, the new 7 Series may not be the right vehicle. Up to four screens can be found throughout the cabin, two of which span nearly the entire width of the interior.

As with the other Neue Klasse cars, the 2027 7 Series runs on BMW’s new Operating System X, which tosses out the old iDrive controller-knob in favor of something BMW calls Panoramic iDrive, which incorporates more touchscreen controls. Operating System X is designed to take over-the-air updates, download additional apps from the BMW ConnectedDrive Store, and learn drivers’ habits to further personalize the user experience over time. It includes the BMW Intelligent Personal Assistant, which incorporates Amazon Alexa technology to respond to conversational controls and access Amazon services when linked to an Amazon account.

Four years of BMW Digital Premium-connected services are also included with the car. This includes data for entertainment features, expanded navigation information, including detailed points of interest and traffic data, as well as a Security Assistant, which records attempted theft and parking-lot collisions and notifies you.

The i7’s navigation system can also plan for charging stops on longer routes, with the ability to select preferred charging networks and a minimum arrival state-of-charge. It also shows details on amenities near a charging station (such as restaurants, playgrounds, and restrooms), the number of chargers at a station, and how many chargers are currently in use. When navigation is set to go to a charger, the i7 starts preconditioning the battery to get it to the optimal temperature for the fastest possible charging stop.

Two rhombus-shaped touchscreens—a 17.9-inch one as the main infotainment unit and a 14.6-inch one to the right for a passenger—dominate the dashboard and handle most of the vehicle’s functions. All of the climate controls, including vent positioning, have now been moved onscreen. The passenger-side screen can access various video streaming apps while remaining shielded from the driver’s view. A feature called AirConsole lets passengers play video games using their smartphones as controllers. An interior camera also monitors the driver and can dim the screens if it detects distracted driving.

Another screen that BMW calls Panoramic Vision curves from A-pillar to A-pillar across the top edge of the dashboard, with the left side serving as the driver’s information display. This isn’t a traditional screen, even though it functions like one, as it’s a curved black surface for key information to be projected onto. The center and right sides of the Panoramic Vision screen can be customized as well. A head-up display is also available to show pertinent data, including navigation directions, directly in the driver’s line of sight.

The steering wheel has a new vertical-spoke design with flattened top and bottom edges to allow for a better view of the Panoramic Vision display. Illuminated touch-sensitive controls with haptic feedback take up most of the horizontal “spoke,” while the usual upholstered spokes are oriented along the vertical axis instead.

The front passenger gets their own infotainment touchscreen as standard equipment in the 7 Series, which is nice to see in light of the large, shiny blank panel Audi uses in trims that lack the passenger-side screen. There’s also an Alcantara-trimmed 15-watt wireless phone charger below the dashboard with a magnet to hold phones in place. Wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay are standard, and data from these services can be displayed in the upper dashboard and head-up displays.

Eye-catching interior appointments include customizable ambient lighting with welcome animations and crystal switchgear on the front doors and center console. Lights in the rear-door speaker covers and on the back of the front headrests further illuminate the back seat area. A new Panoramic Skylounge LED roof incorporates 40 LED lights that echo the quilted pattern on the seats. Buyers get a choice of trim options for the interior, including multiple open-pore matte or high-gloss woods. For a sportier look, they can select trim in carbon fiber with silver strips or padded Alcantara; both are paired with fingerprint-prone piano black.

Perforated faux-leather Veganza interior upholstery comes standard on the 740 and 740 xDrive, with several full-Merino leather options as well as a Merino leather and cashmere wool combination available as upgrades. The wool and leather interior option combines leather on the seatbacks with wool on the seat bottoms, and you can also get wool upholstery on the center armrest and neck cushions.

Heated, ventilated, and massaging power-adjustable seats are standard for the driver and front passenger, with the option to add massaging and ventilation to the rear seats as well. The Executive Lounge option adds a power-adjustable leg rest for the seat behind the front passenger, an optional heated, quilted armrest with wireless charging, and a deeply reclining seatback. With this option, the front passenger seat also moves out of the way to let the rear right seat fully recline, but BMW says it does this in a way that still allows the driver to see the passenger-side exterior rear-view mirror.

The Rolls-Royce Lite experience extends to the 7 Series’ list of luxurious, high-tech options. Rear passengers can add the optional BMW Theater Screen: a 31.3-inch touchscreen that flips down from the ceiling. This 8K-resolution screen received several updates from the previous 7 Series’ version, including an integrated camera, Zoom teleconferencing support, and an HDMI connection to be used as a second monitor. It can now also be used as a touchscreen and access the same streaming and entertainment apps as the front passenger.

Sunshades for the panoramic glass roof, side windows, and rear window can be deployed, and the interior lighting dims to darken the back seat when the Theater Screen is in use. An optional digital rear-view mirror is available that displays a camera view in the interior rear-view mirror, allowing you to see around the deployed screen.

An 18-speaker Bowers & Wilkins surround sound system comes standard, but the upgraded Bowers & Wilkins Diamond Surround Sound System brings up to 36 speakers for the full theater experience. This upgraded sound system includes speakers in the headrests for the front and rear outboard seats as well as Dolby Atmos, which allows different sounds to be focused in different places around the cabin. Acoustic glass is standard to keep exterior noise out.

The new BMW 7 Series launches with four powertrain variants—two electric and two with gasoline internal combustion engines—with a performance V8 model and a plug-in hybrid to head into production later.

The internal-combustion 7 Series model, the 740, comes in two versions: the standard 740 with rear-wheel drive and the all-wheel-drive 740 xDrive. Both versions have the same 3.0-liter turbocharged inline six-cylinder engine and eight-speed automatic transmission carried over from the previous-generation 7 Series. A new turbocharger increased hp by 19 hp to 394 hp, while torque remains at 398 lb.-ft. Despite the new 7 Series’ large size, BMW claims this is enough to go from 0 to 60 mph in under 5 seconds in the all-wheel-drive 740 xDrive.

The i7’s powertrain was tuned for a smoother throttle response that better fits a chauffeur-ready flagship sedan. Additionally, its motor mounts are also designed to reduce powertrain noise. 2027 i7 buyers get a choice of two dual-motor, all-wheel-drive models: the i7 50 xDrive and i7 60 xDrive. The entry-level i7 50 xDrive has 449 hp and 487 lb.-ft. of torque. The i7 60 xDrive outputs 536 hp and 549 lb.-ft. of torque, and BMW claims it can go from 0 to 60 mph in 4.6 seconds.

The i7’s 112.5-kilowatt-hour high-voltage battery uses the new, more energy-dense cylindrical cells that debuted in the iX3, which, according to BMW, extends the i7 60 xDrive’s range to over 350 miles. It can charge at a maximum rate of 250 kW, which BMW claims can refill the i7 battery’s state-of-charge from 10 to 80 percent in 28 minutes. A Tesla-style North American Charging Standard (NACS) plug and adapters to use with other charger types come standard. It also has a plug and charge feature that enables you to simply plug the car in and start charging—letting the car initiate payments automatically—with compatible public charging stations.

The i7 also has the ability to recuperate energy through regenerative braking, which slows down the car as it feeds kinetic energy from the car’s movement back into the battery. This can be adjusted (or turned off) by the driver, or set to an automatic level that adjusts the regenerative braking force depending on the conditions on the road—increasing the amount of slowing force when approaching an intersection, for example.

A plug-in hybrid 750e xDrive model is due to go on sale in the first quarter of 2027, which pairs a 308-hp inline six-cylinder engine with a 194-hp electric motor that’s integrated into the transmission. All in all, the 750e xDrive has a combined output of 483 hp and 516 lb.-ft. of torque, and BMW claims it can go from 0 to 60 mph in 4.6 seconds.

BMW also plans to add a sportier V8-powered M Performance model, with more details to be announced closer to its release date.

The new 7 Series rides on an adaptive, self-leveling air suspension. An optional adaptive chassis control feature is available to further smooth out the ride and increase handling precision using active antiroll bars mated to a 48-volt motor in the center of the vehicle. This system is designed to reduce body roll through corners when needed while also being able to soften the suspension to glide over bumps more comfortably.

The new 7 Series models come equipped with Level 2 advanced driver assistance systems that combine adaptive cruise control with lane-centering tech. BMW claims the 7 Series will allow the driver to steer and brake with its Level 2 driving system on when needed without the system deactivating. This system includes a direct driver monitoring system to make sure the driver’s eyes remain on the road.

Standard equipment includes automatic emergency braking with pedestrian, cyclist, and wildlife detection, lane keeping assistance, automatic emergency steering, blind spot warning, adaptive cruise control, a surround view camera, and an exit warning that alerts the driver when opening a door might cause a collision with oncoming traffic or pedestrians. An automated parking feature that can record and then perform parking maneuvers for you comes standard, with an upgraded version offered that can let you remotely park and unpark the vehicle from the outside using the My BMW app.