Take any model of one of these automakers, and put it next to the equivalent one from the other. The Mercedes will look more classic and charming, while BMWs tend to be more aggressive and athletic – Audi, the other member of the German Big Three, offers vehicles just as good, but its image of a true luxury automaker is deteriorated by their excessive similarity both with each other, regarding design, and with Volkswagens, in everything else. Going back to Benzes and Bimmers, the aforementioned duality has become so strong that it gets really interesting when one of their cars is designed to invade the other’s turf. As you have already imagined by now, the very latest case of that is this article’s sedan.
While S-Class would look like a limousine even using steel wheels and black bumpers, 7-Series is a sporty sedan and takes pride on it. It’ll take a keen eye to tell the new vehicle on the streets, as usual, but it’ll surely be worth the effort. The front fascia features a more aggressive bumper and lights and grilles in a more imponent variation of the theme introduced with the current 3-Series. The rear combines BMW’s signature tail light design to a chrome bar in a very classy way. The sides, in turn, have one key element to impede you from mistaking this vehicle for any of its iterations sold since 2001: an insert shaped like a hockey stick, whose color follows that of the other inserts offered at each trim level and contrasts with the body’s.
Entering this vehicle won’t surprise you for design, but this doesn’t mean you won’t be impressed. The omnipresent iDrive is now operated by both the knob and a touchscreen. Rear passengers can use a built-in, removable tablet for multiple controls and to surf the web (with the built-in Wi-fi hotspot), and have two screens on the back of the front headrests. Gesture Control recognizes five hand gestures below the rearview mirror. The park assistant is now able to do its entire job with the driver standing outside the car. And if you spring for optionals, you can have reclining rear footrests, perfume ionizer, 1,400-watts Bowers & Wilkins stereo with 16 speakers, and a panoramic moonroof whose glass uses LEDs to simulate a starry sky, Rolls-Royce style.
As far as safety is concerned, the new 7-Series had its electronic systems improved. The cruise control now adjusts the speed limit according to the road signs it detected, or to a fixed amount below it. Blind-spot warning has teamed up with side-collision protection to prevent a dangerous lane change. And the park assistant received an auto-stop function to prevent touch parking. Speaking of electronics, you can also find four-wheel steering, now whether with rear or all-wheel drive, air suspension front and rear, electronically-controlled dampers, active anti-roll bars, and a new predictive suspension – it uses cameras to scan the road surface right ahead in order to perform the necessary changes. The ride height, in turn, can be changed by the driver or by the selected driving mode.
All those technical improvements were paired to a whole new structure. Named “Carbon Core”, it employs CFRP, aluminum, and high-strength steel. Carbon fiber is used in sections such as pillars and the transmission tunnel, while the lightweight materials are used in fenders and trunk lid; BMW claims 190 lb were lost, with a 15% reduction of unsprung mass and nearly 50:50 distribution among the axles. When it comes to versions, the new 7-Series appears as 730d, 740i, 740e, and 750i, at least for now – options such as the ultra-powerful 760i and the sporty Alpina B7 arrive in the following months. Most of these, if not all of them, will come with short or long wheelbase, although this is highly dependable on the country to which this car goes.
The first version features a twin-turbocharged, six-cylinder, 3.0 diesel engine good for 265 hp and 457 lb-ft. 740i’s engine uses the same configuration, but uses gasoline and reaching 326 hp. The third one pairs a twin-turbo 2.0-liter to an electric motor to deliver 326 hp, burn 2.1 l/100 km and emit 49 g/km of CO2; its electric range is 40 km, at up to 120 km/h. Last but not least, 750i carries over a 4.4-liter V8, once again using two turbos, and produces 445 hp and 480 lb-ft – enough to go from 0 to 100 km/h in 4.3 seconds. All of these will only use an eight-speed automatic transmission, but all-wheel drive is optional. The all-new BMW 7-Series will make its very first public apperance at this year’s Frankfurt Auto Show, in September.