The magnificent seven

Another BMW, another daring design. Forty-five years after the debut of the BMW 7 Series, the seventh-generation luxury sedan comes armed for a gunfight in the luxury-car corral as the most advanced and innovative iteration to date, including the first fully electric version. And, like many cars exiting BMW’s factories these days, it sports extra-large kidney grilles — the focus of much heated debate.

Despite the controversy, BMW has no intention of changing its aggressive design approach and says that cars that appeal to everyone are boring. It believes the bold facade is an appropriate face for the new 7 Series, creating a “powerful and exclusive apperance that signals the presence of a standout driving experience and progressive luxury”.

Flanking the uber-sized grilles are two pairs of slim strip lights — the upper ones comprise the daytime running lights and turn indicators, and the lower strip houses the adaptive LED matrix headlights with non-dazzling high-beam assistant. Optional Swarovski crystal headlights create a unique “iconic glow” effect for the daytime driving lights, and for extra money the luxury sedan can be made to pop even more with two-tone paint.

The new 7 Series has a significantly reduced button count inside the cabin, with most functions bundled into the BMW Curved Display: a digital screen grouping comprising a 12.3-inch information display behind the steering wheel and a 14.9 inch display in the centre of the dash. The traditional iDrive controller remains, and it’s made of crystal.

What is a modern luxury sedan without its James Bond-style gadgets? A new feature in the 7 Series allows the electrically operated doors to open or close at the press of a button or a voice command. Returned to your 7 Series and found someone’s parked too close for you to open the doors? Fear not: using your smartphone you can make the car drive itself out of the bay. As you approach the car, the headlights and illuminated kidney grilles light up in greeting and the doors automatically unlock.

Inside the plush cabin is the latest-generation BMW Head-Up Display with an optional Augmented View feature. The standard multifunction seats — also available in cashmere — offer wider surfaces than those of the outgoing model, as well as extensive electric adjustment, heating and cooling for all seats, and an optional massage function with nine programmes. The Executive Lounge option allows the left rear seat to recline like a La-Z-Boy chair. A 31.3-inch panoramic theatre screen extends from the ceiling while the rear sun blinds automatically close to transform the back seat into a private cinema on wheels.

Here, using digital touch-control panels in the doors, passengers can stream videos, play games, listen to music, get information, and watch downloaded programmes — all while on the road. For the first time, the driver and front passenger can also use YouTube videoondemand streaming on the control display. The 5G-compatible aerial system provides high-speed connectivity.

The chassis has been optimised to strike a balance between driving dynamics and comfort. Along with increased body rigidity and wider track, improvements have been made to the standard adaptive air suspension and to optional features such as the rear-wheel steering and active role stabilisation. The ride height automatically drops 10mm in Sport mode.

PRICES:

01. BMW 740i
Design Pure Excellence
R2 160 000

02. BMW 740i
M Sport
Package from R2 235 000

03. BMW 740d x
Drive Design Pure Excellence
R2 280 000

04. BMW 740d
xDrive M Sport
Package from R2 355 000

05. BMW i7
xDrive60 Design Pure Excellence
R2 825 000

06. BMW i7 M Sport
Package from R2 900 000

• From the March edition of Wanted, 2023.