When the 2009 BMW 7 series was unveiled at the Paris Motor Show last fall, BMW's fifth-generation flagship had an anvil-sized burden to bear. Although the last 7 series was a milestone in the sales department, its design – which foisted Chris Bangle's influence onto an unsuspecting public – was all but universally panned when it was introduced in 2001. And if the exterior wasn't offensive enough (to some), BMW's newly-implemented iDrive system sent many reviewers and owners into unmitigated bouts of rage. For 2009, BMW has sought to address the fourth generation's foibles while capitalizing on its strengths. And while nothing is more subjective than styling, control interfaces have a huge impact on the overall experience. Find out if BMW has succeeded on both fronts after the break.
Those who do their daily shopping within the pages of the Neiman Marcus Christmas Book will be the first able to purchase the new 2009 BMW 7 Series beginning October 17th. The price of early adoption in this case will be a steep $160,000 for one of 31 Neiman Marcus Limited-Edition 2009 BMW Individual 7 Series sedans based on the new 750Li. While that price is tens of thousands above what we expect the 7 Series base price to be, buyers will get much more than just the car. Included in the asking price is a trip to Europe to take delivery of the special 7 Series at BMW's headquarters in Munich, after which buyers will tour the south of France in their new sedan. After the fun and frolicking, BMW will have the car shipped back to the U.S. for you. And, of course, you aren't just purchasing a standard 7 Series. Each model has been customized by BMW Individual and painted in a special Diopside Black metallic color with an interior stitched in Champagne Merino leather and accented with wood and Piano Black inserts. Is all that worth 160 large? That depends on how nice you want Christmas to be this year.
BMW released a bevy of new 2009 7 Series images and even some video today in anticipation of the big sedan's appearance next month at the Paris Motor Show. Officially unveiled at the Moscow Motor Show in early July, the 2009 7 Series will appear at the Paris show in at least six different models: the 730d powered by a 3.0L straight-six diesel engine, the 740i and long-wheelbase 740il, the 750i and the also long-wheelbase 750il, as well as a hybrid version. The 7 Series will also be packed with more high technology than NORAD, including a Side View camera system, Park Distance Control system, Lane Departure Warning system, Head-up display, a four-wheel steering system called Integral Active Steering, and, of course, the latest generation of BMW's iDrive. Back seat passengers can also be entertained via big headrest-mounted screens that are controlled via a second iDrive rotary knob in the rear seat center armrest.
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We've already seen what appear to be official press shots of the new 2009 BMW 7 Series, and it looks pretty good to our eyes. As expected, now that the pictures are available for all the world to see, details about the underpinnings are starting to leak out. Not surprisingly, the V8-powered 750i and 750iL models will get the new twin-turbo engine introduced on the controversial X6, offering 400 horses and 450 lb.-ft. of torque. Other possible powertrains, though not available at launch time, will be a revised twin-turbo inline six with 326 horsepower and a diesel engine for the European market. But fret not fuel misers, a hybrid model is also being considered. Underneath, active suspension which eschews BMW's trademark front struts in favor of double-wishbones, will offer variable damping with comfort, normal, sports and sports-plus modes selectable from inside the cabin.
As you'd expect, BMW's active steering will brings its oft-questioned benefits to the large sedan and can now direct the rear wheels as well. BMW's flagship sedan will undoubtedly be equipped with plenty of passenger pampering features, including massaging rear seats, to go along with safety equipment like night vision, lane departure warning and adaptive cruise control. Of course, the now-familiar iDrive will get its latest set of enhancements in order to make its sometimes confusing interface easier to use. We'll just need to wait for our first stint behind the wheel to see how all this newfangled technology works in the real world, and check back Saturday for more official details.
There's a crack in the dam somewhere at BMW, and what certainly appear to be official press shots of the new 2009 7 Series are now making the rounds. This leads us to believe that we should see an official release from the automaker sometime over the weekend (if the way the 1 Series leaks played out is any indication). Obviously, all we have to go on are the photos, so lets talk about what we can see. The new car's lines and overall appearance are remarkably conservative compared to the Bangleized E65/E66 cars we were presented in 2001. The 2006 facelift those cars underwent cured many of those visual ills, and this latest car mainstreams things even further.
Up front, the wide double-kidney grille is flanked by angel-eye lamps that have an "eyebrow" built into their assembly. Move to the rear, and you'll find a pair of somewhat bulbous-looking (in pictures, at least) taillamps that are likely to generate a good amount of for/against chatter. Integrated, parallelogram-shaped exhaust tips poke through the rear bumper of the gold long-wheelbase car, while the darker, diesel-powered standard-length machine has a traditional double-tipped outlet on the driver's side.
The interior sports a new iDrive controller with buttons mounted around it now, and the iDrive onscreen interface itself is new, too. The multifunction steering wheel now has 3 spokes instead of four, and one shot clearly shows BMW's new in-car Internet service onscreen. Finally, the rear-seat entertainment system gets screens on each front seatback instead of the single, low-mount center screen available in the current 7. We're sure there's plenty more to talk about as well. For now, the comment floor is yours, and we expect to be talking about the official details in the coming days.
The next BMW 7-Series is going to be graced with some serious driving technology. While the image above doesn't appear to have anything like the picture quality of Mercedes' NightVision Assist, BMW's offering will have some other features that you probably won't find this side of a special ops base.
The second-gen night vision system will be able to detect humans in the road because it will use thermal imaging. It will alert the driver of human impediments up to 100 meters ahead, and it won't be confused by humans on the sidewalk. If a collision is imminent, a flashing warning triangle will appear on the screen and the heads-up display.
European versions of the car won't have to rely on navigation software to know the speed limit of a given road. A camera behind the rear-view mirror will read street sings in any country that is signed to the Vienna Convention -- which doesn't include the U.S. That function will work in any weather, even fog. It won't limit the speed of the car, but it will warn the driver if his or her speed is excessive. Word is they are considering naming the system "Hal."
Well, waddaya know... you really can find anything on eBay. We have no way of knowing for sure if this front bumper offered for auction on eBay Germany is really from a preproduction 2009 BMW 7 Series, but it sure looks the part based on spy shots and renderings that we've seen. We can't imagine just how somebody would end up with this particular piece, but we're having fun imagining a bit of dumpster-diving around the BMW design studio. One can't help but wonder where the rest of the car may be. Didn't anybody notice the missing front end?
The seller claims that the front bumper comes from a prototype next-gen 7 Series and prefers that the item be picked up in Munich. Want it? As of this writing, the high-bid is just 25.5 euros. Seems worth at least that much, assuming it's for real.
BMW's current E65/66 7-Series has been roundly bashed since its introduction in 2002, and it's creeping up on retirement. Whether it was deserving of all the uproar or not is down to taste, but following up the classically styled E38 while also making a turn toward a new ethos is a 1-2 punch of controversy. BMW's finally grown into its flame surfacing, and the 2009 7-Series has been nabbed in its peculiar paisley camouflage.
Overhangs are still short like on the current car, and it looks like the headlamps might possibly be 5-Series inspired. Things are conservative and clean down the flanks, and we think it's handsome. The bustle trunk of the current 7 has been one of the biggest bones of contention, and from what we can make out, it's been treated to significant rhinoplasty. We'll have to wait and see, but we sincerely hope the unmasked car's taillights don't bear the same resemblance to a 2002 Maxima that we're seeing in the spy shots. Squinting and ignoring the black tape has us predicting that 2009 will be the year the BMW 7-Series gets is sexy back, even if they graft Trabant blinkers to its tukas.
