Futuristic, plush new BMW 7 Series now on sale in SA
Fancy driving tech and smooth operation are the highlights, and there's a new i7 electric version
24 January 2023 - 09:41
Support our award-winning journalism. The Premium package (digital only) is R30 for the first month and thereafter you pay R129 p/m now ad-free for all subscribers.
The new BMW 7 Series with imposing styling and many features is on now sale in SA. Picture: SUPPLIED
The new BMW 7 Series cuts a stately figure on the road, or outside fancy hotel foyers. Polarising looks aside, the latest version of BMW’s flagship continues to set the tone when it comes to comfort, luxury toys and now drivetrain options through the availability of the all-electric i7 model.
It is available in petrol 740i and electric i7 xDrive60 options at launch, and the range will be bolstered with a 740d xDrive derivative in the second half of 2023, but it’s all about the back seat. A new feature allows for the doors to open at the press of a button, very much like Rolls-Royce cars, and all the apertures can open simultaneously at another key click.
Perhaps in the past the BMW 7 Series rear quarters pandered more to business types to lord over conglomerates on the move. The new model is more about relaxation and leisure, and upgraded features, too. You sit on plump leather-covered and heated or cooled seats surrounded by electrically operated sunshades.
Integrated into the rear door panels are 14cm digital pads that you thumb to summon the numerous amenities, such as a massage function with nine programs if optioned.
As standard it has seating fit for three at the back, but is ultimately best for two, more so when you opt for the Executive Lounge option. This brings the ability to recline the left rear-seat out for a full-leg stretch while a Theater mode closes the curtains, and the 79.5 cm BMW Theatre Screen extends down from the roof headline.
It has Amazon Fire TV, Netflix, YouTube and many other streaming apps built in, and with a cracking Bowers & Wilkins surround sound system it turns your travels into a moving private cinema. Rear passengers can also play video games and research information on the move.
Should you choose to self-drive, the cockpit is a digitised hub consisting of two colour screens blended to create a large curved screen. Most functions are touch-operated with a few buttons retained, while other features are activated through hand gestures.
The tiller can be selected as a smaller diameter, leather-clad BMW M steering wheel, and the gear selector and iDrive controller on the centre console has a new glass-effect design, while the ambient lighting and graphics are dazzling.
You can turn the back seat into a private movie house if you choose the Lounge Package. Picture: SUPPLIED
The Drive
Under the bonnet you can either have BMW’s iconic 3.0l turbocharged petrol six-cylinder with 280kW and 520Nm running through an eight-speed automatic transmission, and feeding the rear-wheels only; or the fully electric drivetrain in the i7 M60 with 400kW/ 745Nm and all-wheel-drive traction.
Fantastic noise suppression is achieved in both models, though the petrol version thrums a cheerful but subdued baritone as it propels you from 0-100km/h in a claimed 5.4 seconds and on to a 250km/h top speed.
The i7 M60 xDrive will whisk you to 100 in 4.7 secs and a 240km/h at the top end, this while playing Hans Zimmerman-composed mobility soundscapes.
Given the important considerations of range anxiety, the i7 is credited with 621km on a full charge while the 740i is rated with 937km. An air-sprung suspension allows for unflustered and hushed cruising that’s better than any previous 7 Series. The “magic carpet ride” cliché is not overdone in the case of the new 7 Series as both models waft impeccably on any type of road surface.
We also had plenty of opportunity to test out BMW’s assertion that the 7 Series is the sportier choice, but it was too much to ask a 5,391mm long and 2,192mm wide behemoth to dance between the narrow lanes of Chapman’s Peak.
It handles very well for its size, though, and does not mind being chucked into gentler corners. The steering is nicely weighted and light for threading it around obstacles, while driver assistance systems are plentiful and include the ability to teach the 7 Series to park itself at a specific location.
The cockpit is just as digitized and luxurious as the rear for when you feel like taking over the reins. Picture: SUPPLIED
Even the controversial looks are exceptional when viewed in the metal. The extra large kidney grille illuminates in the dark while the Rolls-Royce-esque two-tone paints give it more of a regal character for R198,000 extra.
There’s a staggering amount of luxury, safety and efficiency tech stuffed inside the new 7 Series, but the first drive verdict is of a supremely smooth car, which should be ordered with all the bells and whistles available, plus a chauffeur.
Prices
BMW 740i Design Pure Excellence — R2,160,000
BMW 740i M Sport Package — R2,235,000
BMW 740i M Sport Package Pro — R2,275,000
BMW 740d xDrive Design Pure Excellence — R2,280,000
BMW 740d xDrive M Sport Package — R2,355,000
BMW 740d xDrive M Sport Package Pro — R2,395,000
BMW i7 xDrive60 Design Pure Excellence — R2,825,000
Support our award-winning journalism. The Premium package (digital only) is R30 for the first month and thereafter you pay R129 p/m now ad-free for all subscribers.
Launch Drive
Futuristic, plush new BMW 7 Series now on sale in SA
Fancy driving tech and smooth operation are the highlights, and there's a new i7 electric version
The new BMW 7 Series cuts a stately figure on the road, or outside fancy hotel foyers. Polarising looks aside, the latest version of BMW’s flagship continues to set the tone when it comes to comfort, luxury toys and now drivetrain options through the availability of the all-electric i7 model.
It is available in petrol 740i and electric i7 xDrive60 options at launch, and the range will be bolstered with a 740d xDrive derivative in the second half of 2023, but it’s all about the back seat. A new feature allows for the doors to open at the press of a button, very much like Rolls-Royce cars, and all the apertures can open simultaneously at another key click.
Perhaps in the past the BMW 7 Series rear quarters pandered more to business types to lord over conglomerates on the move. The new model is more about relaxation and leisure, and upgraded features, too. You sit on plump leather-covered and heated or cooled seats surrounded by electrically operated sunshades.
Integrated into the rear door panels are 14cm digital pads that you thumb to summon the numerous amenities, such as a massage function with nine programs if optioned.
As standard it has seating fit for three at the back, but is ultimately best for two, more so when you opt for the Executive Lounge option. This brings the ability to recline the left rear-seat out for a full-leg stretch while a Theater mode closes the curtains, and the 79.5 cm BMW Theatre Screen extends down from the roof headline.
It has Amazon Fire TV, Netflix, YouTube and many other streaming apps built in, and with a cracking Bowers & Wilkins surround sound system it turns your travels into a moving private cinema. Rear passengers can also play video games and research information on the move.
Should you choose to self-drive, the cockpit is a digitised hub consisting of two colour screens blended to create a large curved screen. Most functions are touch-operated with a few buttons retained, while other features are activated through hand gestures.
The tiller can be selected as a smaller diameter, leather-clad BMW M steering wheel, and the gear selector and iDrive controller on the centre console has a new glass-effect design, while the ambient lighting and graphics are dazzling.
The Drive
Under the bonnet you can either have BMW’s iconic 3.0l turbocharged petrol six-cylinder with 280kW and 520Nm running through an eight-speed automatic transmission, and feeding the rear-wheels only; or the fully electric drivetrain in the i7 M60 with 400kW/ 745Nm and all-wheel-drive traction.
Fantastic noise suppression is achieved in both models, though the petrol version thrums a cheerful but subdued baritone as it propels you from 0-100km/h in a claimed 5.4 seconds and on to a 250km/h top speed.
The i7 M60 xDrive will whisk you to 100 in 4.7 secs and a 240km/h at the top end, this while playing Hans Zimmerman-composed mobility soundscapes.
Given the important considerations of range anxiety, the i7 is credited with 621km on a full charge while the 740i is rated with 937km. An air-sprung suspension allows for unflustered and hushed cruising that’s better than any previous 7 Series. The “magic carpet ride” cliché is not overdone in the case of the new 7 Series as both models waft impeccably on any type of road surface.
We also had plenty of opportunity to test out BMW’s assertion that the 7 Series is the sportier choice, but it was too much to ask a 5,391mm long and 2,192mm wide behemoth to dance between the narrow lanes of Chapman’s Peak.
It handles very well for its size, though, and does not mind being chucked into gentler corners. The steering is nicely weighted and light for threading it around obstacles, while driver assistance systems are plentiful and include the ability to teach the 7 Series to park itself at a specific location.
Even the controversial looks are exceptional when viewed in the metal. The extra large kidney grille illuminates in the dark while the Rolls-Royce-esque two-tone paints give it more of a regal character for R198,000 extra.
There’s a staggering amount of luxury, safety and efficiency tech stuffed inside the new 7 Series, but the first drive verdict is of a supremely smooth car, which should be ordered with all the bells and whistles available, plus a chauffeur.
Prices
BMW 740i Design Pure Excellence — R2,160,000
BMW 740i M Sport Package — R2,235,000
BMW 740i M Sport Package Pro — R2,275,000
BMW 740d xDrive Design Pure Excellence — R2,280,000
BMW 740d xDrive M Sport Package — R2,355,000
BMW 740d xDrive M Sport Package Pro — R2,395,000
BMW i7 xDrive60 Design Pure Excellence — R2,825,000
BMW i7 M Sport Package — R2,900,000
BMW i7 M Sport Package Pro — R2,940,000
Most grades of fuel expected to rise in February
WATCH | E-Ray hybrid is the quickest Corvette in its history
Self-driving cars aren’t ready for our wild roads, but they’re getting friendlier
EQE to be launched as Mercedes’ fifth electric car in SA
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Most Read
Published by Arena Holdings and distributed with the Financial Mail on the last Thursday of every month except December and January.