2016 BMW 7-Series: BMW Has Got It Back

The new and improved 7-Series.

Fancy a little bit of luxury?

Or do you fancy something sporty?

Amazing interior

First Class?

Okay, when I saw this car, I was pretty shocked. BMW had finally stepped up to the plate and had changed their flagship luxury sedan…after almost five years. The old BMW 7 Series was dated and didn’t have anything worth mentioning. Technology, design, and even the drive were very sub par. It was a very “German” car: it got the job done but there was no flare.

BMW had to change their flagship luxury sedan since they were falling behind. The new Mercedes S-Class was literally robbing them from their place in the segment. BMW fought back and the 2016 BMW 740i and the 2016 BMW 750i xDrive are here to impress. I will be focusing on the BMW 750i xDrive that produces 445 HP and gets to 60 MPH in just 4.3 seconds. (The 740li, 750li, and 760li variants will be released later. They will have more rear legroom and will command a higher premium.)

When comparing the 2015 with the new 2016 variant, there are several notable changes. Let’s take a look at the exterior. First, there is a strip of polished aluminum that runs from the lower half of the front wheel arch to the bottom of the rear wheel arch. It then transitions into the LED bumper brake light. The new all carbon fiber body frame was taken directly from the i8 and the i3. All they did was mold the carbon fiber into the classic 7-Series shape and viola-a brand new 7-Series!. There is also more aggressive styling since BMW always tries to make their cars seem like they are moving even when they are parked. They get an A in design since they’ve gotten it right this time! New colors for the 2016 model year are Singapore Grey Metallic, Jatoba Brown, and Magelian Grey. Hmmm, funny names if I do say so myself! The standard rims look more aggressive, yet pristine. BMW has made this new 7 Series look more refined in all aspects.

BMW continues the refinement in the interior, too. As a result, the interior is equally as clean as the outside. Before, the 2015 BMW looked like any other BMW and someone said that it looked like BMW dumped their 3-Series dashboard into the car. In fact, the dashboard hadn’t been drastically changed since 2009. It just looked and felt cheap. But these days, everything is different. The interior from my perspective looks so much better than the Mercedes S550! New for 2016 is better leather and high quality trim pieces. Even all the buttons on the dashboard now have metallic finishes. It actually feels luxurious and they have embroidered a quilted pattern in all of the seats. It looks similar to what you would get in a Lamborghini Gallardo from 2010. There is a piece of aluminum that runs from the “Start Stop” button all the way to the front passenger’s side air vent. This creates texture and allows the interior to feel more inviting. The bolstered steering wheel has more leather to it and it invites drivers to push this luxurious animal of a car to the edge. There are all different options for leather this year like Cognac, a subtle Black Nappa, Ivory White, or even Canberra Beige. I can’t wait until BMW brings out the good stuff when they start offering the Individual Package on this bad boy!

With the Rear Lounge Executive Seating Package, the front passenger seat moves forward and a footrest deploys. This is all done with the new 7 inch Samsung tablet that BMW has. It comes with this package and with that tablet you can control any function in the car. From reclining the seat to changing the navigation destination, it can all be done with the tablet. Plus, those seats with the package that I am referring to are massaged, ventilated, and heated. There are even 10-inch HD screens in the back headrests of both of the front occupants where you could watch a movie, check the navigation, or control countless functions of the interior. You can even use one of the tables to get some work done.

The biggest change that BMW implemented in this new 7 Series was the technology improvements. Now, there is gesture control. With a wave of a finger in a certain way, the radio changes. Or with another motion of the hand, the temperature increases. All of these hand functions keep drivers from having their eyes off the road. Think about all the times your gaze is shifted to the AC knob when you were feeling chilly. Not only is this a cool gadget, it is part of the safety revamp in this car. Also, there is the key. This is no ordinary key. By using the all-new BMW Digital Key that has a digital screen on it, the car can back itself out of a garage so that you can comfortably step in. Now that is cool! It’s like they made a mini iPhone just for the key!

In addition to neat features like the key, there are also improvements to the iDrive system. This is where all of the navigation controls, entertainment controls, and BMW connect apps are housed. It is basically an iPad for a navigation screen! The new User Interface allows drivers and passengers to access what they want quicker. They designed it with the customer in mind, finally. There are a bunch of other new features like how the sensors in the car can look at the road and prime the dynamic dampers if there is a pothole. The parking aids are on steroids here since there is now a 3D view option of the car when reversing. This basically shows the car with all of the outside conditions right on the iDrive screen. It makes you feel like you are playing a parking simulator every time! All of the other interesting features were pretty much taken from the Mercedes S-Class but done better.

As I end this piece, I would like to talk about the future of this car. BMW will probably build up the trims for the new 7 Series. So, don’t think that these two models are it. There will be different variations with even more available packages. For the future, I think that this car is going to be a winner. It has all of the gizmos and design that the previous car lacked. The four year-fifty-thousand-mile warranty just makes this car completely irresistible. Although it is on the expensive side ($81,000 for the base 740i and $96,000 for the base 750i xDrive) the invoice for the car will begin to decline after year two of this car’s existence.

The new BMW 750i xDrive just knocks all the others out of the park. I really wish that I could drive such a machine! Stay tuned for some more posts and make sure to like me on Facebook! Leave your opinion on this post in the comments section, too!