While a very good luxury car, this new G11 BMW 7 Series isn’t all that great looking. It’s not bad looking, it’s just not gorgeous. Of all the luxury cars in the segment, it’s probably the least interesting and least exciting looking. Admittedly, it’s up against some really tough competition, such as the elegant Mercedes-Benz S-Class, the gorgeous Jaguar XJ and the high-tech new Audi A8. So the mid-cycle refresh for the 7 Series can’t come soon enough and the Bavarians are currently working on it, as evidenced by these new spy photos. (We don’t own the photos but they can be seen here)
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In these new photos, we see a BMW 7 Series doing some testing in the snow while wearing camouflage on its face and on its rear bumper. It’s clear that this is only going to be a minor refresh, as the rear is almost completely uncovered and only the Kidney Grilles and front bumper are covered at the front. Admittedly, it does look like the headlights are bit more heavily sculpted into the front end and the grilles, but that’s really about all we can make out.
It’s also likely that BMW is working on some improvements to its driving dynamics. While the 7 Series is a luxurious car, it could stand to be even more so. Compared to the wafty S-Class, the 7 Series is a bit too bumpy, a bit too stiff. Admittedly, it makes up for that by being a bit sportier to drive but it could stand to improve there as well. So BMW will likely do something about that.
On the inside, the 7er is really luxurious, built extremely well and boasts a ton of technology. However, its design is a bit lacking compared to some of its competitors, namely the Benz. When customers see the inside of the S-Class, they’re in awe, mouths agape. It’s a stunning cabin. When customers see the cabin of the 7 Series, they say “Hey, that’s nice”. It’s good but not great. And it shows in the sales numbers, as the S-Class is currently crushing the 7 Series. So it’s going to need some improvement there as well.
At the moment, Mercedes-Benz is killing BMW in this segment. The S-Class seems almost unstoppable at this point. So it wouldn’t surprise us if BMW made some drastic changes to the inside of the 7 Series, while also significantly improving the way it drives. The 7 Series is BMW’s flagship and it’s currently being taken to school by Mercedes. So expect BMW to at least attempt to do something about that.
[Source: Carscoops]
sales wise the S-Class has always crushed the 7series. I doubt that is going to change, no matter what BMW does. This segment is the S-Class segment and its named after the S-Class.
Similarly the Sport Sedan segment is named after the 3series, its the one car the others try to beat.
Regardless in my view the current 7series is much nicer on the eyes than the 2 predecessors.
They need to make the 7 its own thing, a sleek, badass, assassins car like the E38. It might not crush the S-Class, but it would certainly close the gap on its rival if it stopped trying to be just a shitter version of it.
totally with you… BMW should ensure that 7 has got its own distinct identity. ‘Long time pretenders’ is the phrase autocar uk recently used for 7er and new A8 (which they found to be distinctly better than 7er. Ofcourse, if genesis is better than a 7er to some eyes then, probably, anything can be better than it) when comparing to Mighty S class.
No prizes for the guesses which car eventully won that comparo.
I think BMW should go ahead and slim down the 3 and 5 too and stop taking part in the big-3-Germans never ending dimensions war.
Bigger is not always better, a car isn’t a penis or a pair of tits.
hahaa… i agree to you on this as well.
BMW sedans have become quite bulbous in appearance as well. That chiseled, athletic appearance of the past is missing
I bet you were fed on gooseburies for the first 5 years of your life as a child.
No barking here John !!
Grown ups are talking to each other. Go find your bone.
Bmw has sold over 64.000 units of the 7 series last year with only 2 variants compared to Mercedes S class with 5 vaiants and 70.000 units.
I actually love the looks of the G11 7 series especially compared to the E65/66 and F01/02 its got the perfect blend of curved and angular/straight lines, as well as much nicer looking kidney grilles, which I thought were way too large on the F01/02, or way too ugly looking on the E65/66 pre-lci. While the S-Class looks large and luxurious there is something more boring about it to me, the interior interests me more than the exterior, and the new A8 is nice, but honestly it looks boring, and also like a large Ford 500, especially with its ugly and boring looking rear, honestly the current gen A8 is much better and sportier looking.
I really like the interior of the 7 series, the hockey stick shaped chrome on the sides really ruin the exterior for me though. Ever sense the launch of the g11 I have thought they look absolutely horrible, and it seems they aren’t going anywhere on the lci car.
I predict that the kidney grill will be joined just like the X7 and the 8 series and chromed to set them apart from the rest of the range, the new “Bayerische Motoren Werke” with the new black and white logo and expect OLED rear lights to make its debut and expect it it Autonomous level to increase to perhaps a level 3, 745e in the works and an 725d for some markets but don’t count out a new range of mild hybrid 48V IL6 engines too.