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Home » BMW sticks to its knitting with the design of new 7-Series saloon

BMW sticks to its knitting with the design of new 7-Series saloon

June 15, 2015 by Alastair Sloane

p90178437_highresThe first official pictures of the new BMW 7-Series saloon clearly show that the carmaker has played it safe and followed an evolutionary design line rather than an overall rethink.

The new flagship will land in New Zealand next year and reveal a profile that is almost identical to the outgoing model. So, too, the design up front, with the prominent kidney grille and nose. Same with the rear end and its strong styling.

p90178462_highresWhat marks both front and rear ends as new are the lights – ‘Laserlight’ beams up front in a headlight assembly that butts up against the grille, and LEDs at the rear.

The new 7-Series might indeed resemble its predecessor, but within the car’s dimensions is more room for occupants. Height and width are pretty much identical but overall length is up by 26mm in the standard car and a full 140mm in the long-wheelbase variant. The boot in the LWB offers 515 litres of space.

p90178460_highresBut although the new model is bigger, it is 130kg lighter, thanks mostly to the use of carbon-fibre reinforced plastic (CFRP) for the passenger cell and body. The engines are lighter, too.

The only engine options at launch for the 7-Series are six-cylinder units, with a 243kW 3.0-litre twin-turbo petrol in the 740LI and the 197kW 730D with 620Nm of torque.  A hybrid model is badged the 740e and offers claimed fuel use of 2.1 litres/100km, or 134mpg. Four-wheel drive is also available across the range.

p90185619_highresThe cabin layout also looks like the old car, the only immediately noticeable  design change is a free-standing infotainment screen on the dash. The standard screen is smaller than the 26cm professional option. But it’s the role of the screen that’s the big news.

For the first time it’s a touchscreen that works with the iDrive rotary knob. Another first is “interactive traffic sign updating”, which works with the ConnectedDrive service. Yet another is “gesture control” that works via a 3D sensor in the touchscreen. It allows the driver to make hand movements to alter in-car functions.

p90185615_highresThe instrument cluster is a multifunctional system, changing when the driver engages different modes, like moving from ‘comfort’ to ‘sport’, for instance. ?  ‘Executive Drive Pro’ combines adaptive dampers and air suspension to actively remove body roll and smoothen the ride.

Four-zone climate control is standard across the range, with a touch control panel between the rear seats allowing adjustment of temperature and the rear media interface. An optional Heat Comfort system allows the wheel, front and rear armrests and front and rear seats to be warmed individually, while new ambient lighting adorns the cabin.

Other gizmos include wireless phone charging, active massaging seats, WiFi browsing and a removeable 18cm tablet that can control functions from in our outside the car.  There’s even the option of an ‘Ambient Air’ package, which releases a choice of eight controlled scents into the cabin and ionises the air.

The neatest feature is another world first. ‘Parking Assistant’ allows the car to manoeuvre in out out of forward parking or garage spaces without the driver even stepping inside. It can be activated remotely with the new ‘Display Key’.

 

 

 

Filed Under: Highlights, Industry news, Latest news Tagged With: BMW

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The Good Oil

French carmaker Renault has won the 2025 European Car of the Year award with the all-electric R5 supermini (pictured). It’s the brand’s second win in a row, following the new Scenic’s gong in 2024. The R5 led the vote count from start to finish from the 60 jurors in 23 countries. It received 353 points, beating the Kia EV3 (291 points) and the Citroen C3/e in third place with 215 points. It’s Renault’s eighth win in the 62-year history of the Coty award. The R5 goes on sale in the UK this month. There are two main drivetrains: a 90kW motor/40kWh battery model with a 300km range, and a 112kW/52kWh example with a 400km range. The R5 starts in price at £22.995, or $NZ50,000.

EU carmakers seek trade deal with Trump

BMW and Mercedes-Benz are among carmakers urging the European Union to get a favourable trade deal with US President Donald Trump. The European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) wants to keep open trade with both the US and China. It fears Trump, who promises heavy tariffs on Chinese imports to the US, will look unfavourably on countries that continue to trade freely with Beijing. Ola Kallenius, president of the group and chairman of the management board of MB, said in a letter to EU leaders:  “Overall, it is essential to recognise that trade with China and the US is most vital for the prosperity of the European economy.The EU should seek a grand bargain with the US and attempt to avoid a potential trade conflict.”

Diesel fuels EV concept for US military

A  go-anywhere EV concept for the US military uses an onboard 12kW diesel generator to top up the batteries on the move.  The all-wheel-drive has 800-volt technology and a 200kWh battery pack to power three electric motors, two in the rear and one up front. Claimed output is 745kW/15,590Nm, or 1000hp and 11,500 ft-lb of torque.  The four-seater was developed by the defence division of General Motors and is based on the platform of the Hummer SUV. It rides on Fox performance shock absorbers and 37-inch tyres and comes with “exceptional” approach and departure angles for off-road mobility. Maximum range using the generator to keep things ticking over is said to be around 500km.

We are the World

The outside temperature in Midland, Texas, was 40.5C when staff at the local office of the US National Weather Service set out to show the cabin of a closed car can literally get baking hot in summer. They mixed up a batch of chocolate chip cookies and laid them on the car’s dashboard – the surface of which showed a temperature of 87.7C. A little over four hours later the cookies were ready to eat. “Even though ours weren’t golden brown, we can confirm that they are done and delicious,” the staff wrote on Facebook.

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