New BMW 7-series: the lowdown
This is the world’s first set of spyshots of BMW’s all-new 7-series. The limousine is due on sale in late 2008, and this is the first time a prototype wearing the new body has hit the road. While the 2001 7-series introduced BMW’s radical new design language – a look described as ‘maybe too courageous’ by BMW’s outgoing R&D chief Burkhard Goeschel – the new Seven will finally draw the line under the ‘flame surfacing’ era. The new car will have a sleeker, more refined design. Power comes from an updated range of petrol and diesel engines, and there’ll even be a hybrid version. Read on for the full story.
New 7-series: how it looks
The new 7-series will be a ground-breaking model, for its design, chassis and powertrain. It’s appropriate that the new car’s codename begins with an F, with BMW having exhausted its series of ‘E’ designations, introduced in 1968. The F01 will look more sleek and sporty than today’s battleship, with its boot on which you could land a Harrier. Check out the prototype’s proportions. The roofline is faster, the glasshouse more coupe-like and the overall look more compact and dynamic. Most of the details remain closely guarded, but the wraparound nature of the lamps is clearly visible. Sources say the boot is better integrated (although padding disguises this) and the sheet metal is less hyperactive. Naturally, the front end is classic BMW, with a big kidney grille and twin bulbs. The headlamp graphic is said to be all-new.
New 7-series: under the skin
Project F01 will introduce a new modular chassis, which will donate parts to the next 5-series, 6-series and even a baby Rolls-Royce. BMW is packing the rear-drive chassis with gadgets. Today’s self-levelling rear suspension is ditched for a more sophisticated four-wheel air suspension, which should be standard. Dubbed DAS for Dynamic Air Suspension, the new set-up is claimed to combine unrivalled ride comfort with best-in-class dynamics, if you specify Dynamic Drive (adjustable anti-roll bars). That should top Mercedes, which doesn’t offer Airmatic together with its ABC (Active Body Control) system. Other options will include Active Steering (variable rate) and four-wheel drive (xDrive). Other available items should include night vision, an M5-style head-up display, active cruise control, front and rear cameras acting as real-time parking aids, soft-close doors, a lane departure warning device and an eye movement monitor. There will again be a long-wheelbase 7-series, codenamed F02. BMW has pulled back from a plan to offer two different body styles: emphatically sporty for the standard-wheelbase car and ostentatiously luxurious for the lwb version. So the F02 simply features a 140mm chunk of extra sheet metal to lengthen the wheelbase and to extend the rear doors. Nose and tail remain unchanged however, and so does the height of the roofline which appears to be about on par with today’s car’s.
New 7-series: high-tech powertrains
The F01 7-series will be available with petrol-electric hybrid propulsion, with the fruits of the DaimlerChrysler/GM/BMW alliance due to come to fruition around the time of the 7-series’ introduction. The conventional powertrains will be evolutions of the current six-, eight- and twelve-cylinder units. The petrol versions will go direct-injection with a fuel economy bias for Europe and a performance bias for the rest of the world. The diesels get even more power and torque along with an increasingly expensive desmogging equipment.
The inside story
Inside, the 2001 revolution will also be over-turned. The gearshifter returns from the steering column to the transmission tunnel, and it will have the beautiful ‘swan neck’ design introduced on the X5 Mk2. Like in the M5/M6, there are two different shift levels to choose from: automatic (to the right) and manual (to the left). You can self shift via wheel mounted buttons. Positioned next to the gear stick are the switches which activate DSC, the sport mode and the electronic parking brake. Again in a prominent position sits the even taller iDrive controller, which reportedly feels and acts in a more intuitive fashion. BMW owners will also be familiar with the integrated in-dash colour monitor, the stacked music and AC controls and the two large round instruments. Materials naturally mix wood, leather and metal, and the design is influenced by fancy furniture. Innovations worth mentioning include fully adjustable pro-active seats, a multi-mood cabin lighting and a draught-free so-called ‘Airolution’ air-con system, courtesy of the specialist supplier Behr.