Meet the New Lighter, Prettier, Better BMW 7 Series
We have been patiently awaiting its impending arrival for a while now, but it is finally here. This is your new BMW 7 Series. On the surface, the new car looks like little more than a mid-cycle refresh, but BMW has made massive changes under that sleek skin to create a car that is smarter, safer, stiffer, and lighter.
It all starts with carbon fiber. Using knowledge gained from the i Series project, BMW has reinforced large portions of the 7 Series’ frame with CFRP to improve strength and cut weight. They call it the “Carbon Core.” Other portions of the car that don’t use the new wonder-material are constructed heavily of aluminum and high-strength steels. The result is a weight loss of around 200 pounds.
The actual look of this new body is evolutionary, but handsome. The car looks a little classier, a bit smoother, and it has some nice detail touches. My favorite is the new little chrome hockey stick that runs down the side. I think it would look really out of place on most cars, but somehow, BMW has pulled off this massive slab of chrome and it looks handsome. The interior is nice, and there are few extra options for those of you who prefer to be driven rather than drive.
Weight isn’t the only thing the car has lost. The Alpina B7, V12, and hybrid models have all been dropped from the lineup, and there are no more short-wheelbase models for the market. In the absence of the SWB cars, BMW is dropping the “L” moniker from the name plate. After all these cuts, we are left with just the 740i and the 750i xDrive. The 740i has BMW’s 3.0L straight-six, and is RWD only. The 750 makes use of the 4.4L turbocharged V8 and is only available with xDrive AWD.
Of course, all of this will change in the future. BMW will come out with a RWD version of the 750i, and likewise an xDrive version of the 740i within the year. The V12 should also see a return later, and there will most certainly be the arrival of the plug-in hybrid version for the U.S. market. Hell, we may even see a diesel.
If there is one model that I expect to stay dead, it is the Alpina B7. Don’t fret fans of super-fast luxury barges, I think this model is staying dead because BMW may finally be producing an M7 model. Alpina is no longer required to make your 7 Series go uber-quick. BMW should take care of the matter themselves this year.
But that is enough of my babbling. Check out our slick gallery of shots below, and then feel free to take a look at the video below that, which covers the interior and exterior of the M Sport 7 Series.
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via [YouCar]
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