Pinnacle of innovation, luxury and comfort

BMW's flagship has been the epitome of innovation for decades. This seventh generation 7 Series continues the tradition in all its glory. MASTERS gets a sneak preview at the Rijswijk branch.

“The new 7 Series is our top limousine,” says a proud René de Heij, Brand Manager at BMW Netherlands. “You don't just notice that Presence, but also the finish and the way in which you as driver and passenger are pampered. In a high-tech way that you have never seen in this segment. The i7 is also the only electric top limousine in the world. Even our friends from Rolls-Royce don't have an electric version yet.” During our introduction to the new BMW 7 Series we experience one pleasant surprise after another. Take the seat at the back right for example, although seat or armchair is a better name. That is an almost private jet-like workplace. Through the operation of a by pod you can slide the front seat forward while a footstool folds out. The armchair tilts back a little and you sit like a queen. On super supple leather, in which you sink a little, but are supported in all areas. Through the same by pod you can activate massage functions in the seat and operate the theater screen above you, among other things. At 31,3 inches, this is the largest screen ever built in the back of a car.

Scoop

The theater screen functions on 5G, just like all technology to facilitate autonomous driving. “If you have a kink in the garage, the car remembers that and drives back and forth the same distance flawlessly. It's just a matter of pressing a button and then you can take your hands off the steering wheel and your feet off the pedal.” Technically it is also possible from outside the car, but legally this is not yet allowed in the Netherlands. The car is prepared for level 3 autonomous driving, we are waiting for legislation that allows this here. Some of the technology to make the 7 Series drive itself is hidden behind the Kidney grille, the frame of which has a lighting module. Something that needs attention, you should pay attention! Such as the Hofmeister kink: a curve in the C-pillar of the car, a characteristic BMW styling element. For the very first time, this has been incorporated into the glass of the last side window of the door and follows the contour of the chrome part of the body very nicely. Another first is the option for two-tone paint: you can have the bottom and top sprayed in two different shades. This has never been offered on a BMW before.

LED show

A variety of colors are available for the lighting of the dashboard and door panels. Beautiful detail: the color of the lines in the pattern of the Sky Lounge panoramic glass roof changes with this LED show. “I've been around for quite a few years now, but this is such a level higher!”, says De Heij. The materials used are also of a high standard: from Veganza for those who want alternatives to leather to cashmere for those who want the finest wool as upholstery. A collaboration has been entered into with Swarovski for the new 7 Series: the crystals are optionally used in certain elements of the controls and even in the lighting. The backs of the chairs are made from recycled PET bottles, the mats from old fishing nets. Even a car weighing almost two tons can be made from recycled materials without sacrificing quality or luxury experience. The plug-in versions of the 7 Series, and certainly the i7, are certainly not CO2 bombs. But even during the production of the cars, BMW has made every effort to keep emissions as low as possible. The factory in Dingolfing is fully supplied with green energy. This fifth generation of batteries contains only 10 percent cobalt of what was in the previous generation. “We want to use as few natural resources as possible at the front. That is why BMW emphasizes circularity: it wants to use as little new raw materials as possible and reuse as much as possible.” The average BMW already uses 30 to 35 percent recycled materials, but this should increase to 50 percent in the short term.

Concert hall

Anyone who purchases the new 7 Series can opt for a Bowers & Wilkins sound system with a power of – hold on – 5000 watts! You don't know what you're experiencing! Partly because of the 4D Bass experience, which makes you feel the bass sound in your lower back. As if you were in a concert hall. “There are speakers in the headrest, in the roof… You can't lose more speakers!” Another highlight of the new 7 Series is the Grand Entrance: you can open the doors remotely with the key or your mobile phone. You can even program it so that when the car 'sees' you approaching (up to a distance of twenty meters), the door opens for you. Sensors prevent a door from opening if someone or something is standing next to it. “Because all the elements are so refined, the whole thing is such a revolution!”

This is not First Class, this is Very First Class!