Ever the technology showcase, the latest 7-series shouldn't disappoint electronics lovers. BMW has released preliminary information and images of the revamped and restyled 7 ahead of its official debut at this year's Paris show.
The fifth-generation 7-series will come to the U.S. first as the V-8-powered 750i and its long-wheelbase counterpart, the 750Li. Though the model designations remain the same as before, the V-8 underhood does not. As we expected, the 750 models will get the 400-hp twin-turbo 4.4-liter V-8 that first appeared in BMW's X6. A smaller engine with a big dose of technology goes a long way, as the direct-injected turbo engine makes more power than the outgoing 750's 4.8-liter normally aspirated V-8, and more torque than the V-12 currently found in the 760Li. The 7 will continue to use a six-speed automatic transmission.
When it comes time to put the 7 in Drive, drivers will now make use of BMW's console-mounted joystick gear selector which replaces the electronic column-mounted shifter of the previous-generation car. We see also that the odd steering-wheel-mounted shift buttons (with two for upshifts on the rim's front, and two for downshifts on the rear) have gone away. Manual shifting can be accomplished once the joystick-style selector is tilted to the left.
BMW's improved iDrive controller is located next to the gear selector, and with it comes a revised interface that is more intuitive than that on the outgoing model and which we expect to be more in line with BMW's other iDrive-equipped offerings. Menus are now displayed on a larger (10.2 inches vs. 8.8 inches), higher-definition central display. GPS navigation software is now stored on a hard drive, which can also be used to store about 13 gigabytes of music (auxiliary, USB, and iPod interfaces will also be included). The 7-series will also adopt the programmable memory keys seen on other BMWs that allow for one touch access to user-defined vehicle functions. BMW also notes that the steering controls can access more functions than before.
Not to be outdone by the central display, the 7's new instruments make use of what BMW calls Black Panel technology. We gather that this is similar to the instrument layout in the Mercedes-Benz S-class, though the 7-series has four permanent chrome rings bounding its virtual instruments.
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