BMW India has finally revealed the 7th-generation 7 Series luxury sedan that is set to go on sale internationally in the upcoming months. There is a possibility that it comes to India in 2023. It gets a bold new design, instantaneously differentiating it from the previous generation.
2022 BMW 7 Series: Design
BMW and its bold grilles have a fan club of their own. Keeping up with the tradition, the grille on the new 7 Series is bigger and comes with the brand’s ‘Iconic Lighting treatment’. It picks up cues from the recently facelifted BMW X7 – such as the separation of the headlamps. The LED lights are positioned above while the main beams are a little below. The overall shape is quite sharp and edgy with the face sticking out to grab everyone’s attention. Traditional handles have been replaced with an internal touchpad and electronic mechanism, as seen on the iX.
The 7 Series has increased in length by 130mm, its width has increased by 48mm, and it is also 51mm taller, at 1,544mm. The all-new 7 Series models have the same 3,215mm wheelbase.
There are three different M packages – M Sport, M Sport Pro, and M Performance that offer a choice of chrome and blackened styling elements, and wheels range from 19 inch as standard up to the optional 22 inch as part of the M Performance styling package.
The all-electric i7 variant gets a blanked-off grille with a BMW i brand logo, as well as decorative elements within the bumpers and sills.
2022 BMW 7 Series: Interior
The 2022 BMW 7 Series gets a curved digital display running the brand’s latest iDrive 8 operating system, as seen in the i4 and iX. It also gets a fresh dashboard with a full-width light band and houses a 12.3-inch instrument display and a 14.9-inch infotainment screen. There’s also a new flat-bottom steering wheel and between the front seats is a traditional rotary iDrive controller, a control panel with a gear selector, as well as other touch-sensitive controls. But the party trick here is, that the 7 Series gets a 31.3-inch, 8K ‘cinema’ screen that is mounted within the roof. It folds down to offer video streaming via Amazon Fire TV.
2022 BMW 7 Series: Engine
The 2022 BMW 7 Series will be produced with a range of different drivetrains, including mild-hybrid petrol and diesel, as well as a plug-in hybrid and pure-electric units – all powering both axles as standard. For European markets, BMW has decided to drop petrol engines completely and will be indirectly replaced by a new petrol-electric plug-in hybrid drivetrain.
The BMW 740d xDrive will arrive internationally in April 2023 with BMW’s newly developed version of its turbocharged 3.0-litre straight-six diesel with mild-hybrid assistance and Euro-6D compliance. With a combined 294bhp, it is claimed to provide BMW’s four-door flagship with a 0-100kph time of 6.3sec and a top speed limited to 250kmph. Combined outputs are put at 482bhp and 698Nm for the 750e xDrive and 562hp for the M760e xDrive. BMW claims a 0-100kmph sprint of 4.9sec and 4.3sec, respectively, and a top speed of 250kmph for both models.
2022 BMW 7 Series: Rivals
The 2022 BMW 7 Series will rival the Mercedes-Benz S-Class, along with the upcoming Audi A8 L.