On April 20, the new BMW 7 Series made its global debut in both Munich and Beijing. What is different from the past is that in addition to the traditional fuel version 7 series debut, the pure electric version of the i7 has also appeared on the stage for the first time.
The same giant double kidney + split headlight design, also based on BMW's latest generation of CLAR architecture to build, people can not help but wonder whether the "bloodline" of these two new cars should be counted as "oil to electricity" or "electricity to oil".
Nowadays, the common platform of electric vehicles and fuel vehicles has become more and more rare, especially for high-end brands. The Porsche Taycan, the Mercedes-Benz EQ series, has a very disruptive change compared to the fuel sequence. BMW, on the other hand, chose to do the opposite, making two flagship models of different power types highly unified.
What exactly is its purpose? Can the new 7 Series shake up the ultra-luxury market? Let the kung fu car take everyone to see it together.
The face and material have changed greatly, and digital art has struck
Due to the choice of the fuel version and the pure electric version of the double arrow, the new 7 series has undergone subversive changes in design compared with the past, and uses more technology, which has a strong sense of digital art.
Looking at the appearance first, even the pure electric version of the i7 did not choose to make a closed plane of the double kidney grille, but chose to use a thick chrome trim to show the aura, and incidentally integrated the millimeter-wave radar and camera used for intelligent driving inside it. The Iconic glow split light group is very personal, and by the way, it also shows a Swarovski crystal cutting process, which is very noble.
The new car has adjusted the body size, the length, width and height dimensions reached 5391 * 1950 * 1544mm, and the wheelbase is 3215mm, which is larger than the size of this generation's S class. And its body type line has also changed a lot, no longer the old 7 series of low-lying coupe running style, the whole shape is more substantial, probably for the sake of compatibility with the battery pack, the body height has increased a lot.
The multi-layered tail design, BMW's classic "Horn's Corner", these classic elements have also been retained. The new 7 series feels very special, that is, the classic and the new are fused here.
In terms of internal design, the new 7 series has a trend of new power, the dual screen occupies most of the central control area, and the physical buttons are almost exhausted. Simplicity is simple, and the sense of technology has also gone up, but the whole luxurious atmosphere seems to have regressed a lot. In contrast, the same new S-class, although it has also embarked on the "big screen", but through the optimization of layout and design, the overall sense of luxury is still quite good.
The new 7 Series in the armrest area abandons the classic "chicken leg" gear handlebar and uses crystal knobs, iDrive operation panels and smaller gear levers, and the whole sense of technology has been improved a lot. The wrap-around interactive light belt, the panoramic star-orbit canopy, the leather/cashmere combination of interior staples, and the Bowers & Wilkins 4D diamond surround sound system all promote its flagship identity.
Overall, this is a rather different 7 Series, its design is very subversive, and it is also expected to be at the flagship level, which can be seen with full sincerity.
Powerful performance, but still not enough to see?
In the era of fuel vehicles, BMW's performance has always been talked about. After entering the era of electrification, BMW's performance is still strong, but it does not have the feeling of having a panoramic view of the mountains.
Take the xDrive60L version of the i7 as an example, it is equipped with BMW's fifth-generation electric drive unit, with a maximum horsepower of 544 horses, a maximum torque of 745 Nm, a 0-100 km/h acceleration time of 4.7 seconds, and a top speed of 240 km/h. This performance is, of course, already very strong, but compared to the real industry benchmark Model S, it is far from enough to see. The three-motor all-wheel drive version of the latter has a maximum horsepower of more than 1,000 horses, a time of 2.1 seconds to complete the acceleration of 0-100km/h, and a top speed of 322km/h, which is not a dimensional competition at all. Compared with the new power performance cars such as ET7 and Zhiji L7, the i7 is also at a disadvantage.
In terms of endurance, the official claim that the comprehensive endurance of the i7 is more than 600km, which is certainly not bad. But in today's serious "inflation", many cars have entered the era of 1000km+, and they are not so brilliant.
In contrast, the power of the new 7 Series fuel version is remarkable, especially its 4.4T V8 twin-turbo engine is definitely the industry benchmark, and even the latest Range Rover has been adopted. Combined with a 48V light hybrid system, the maximum power is 400kW and the maximum torque is 750Nm, which is far superior to the 3.0T model of the Mercedes-Benz S-Class.
But the crux of the matter is that the new humans who buy electric cars pay more attention to speed, and the performance of the i7 is not outstanding. Users who buy D-class luxury fuel vehicles often pay more attention to the luxury creation of vehicles, although the power has extra points, it is often not decisive, after all, no matter how fast it is, it is not as fast as the tram. Therefore, the 7 series has not been able to beat the S level at the same level, and I am afraid that it will still be the same after this upgrade.
The new 7 series, which is not "new" enough, can it break the game?
In the previous D-class luxury car market, it was generally the S-Class and Maybach S-Class that played the lead role, followed by the Porsche Panamera. Not only do they sell well, but their premium capabilities are also top-notch, making them really profitable models. In contrast, although the 7 Series and A8L are also famous, their ability to collect money is much worse than the first three.
Now that the new 7 Series has taken the lead in pushing pure electric models, it can be seen that BMW hopes to open the situation through misplaced competition.
But for now, its prospects are not optimistic. First of all, from the performance point of view, i7 is not outstanding in the same level, and the intelligent configuration seems to stay in the previous era.
For example, the new car is hyped to carry a 31.3-inch 8K cinema screen in the back row, making it a major attraction for the 7 series replacement. But the impression given to people is a large TV, and the advantage of the car machine system is nothing more than the integration of QQ music, Tencent small scenes, Himalayas and so on. In contrast, tesla model S advertises all games that can support PS5, can play AAA masterpieces such as Wizard III and Cyberpunk 2077, has super interactive performance, and has the strongest OTA features in its class.
In terms of smart driving, the new 7 Series can provide L2 level advanced driver assistance features and claims to have the possibility of L3 level autonomous driving in technology. Not to mention BMW's intelligent driving assistance function, few people will think that it is stronger than Tesla, after all, the latter has long ceased to promote terms such as L2 and L3, and has proved through a large number of users how easy its solution is, and it is still improving.
After making a lot of concessions for pure electric models, the fuel version of the 7 Series was also greatly affected. Its overly digital design may not please traditional D-Class limousine users. The elevated body and tougher body lines have also made the fuel version of the 7 Series lose its previous agility, which is somewhat more than worth the loss, and it is expected to be difficult to impact the status of the S Class and Maybach S.
In short, the electric version is not trendy enough, and it is difficult to catch the new generation of users at once. The fuel version is a bit too trendy to attract existing luxury car owners.
Kung Fu shoots
The "split" 7 series can be seen in the wobble of BMW's heart. The setting of eating with both faces may not be able to attract the target user, and eventually neither end will be flattered. At least compared to its likely rivals, the Mercedes-Benz S-Class and the Tesla Model S, the outlook is not optimistic.
But from another point of view, maybe BMW is taking a very different path. The other two BA cut the fuel sequence and the pure electric sequence, but the sales of pure electric models are sluggish, and that road may not actually work.
Maybe BMW wants to explore a centrist approach, the same design compatible with different forms of power, just like it was compatible with 2.0T, 3.0T, 4.0T, and now it is fuel and electric. If this path can be followed, it is also a great achievement.
But how much time is left for BMW?