BMW 7 Series

VEHICULE :

BMW 7 series

POWERPLAN :

3 liters straight six petrol engine mild hybrid

THE NUMBERS:

0-62: 4.2S / 400 HP / 540 NM / AWD

IN SHORT :

I spent most of this morning in the barn, staring at a 1972 2002 Tii, wondering if we haven’t all collectively lost the plot. Then, I opened the files for the new 7 Series. If you’re expecting me to wax poetic about "digital interiors" and "operating systems," you’ve clicked on the wrong link. But, there’s a persistent rumble beneath all this silicon that even a cynical old hack like me has to respect.

BMW is calling this the "Neue Klasse" rollout. It’s a bold, heavy-handed statement for a luxury barge that’s been the standard-bearer since ’77. We’re looking at a seventh generation that has been completely hollowed out and refilled with the kind of tech that would make an Apollo engineer weep

Let’s talk power, because that’s the only language that matters. They’ve brought the i7 to the party with Gen6 battery cells—cylindrical, mind you—which they claim pushes the range past 720 kilometers (that’s 447 miles for the purists). The M70 xDrive version? It’s hauling 680 horses and a frankly absurd 1,100 Nm of torque. It’ll hit 100 km/h in 3.8 seconds. In a seven-series. That’s not a car; that’s a ballistic event.

For the traditionalists—and I know you’re still out there, nursing your coffee in the garage—there’s a 740d diesel and a 740 petrol model coming later this year. They’re running 48-volt mild-hybrid systems tucked into the transmission housing. It’s clever, packaging-wise, but it does make me wonder how much of the "mechanical sympathy" we’re losing when the car is doing the gear-work for you.

The exterior has gone "monolithic." It’s clean, it’s stripped back, and it’s got that "Iconic Glow" grille. I’ll be honest: I miss the days when a car’s face was just a face, not a light show. But the dual-finish paintwork—matte on the bottom, metallic on top—that’s craft. It takes them 75 hours to paint one of these things. That’s three days of human labor, which is more time than most modern companies spend on the entire chassis design.

Inside? It’s a spaceship. A 31.3-inch "Theatre Screen" that drops from the roof, Dolby Atmos, 8K streaming. They’ve turned the back seat into a mobile office, which frankly sounds like a nightmare to me. If I’m in a 7 Series, I want to be driving, not sitting in a boardroom meeting while the car does the heavy lifting via Level 2 autonomous "Symbiotic Drive" systems.

Is it still a driver’s car? They’ve kept the double-wishbone front and five-link rear, and they’ve added 22-inch wheels for the first time. They talk about "handling precision" and "near-actuator wheel slip limitation." It sounds like a lot of fancy ways to say they’re trying to keep the soul of a Grand Prix car inside a rolling lounge.

It’s an impressive machine, certainly. It’s got the specs to lead the pack, and the sustainability targets are… fine. But for me? It all depends on whether that "soul" can survive the software.

Keep the shiny side up.

JIM KHANA

The auto

brief

Modern Speed. Analog Soul. Tracking the future of mobility through the lens of heritage.

Subscribe on Spotify, Apple, or via RSS.

theautobriefnews@gmail.com

© 2026. All rights reserved. TECH ART CREATIONS KLG

We may earn a commission for purchases made through our links.

Terms & Conditions

"All product and company names, logos, and trademarks mentioned or displayed here are the property of their respective owners. The use of these logos does not imply endorsement, affiliation, or sponsorship. No copyright infringement is intended.

Images or media on this page are used for descriptive, educational, or commentary purposes. We do not claim ownership of these photos, and rights remain with the original creators. If you own the rights to any material and wish for it to be removed, please contact us