BMW 7 Series. The Art of BMW Individual. Individualise your BMW.

[stvding]

Originally Posted by goj

Adding screens doesn't make a car more impressive imo. Ok...

And in no way am I defending the 7.

Level 3 autonomous driving? I think it is cool.

At least audi virtual cockpit is light years ahead of bmw. Mercedes dual screens are very good too.

[SoCalS2k]

If I had to chose between an a8, s class or a 7 I'd take the 7 hands down every time. For its class it's the most sporty of the 3

[Bogey4me]

Originally Posted by stvding

Triple screens now impressive? Ok...

Who the hell wants 3 screens? It's not a TV or a video game. Screens are a pain in the ass to use when you are driving and trying to navigate through multiple screens to do basic functions that should have a button. Having one screen is enough. BMW has a good mix of mechanical buttons which are easy to use while driving and a touch screen. The screens are a gimmick for a showroom. Try navigating through them when you are driving 80 MPH or in bumper to bumper traffic. I'm in a Tesla all the time with a coworker and the screen is covered with fingerprints. Ugly.

[CP911]

@ Bogey4me

I could not agree more with everything you said.

People seem to think more gadgets = better car these days. Sad.

I hate touch screens in cars. My wife's new Pilot drives me absolutely nuts. It's crazy how long I have to take my eyes off the road just to hit the audio power button or hit a preset button. It's extremely dangerous and quite frankly I'm surprised the lawyers have signed off on them.

[KevinM]

Oh dear.

[M3 Adjuster]

it's 0 for 2 on these commercials for me.... although at least this is not as revolting as the M4 version.. which is like a cheesy fifty shades ..

[SportySpice]

Originally Posted by M3 Adjuster

it's 0 for 2 on these commercials for me.... although at least this is not as revolting as the M4 version.. which is like a cheesy fifty shades ..

Probably because there's less of prototype-guy in this one. He's just creepy. Both ads would be improved if they edited him out and replaced with more images of the car.

And +100 on more screens <> better interior. If anything, that seems like the lazy design imo.

[Frank Jia]

New 7 series is a failure compare to MB S class.

[Pelo Cat]

Long may diversity live...good to hear other opinions on the current 7 design, and more so when they are not those opinions I hold (would be boring otherwise!)

While I loved the Bangle era and the E65/66 were stunning for their time, I find the current G is also another great example. The F01 was not a looker (IMO) and although I owned one, the G is a different beast altogether.

Just as the Bangle E65 was polarising in opinion, the current one is as well, which I take as a good sign.

Definitely a fan of the current interior instead of the Merc screens or Audi / Tesla concepts for flat screens, as others have said, while they may 'look' modern to some, they are a nightmare to use when driving and I know of a few people that have moved over to the 7 for just this reason...you can actually drive the thing and by touch find the items needed due to the varying profiling of the HVAC and radio buttons...the control display is fine for everything I need along with the HUD...the gimmicks of the Merc/Tesla/Audi repel me but to each their own.

I find the comparison to the S another polarising theme, while the S is fine when one is always in the back, you couldn't get me to drive one of the latest ones again in front....the 7 is far superior for a driving experience and feel.

Always good to hear contrasting opinions though, I've put my money where my mouth is and bought the G11 and love it, a stunning car. The individual concept would be even nicer for those with the desire and deep pockets, long may that continue with each brand in their own way.

[Germanauto]

Originally Posted by goj

The new A8 is equally unimpressive

Audi definitely did its homework as far as the interior goes. Side by side with the 7-series it's no contest.

Heck, I even feel the new Lexus LS has a more interesting interior design than that of the 7er. 2 yrs in and it's already the most dated feeing car in its class.

[Germanauto]

Originally Posted by SoCalS2k

If I had to chose between an a8, s class or a 7 I'd take the 7 hands down every time. For its class it's the most sporty of the 3

Well that's not saying much as the 7er is a boat that's not very entertaining to drive. The Panamera has filled the sporty niche.

[goj]

Originally Posted by Germanauto

Audi definitely did its homework as far as the interior goes. Side by side with the 7-series it's no contest.

Heck, I even feel the new Lexus LS has a more interesting interior design than that of the 7er. 2 yrs in and it's already the most dated feeing car in its class.

The A8 also broke no ground in style and added screens inside. Same deal as the 7 series. Im not saying which is better.

The virtual cockpit in the Audi is a gimmick IMO because all the information is already available on the HUD and main infotainment screen.

Overall this whole class is boring imo. And even if it's an unpopular opinion, I think MB styling is ugly even if the S class is the best

[Germanauto]

Originally Posted by goj

The A8 also broke no ground in style and added screens inside. Same deal as the 7 series. Im not saying which is better.

The virtual cockpit in the Audi is a gimmick IMO because all the information is already available on the HUD and main infotainment screen.

Overall this whole class is boring imo. And even if it's an unpopular opinion, I think MB styling is ugly even if the S class is the best

I feel the A8's interior is way more engaging from a design point of view. Look at them all side to side and there's no denying the BMW's dash design is plain lazy in comparison.

I agree the entire class is boring. I like the S-class, but I'm more of a sports car guy myself Panamera would prolly be my choice.

[FastLaneJB]

Originally Posted by stvding

Level 3 autonomous driving? I think it is cool.

They cannot even release it because the laws don't allow it in pretty much all countries the car is sold in. By the time it's legal the car will be old, tech out of date. It'll be cool when you can use it and it's much better refined.

Originally Posted by Germanauto

Well that's not saying much as the 7er is a boat that's not very entertaining to drive. The Panamera has filled the sporty niche.

I'd have to disagree with you there. Not saying the Panamera isn't a great car to drive but with 4 wheel steering and active anti roll bars the 7 series handles pretty well.

This is coming from someone that has an F10 M5 and has a M760Li on order. Yes at the absolute limits it won't match a F10 M5 nor beat it around a track. But a little below the limits and on the public road there's nothing much in it. The car despite being bigger controls its body well, the 4 wheel steering makes it feel no bigger than an M5 either.

I think it's a great drivers car with a lot of luxury as well. Yes it's not a great drivers track car but public road it's extremely good.

[ImGoingPlaces]

Hard to watch . So cheesy

[bimmer456]

Originally Posted by ImGoingPlaces

Hard to watch . So cheesy

Have you seen the M4 version?

[raysspl]

Good profit center for bmw

[emulajavi]

Lazy design is Mercedes with their two horizontal and rectangular screens put together for the instrument cluster and Navi.

Round Speed Dials look weird on those screen. Lazy design. Just a normal screen. Zero integration.


Audi’s A8 and new A6 have both beautiful interiors with great integration of the screens.


BMW G11’s for me has one of the best frond end look in a BMW in quite some time. Perfectly balanced. Beautiful headlights. And with the hood line sitting where it should, above the kidneys, not in the middle of nowhere like on the F-series cars. Hood line wrong placement is the only thing that prevents the 6 Series or 4 Series designs from being perfect.

G11 interior is also a lot better than the F-series ones. It could be better, yes, but the only next step that BMW can take is the Tesla-way of deleting all buttons and only have one screen which sometimes is not ideal while driving (ask Model 3 owners). What I do like from Tesla, and BMW should incorporate, are OTA Software Updates, which would refresh the car from time to time by updating the iDrive graphics or the instrument cluster design or even add new functions or refine the automated driving systems.

Anyway, I’ve always liked a lot the G11 design (and also the new X3 which is also simply perfect on the outside) but now I’m liking it even more when I’ve seen the direction BMW is taking with the upside-down kidneys on the X2 (and in some way also on the new 8 Series). I’ve always disliked all of those renders that circulated over the internet on past years with the kidneys placed upside-down because they make the front end of the car look sad and angry. V-shaped frond ends always look more enjoyable that A-shaped. But it seems that BMW has decided to please all those ‘render makers’....