What's the news?
It's the sixth generation of Seven - or, to be less florid, the all-new BMW 7 Series. The Munich firm's freshest iteration of the flagship has been revealed and, as you'd expect, it's a tech-fest overload. And there will be all-wheel drive and hybrid models in the mix, as well.
Exterior
Much more conservative than either the daring, Chris Bangle-penned fourth-gen car or even its immediate predecessor, the 'F01/02' 7 Series, this new model looks very much like a stretched 5 Series. Not necessarily a bad thing, but not exactly allowing the Seven a strong identity of its own. As before, you can have it in short- and long-wheelbase format, the latter cars given away by colossal rear doors and the familiar 'Li' badging on the rump.
It will be available in M Sport, design Pure Excellence and BMW Individual Design Composition finishes, while something you can't see with the eye is the weight saving - this Seven is up to 130kg lighter than before, thanks to 'EfficientLightweight' construction that sees a lot of carbon fibre-reinforced plastic (CFRP) used in the passenger cell. This is a learning from the BMW 'i' range that's filtering into the regular BMW line-up. As are the optional Laserlight headlamps, first seen on the i8, although 7 Series standard illumination is provided by excellent, all-LED units anyway.
Interior
Beautifully wrought and no doubt ergonomically excellent, it's not so much the pleasing visual aesthetic nor the amount of space in here (hint: there's lots of it) that is remarkable, more the amount of toys you can specify.
We can't possibly go into them all in great detail here, but some of the highlights are: comfort seats with active seat ventilation and massage function, with the intriguingly-named Vitality Programme for rear-seat passengers; not just heated seats and a steering wheel, but heated door armrests, centre console trim and the rear centre armrest; a Bowers & Wilkins Diamond surround system; a panoramic glass roof called Sky Lounge; in-car wireless charging for mobile phones; touchscreen iDrive; BMW's version of gesture control, allowing you to command systems with predefined hand movements in the cabin (steady on, everyone...); a 75 per cent bigger head-up display; any number of driver aid systems and surround-view cameras; and the BMW Touch Command multifunction control unit - a seven-inch tablet integrated into the rear armrest or console to control comfort, infotainment and communications. Luxurious enough for you?
Mechanicals
Before we get to the models, let's talk about some generic driving tech. All Sevens will have an eight-speed Steptronic automatic gearbox that works with the satnav to be in the right gear for every conceivable occasion, while self-levelling all-round air-suspension with Dynamic Damper Control will be standard fit range-wide. The Driving Experience Control switch also includes Adaptive mode, which automatically sets the car up according to the driving style and the road it's on. Clever. Options will include Integral Active Steering and Executive Drive Pro (electromechanical anti-roll bars).
There will be two petrol engines, one diesel and a petrol-electric hybrid for the 7 Series launch range, this latter motor being a four-cylinder job. xDrive is an option on all models bar the 740i/Li, where it's not available at all, and the range-topping 750i, where there's no rear-wheel drive alternative; opting for it involves taking a minor hit on economy/emissions and also leads to around a tenth added on to 0-100km/h times. So, just quoting the best figures, the 4.4-litre, twin-turbo V8 750i has 450hp, 650Nm, 0-100km/h in 4.4 seconds, combined fuel economy of 8.1 litres/100km (34.9mpg) and CO2 emissions of 189g/km. The 740i is a 3.0-litre, six-cylinder turbo capable of 326hp, 450Nm, 0-100km/h in 5.5 seconds, economy of 6.6 litres/100km (42.8mpg) and emissions of 154g/km. The 730d is also a 3.0 inline-six turbo, with 265hp, 620Nm, 0-100km/h in 6.1 seconds, 4.5 litres/100km (62.8mpg) and 119g/km CO2.
Finally, the 740e plug-in hybrid mates a 258hp/400Nm 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol turbo to a 95hp/250Nm electric motor, leading to a total system output of 326hp. Acceleration from 0-100km/h is done in as little as 5.5 seconds, while there's a top speed of 120km/h in full electric mode (and a maximum range of 40km). BMW reels off some incredible 'green' figures for it - economy as miserly as 2.1 litres/100km (134.5mpg) and CO2 emissions right down at 49g/km. All Sevens can do a limited 250km/h top speed, bar the hybrid (expected to be in excess of 240km/h), and all engines are EU6-compliant.
Anything else?
Perhaps the most astonishing thing about the new 7 Series is one of its options. Remember the Pierce Brosnan Bond film, Tomorrow Never Dies? Where he drove an E38 third-gen 7 Series around a car park, using a remote control device sequestered in a mobile phone? Well, say hello to something similar, only in real life. Remote Control Parking allows owners to drive the car into or out of a tight space... from outside the car. This semi-autonomous procedure is handled by the BMW Display Key and it means an end to the frustration of coming back to your car in a perpendicular space, only to find two clowns have parked within inches of you on either side. We want a go on that, please, Q!