The seventh-generation flagship BMW saloon is here. The 2023 7 Series officially debuted on 20 April, offering a choice of internal-combustion power or all-electric motivation with the all-new i7. Whether you choose fossil fuel or electricity for power, both cars feature a large grille and split headlight design that certainly has people talking.
Design is subjective, and much has already been said about BMW's new design language. The split design will be a signature feature on top models going forward, but judging by the majority of comments in our BMW 7 Series debut post, folks aren't thrilled with that idea. Thanks to some timely digital retouching from rendering artist Nikita Chuiko at Kolesa, we can see how the big saloon might look in not one, but two more conventional formats.
New 7: all you need to know
The first is the rendering featured at the top of this article. The split lights are gone, replaced with a pair of narrow lenses flanking a significantly smaller grille. The chiselled lines on the lower fascia are also smoothed out, though the vertical corner vents are retained. Per Chuiko, inspiration for this unofficial makeover comes from the E38 7-Series that launched in the mid-1990s. We can certainly see that influence in the narrow face.
A second 7 Series rendering (above) could be considered an evolution of the previous-generation model. The headlights and grille are larger compared to the other design, and the front fascia is squared off with prominent vertical vents forming a rectangle spanning the width of the car. The grille establishes some middle ground between the incoming and outgoing saloon, maintaining the width of the new car with the overall drop of the old one.
Those unhappy with the 7 Series on the outside can at least take solace when relaxing inside. That's especially true for back seat passengers, who can stretch out while watching a freaking movie on a 31-inch screen that folds down from the roof. Driver and front-seat passenger also have prolific screens to look at, with the 12.3-inch digital cluster meeting with a 14.9-inch centre display. And if that's not enough, the thrust provided by 536 bhp available in either the 760i xDrive or the i7 xDrive60 should be enough to elicit some grins.
Source: Kolesa