BMW’s eye-opening new 7 Series debuts with electric i7 flagship

Home/
EV News /

BMW’s eye-opening new 7 Series debuts with electric i7 flagship BMW’s eye-opening new 7...

Derryn Wong

20/04/2022

Page 1: Why the new 7 Series is a huge evolution: The i7

Interior : Back is the future

Interior of the BMW i7 – note the blue highlights

The forward section of the cabin is already familiar to us from the BMW i4 and iX, with the BMW Curved Display taking centre stage. It consists of the same 12.3-inch driver’s display and 14.9-inch touchscreen control panel. The 7 Series takes lessons from the iX, with the same crystal-themed hardware on the seat adjusters and the iDrive controller, but goes extra high with the crystal meth theme.

BMW Interaction Bar activated with red and blue backlighting

The 7er debuts BMW’s Interaction Bar, which is not a beer joint with a talkative person behind the counter. Rather, it’s a row of buttons with various functions – door opening, hazard lights, etc – that stretches from the doors across the entire dashboard. It’s set behind a backlit row of crystal to better match the luxury theme, and shows BMW’s taking the war on buttons creatively.

Here’s how we got BMW’s first electric sedan to deliver 600km on a single charge – in Singapore!

As a luxury limo with chauffeur possibilities, BMW aimed to deliver the ‘most immersive/cinematic experience for rear seat entertainment’. To that end, there’s the BMW Theatre Screen, a 31-inch, 8k touchscreen display that folds into the roof of the vehicle when not in use. Besides the usual media playback, Amazon Fire TV is integrated into the system so you can watch something at home, and pick it up in the car.

Deploying the screen engages the rear blinds automatically, and if you opt for the Bowers & Wilkins surround sound system with in-seat ‘exciter’ speakers, you’ll be able to feel the rumble of explosions and such. No word on if you can hook up a gaming console and have fun on the move, but we wouldn’t be surprised if that becomes a thing down the road.

There are now BMW’s ‘My Modes’ for the rear, which can shift from ‘Relax’ mode to ‘Expressive’ with a matching Hans Zimmer soundtrack and graphics, and there will even be a Digital Art mode that will display works from curated sources – thankfully NFTs are absent from BMWs.

Active safety and autonomous capability

The 7 Series can drive itself…under certain circumstances. Cars with level 3 SAE autonomous capability – human-monitored self driving – are not news as Audi’s A8 has been capable (though not legally) of it since 2017.

But BMW says the 7 Series will, with the appropriate Steering and Lane Control Assistant feature, lets the driver ‘take their hands off the steering wheel when driving on highways or other roads structurally separated carriageways at speeds of up to 130km/h’, provided the driver is ready to take control and not sitting in the back watching Harry Potter movies. Of course there’s no legal framework for AVs in Singapore just yet, so we won’t get the benefit of that right away.

BMW’s 69 page page press release on the new 7 Series continues highlighting many features of the brand’s revamped flagship, but the important thing to note is that the seventh-son of the 7 is without a doubt its most advanced flagship ever. With it, BMW’s no longer taking a mosquito-zapper to the cattle-prod electric vehicle melee.

About the Author

Derryn Wong

CarBuyer's former chief editor was previously the editor for Top Gear Singapore and a presenter for CNA's Cruise Control motoring segment.

CarBuyer – Revolutionizing The Online Car Marketplace In Singapore

Buy Used And New Cars Online
Start your car buying journey with CarBuyer as we connect you seamlessly to the industry’s best CaseTrust-SVTA accredited car dealerships. As a one stop car online portal you can now buy your new ride, be it a pre-owned car or a brand new car from trusted dealers all over Singapore, all in one place. Our ever expanding listing of quality and covet-worthy cars, new and second hand, from both owners and trusted car dealers, will leave you spoilt for choice. Refine your search by vehicle type, registration year, price, mileage, engine type, transmission, annual depreciation value and more to find the car that best suits your needs, taste and lifestyle. You can even search for your car by dealer or directly by owner.

Sell Your Car In An Instant With Confidence
We all know how selling a car in Singapore can be a daunting task especially for a first time car seller; from trying to get a valuation for your car, finding a trusted dealer, to getting the best quote on your vehicle. CarBuyer understands the hassle and even the costs involved and have as such partnered with Huawei to develop a FIRST in Southeast Asia AI car valuation tool that is able to provide a car’s resale value at the snap of a finger. Backed with a consortium of trusted CaseTrust-SVTA accredited car dealers you can be assured that you are getting the best price for your vehicle and do not have to worry about any hidden costs.

The Ultimate Car Shopping Experience Online
CarBuyer platform is the first of its kind to be backed by Huawei’s Artificial Intelligence and cloud computing, enabling it to be able to offer users transparency and enhanced security, all with the one aim of enhancing customer experience. So come on over to buy and sell used cars online at the best prices at CarBuyer Singapore. Connect easily with dealers in real-time via our online video call feature, or schedule a test drive when you’re ready. Have some questions? Get them answered instantly with our chatbot moderated by our responsive team. Stay in the loop with our car-related tips, reviews and news. Learn the ins-and-outs of your car, as well as global and Singapore’s car updates at your own pace.