The next 7-Series could say goodbye to its current bluff-sided barge proportions. According to the latest renderings, a lower, wider, larger car swoops up from a front that takes cues from the CS concept to a rear in which there are no remaining traces of the Bangle Butt.
We have always been fans of the 7-Series, and would greatly welcome a return to elegance -- even if it's the brutish elegance of this rendering. We would also welcome a new interior, and word is that it will be equally redone. And that (pesky) iDrive? The annoying knob will be made ever more user friendly we're told, which shouldn't be too difficult considering the starting point. It appears the last user friendly upgrade to the iDrive wasn't as friendly as BMW thought. This time it will also get Google Maps and iPhone connectivity. Intriguingly, the gear shift could return to the center console instead of being on the steering column stalk.
Engines will start out at 3.0 liters (probably gas and diesel variants, but still not for the States, most likely), jump to a V8 with a 47-HP boost over the current model, and top out at an even more powerful 6.0-liter V12. Expect the car to debut next year as a 2009 model, so we should see its debut at an auto show early in the season.
[Source: eGM Car Tech]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
mike @ Dec 18th 2007 4:32PM
This car has been discountinued, it was replaced with PROGRESSIVE ACTIVITY SEDAN--SC5
http://www.tengears.com/home/2007/12/17/now-thats-progress-bmw-pregressive-activity-sedan.html
mike @ Dec 18th 2007 4:36PM
Hey i guess this is one of the first results of the new CAFE law. Ugly SUV dead, chick magnet--born.
MUSASHI66 @ Dec 18th 2007 4:51PM
What SUV are you talking about?
Andrew @ Dec 18th 2007 5:10PM
All of them, lol
wormyguy @ Dec 18th 2007 5:28PM
No, I think it was more along the lines of no one bought the R-class.
Mattias @ Dec 18th 2007 4:41PM
I just accidentially met one at an Autobahn parking about 100 miles north of Regensburg. We both had to piss. The renderings are very exaggerated. The shoulder line is lower than the current bangle car, the kidneys are not larger. It looks more decent. However in full cladding you cannot judge the butt. But: yes the cockpit is more driver oriented again.
I like it more than its predecessor. Unfortunately I was driving our 70hp Berlingo, so i could not follow at 100+ mph and take some pictures after he hastily left the parking.
3seriesisking @ Dec 18th 2007 6:03PM
Is it wider and lower as it appears to be in the speculation?
Xcountryflyer @ Dec 18th 2007 4:42PM
Anything getting rid of the weird styling oddities would be a welcome addition.
iSpec @ Dec 18th 2007 4:43PM
Cafe law?
Oh you mean the UN global warming scam. Sad
mike @ Dec 18th 2007 4:45PM
So now you are tying in CAFE and UN.
Quattroporte @ Dec 18th 2007 4:46PM
Say what you want about the XF, but Ian Callum's ugliest designs are better than Bangle's best, and I now can't wait to see the redesigned XJ.
mike @ Dec 18th 2007 4:48PM
Look Jaguar has been a joke for year. If XJ is so superior how come the very same people are responcible for near death of Jaguar.
I have seen reviews of Jaguars and it seemed like Honda Civic had a more modern audio/radio system.
Quattroporte @ Dec 18th 2007 5:44PM
I was referring to "the new Jaguar" (non-retro). I never sayed the current XJ is superior to anything (notice the little picture is of a Maserati not a Jag); I simply implied I can't wait to see the new design of the next XJ compared to this BMW. And, the reviews of the new XK and XF Jaguars I have read (with, admittedly, the exception of Edmunds review of the XK) have been excellent.
Jaguar XK reviews:
"Precise and communicative steering, eager responses, powerful brakes, and gratifying thrust and sound."
-Car & Driver
http://www.caranddriver.com/cartrims/2008-jaguar-xk/jaguar_xk_coupe.html
"Unlike the last XKR, which could trace its roots back to the mid-’70s XJ-S, this latest iteration isn’t hamstrung with the baggage of the past."
-Car & Driver
http://www.caranddriver.com/roadtests/12028/2007-jaguar-xkr.html
"The feel of the wheels through the seat of your pants and the palms of your hands is taut, alive and eager. The steering in particular feels quick and sharp and yet there's none of the firmness, the unforgiving German asceticism that says you have to suffer if you want your car to feel poised. Even on the optional 20-inch wheels the car still has superb ride quality, yet it handles as well as a Porsche 911."
-TopGear
http://www.topgear.com/drives/B8/A6/new/
Jaguar XF Reviews:
"Compared to this, every German sport sedan looks about as interesting as a lump of coal."
-Edmunds IL
"The 2009 Jaguar XF will completely reinvent the way you think about Jaguar. Of course, it does so by going back to the classic values that have always given Jaguar a lasting place in the imagination, the special magic that Audi, BMW, Cadillac and Lexus still shamelessly envy."
-Edmunds IL
"When you roll out of the driveway in the XF, there's no telling where you'll decide to go. This car has the composure you expect from a Jaguar, the lively refinement that can take you 300 miles and deliver you still feeling fresh after your journey. And yet there's a stronger connection with the mechanical soul of the car than ever before, even compared to the Jaguar XK."
-Edmunds IL
http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Drives/FirstDrives/articleId=123948
Jay Leno's XF test drive
http://driving.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/driving/new_car_reviews/article3051325.ece
3seriesisking @ Dec 18th 2007 6:05PM
I'm looking forward to the new Jaguar. I hope it is able to come up and compete with cars that it once competed with. The new styling they seem to be headed down with the XK seem to be headed down the right path.
MUSASHI66 @ Dec 19th 2007 11:14AM
I was really hoping for a good looking XF, and the concept was just amazing. So they bring out the car, and those headlights!! It might be just me, but they are just plain bad, they would just be a deal breaker for me.
Based on Jaguars horrible resale value, I figured XF might be a great buy in 3-5 years, but now, after seeing those lights, I gave up on the idea. I would rather buy an XJ.
MUSASHI66 @ Dec 18th 2007 4:49PM
Ugliest part of 3 series, IMHO are taillights. And here they are, on the flagship, looking ever uglier. I know it is just a renedering, and I hope they have sense not to do this to 7 series.
B-NOIT @ Dec 18th 2007 5:20PM
Exactly what I was thinking. The rendered design is alright, nothing exactly ground-breaking, but those taillights... Oh man. They just don't cut it for BMW's flagship.
Austin @ Dec 18th 2007 5:08PM
BMW=BIG MONEY WASTED
BartMack @ Dec 18th 2007 5:12PM
Hold on to that '99 Impala... it'll be a classic one day =)
Austin @ Dec 18th 2007 5:18PM
I dont have an Impala, I have a 07 Wangler unlimited