First Look: 2009 BMW 7 Series

BMW has taken a scalpel to the 7 Series and sculpted a new look straight from the playbook of the 6 Series coupe. For the first time we see a BMW with a flat nose — the redesigned car is slightly bigger and will no doubt be more expensive than the outgoing model.

Don’t think this is a mild facelift to keep sales fresh. BMW has altered the frame and chassis with a new blend of steel and aluminum, completely redesigned the interior and dropped two new engines under the hood. The 2009 7 Series also will be the first vehicle to feature a new iteration of the much maligned iDrive system. No on-sale information has been released, but we don’t expect to see the new 7 Series hit the U.S. until the 2009 calendar year.

Keep reading for more of the updates and, of course, a full photo gallery.

• 750i, 750Li come with twin turbo V-8 engine, 407 hp, only trim coming to U.S.
• Optional active steering with rear-wheel steering
• Standard adjustable damping control
• Optional internet access
• Revised interior
• New iDrive system with improved graphics, digital owner’s manual
• Additional environmental controls/knobs/buttons
• Ambient lighting
• Optional sliding roof measuring 23.6 inches by 36.2 inches
• Standard parking sensors, backup camera
• Optional sideview cameras

Comments

[DoubleBimmer]

Ugh. Here we go again. Another ugly 7. BMW had a chance to redeem themselves, but they bangled it. At least they liposuctioned the butt.

[GV]

i dont like the exterior the inside is very nice compared to the s class. but outside it is very ugly .the s class wins on outside looks!!

[John]

My Volvo S80 is soooooo much better looking

[George]

I'd wait for the 8 speed automatic.

[Joshy]

I don't mean to be a stickler about this kind of thing, but theres not much (see: none) mention in this article about the fact that the new 7 can do internet from the main console. In fact, if you look at the last thumbnail image, you can see that google.com is running on the main screen. When you blow up the picture, however, it's cut off in a not-so-subtle manner. It seems like this is a fairly notable milestone in automotive technologies, and the reporter clearly knew about it (cause of the picture), and it's not classified information (because edmunds was reporting about it two days ago), so i'm wondering what's going on here.

[vince]

I like the new interior, the gauges are now simple to read, not that orange tint they had before. The doors now look better, not slapped together. The vents are not the satin sliver like before which is good. The hvac controls now look better than the old grey knobs. looks like the cup holders are hidden, hopefully its in a good position unlike other bmws. The rear looks comfortable but those screens need to adjust to the recline of the seat. NOT THE JOYSTICK AND iDRIVE!! The old 7 interior looked like the S, but now it follows the volvo s80. The exterior is pretty edgy and looks more lightweight. The front looks thin like the XJ and the rear (thank you!!) looks more like the LS. The front looks pretty ... bland, not as commanding as the outgoing. Im happy its new and I have a bmw so im not hating, but if bmw thinks it can get a head by sticking other people's cars into one, i think the others have it running. And I agree that the S has a better exterior and the s80 has a more unique interior.

[Dave T]

joshy
we mention it in the story see above. It's interesting but with every cell phone on earth able to access the internet, the car might not be that interesting anymore.

[Audi]

I would prefer the Audi A8 to this model only because the A8's appearance is beefier and more muscular. This seems to be some ostensibly graceful *lead* weight 3 series.

make it come earlier

[Andrew]

I love BMW, but I feel like the redesign was just not so ... redesigned. Aesthetically, at least. I'm not too into the fatter grill, or the tailights (the rear looks too much like the newer 3 series, making it look cheaper). Overall, I still really like the 7 series, but I feel like it's just kind of dull.

P.S. What's the shifter doing back in the middle? Stay where you should be, behind the wheel!