09 Jul 08
From the side, the new BMW 7-Series looks long and sleek. There aren't too many lines cluttering up the sculpted side panels - just a shoulder line stretching from the headlight cluster to the rear lights and a doorsill line that emerges from the front wheel arch. These combine well with the blend of convex and concave surfaces that make up the side of the car, which means the elegance box is well and truly ticked. The roofline is also low enough to give it that sportiness BMW is looking to incorporate, but it's not so low that headroom inside is compromised (unlike the X6).
The transition from the side to the rear is also successful - the contour line from the side that takes in the lower edge of the windows continues into the boot and the rooflines flow all the way into the bumper. The almost L-shaped rear lights, split by the bootline, are made up of wide, horizontal LED light bars and are joined to each other by a chrome strip along the boot.
The front of the car, however, is the part of the design of the new 7 that works least well. The standard BMW-issue kidney grille and corona-ringed headlights are there, but the grille is more upright than ever before and it's just a little too prominent for our tastes. And while we applaud the decision not to put too many lines on the bonnet, a la Mercedes, it does mean that it's just, well, a bit slabby-looking.
The new interior is hard to fault, however. The long wheelbase means that there's plenty of legroom up front and in the back - with the option of a longer version that adds 140mm between the wheels - while the 7's width means that there's plenty of shoulder and elbow room. As you'd expect from a large executive car, it's pretty luxurious inside - and it comes with more toys than Hamleys.
