When you think “big fancy luxury sedan” you think Mercedes S-Class.
the best, or nothing
That pleases Mercedes greatly. It elicits an emotion of “joy” among German executives to know that they’ve produced a vehicle that’s held the highest reputation since the Shah was in power.
But the BMW 7-series has, quietly, been one of the most important luxury cars of the past 20 years.
In 1997, the 7-Series took a starring role in the “Tomorrow Never Dies”, as one of the first four-door cars in a Bond film.
awesome
The 2000-2012 third-generation Range Rover contained a surprising number of 7-Series parts.
The shocking, divisive 2002 Bangle-era 7-Series set the stage for exterior design and interior electronics for the past decade.
polarizing
All of this while being the performance alternative, playing “Bentley” to the S-Class’s Rolls-Royce.
Ironic, since one in 5 parts of the current Rolls-Royce Ghost comes from the 7-Series.
the most expensive 7 series money can buy
So as BMW readies another new 7-Series, why are they choosing to kill it?
Sure it has cool gizmos. The self-driving feature from the Bond 7-Series is actually a reality now, as the new model will have a key-controlled self-parking feature — where you can actually step out of the vehicle and park the car.
NEAT
You can touch the screen on the dashboard GPS.
But the new model looks like a bad bodykit tacked onto the previous one — not a leap forward, but a hesitant tiptoe.
but at least they tacked on some plastic!
The V12 model — essentially a half-price Rolls-Royce — is gone, just as Mercedes expands the V12 S600 into not one, but two models.
Worst of all, the short-wheelbase 7-Series isn’t being sold in the US, despite being one of the best sports-sedans money can buy.
not to mention best-looking
You’ll have two choices for your next 7-Series:
The bloatedly-long V8 750i, or the bloatedly-long and slow V6 740i.
Slowly, the 7-Series is being absorbed into other models.
The new 6-Series Gran Coupe is one inch longer than the 2001 BMW 740i — and only one inch shorter than the model that replaced it.
also: sexy
In fact, the current SWB 740i the same length as the LWB 2001 BMW 740iL.
A rumored 9-Series based off the Vision Future Luxury Concept will probably take over for the former V12 7-Series.
So what does all this mean?
The 7-Series is no longer an important vehicle to BMW. It used to be the aspirational executive sedan, a car you’d be equally happy to drive or be driven in.
Now it’s just another notch on a list of numbered vehicles, a box with neat gizmos that hopefully Mercedes, Audi, and Tesla buyers check before making their respective purchases.
How the mighty have fallen.
RIP