BMW’s New 7 Series Is Hand-Painted and Packed With Screens You Might Actually Want

In January, Mercedes-Benz revealed the heavily revised 2027 S-Class, and it hasn’t taken BMW long to respond with its most luxurious and technologically advanced car ever, the 2027 7 Series. Unlike Mercedes, which is still producing an electric alternative under a different name and with unique styling in the form of the quirky 2027 EQS, BMW is sticking with one design language for combustion, plug-in hybrid, and electric models, and while we hesitate to call it pretty, this new design language is subtly more appealing than that of the pre-facelift 7 Series. We’ll start with the looks, but since BMW’s press release is four pages longer than Mercedes-Benz‘s 22-page announcement, there’s far more to the new 7 Series than immediately meets the eye.

2027 BMW 7 Series Styling: Monolithic, Not Messy

While the previous iteration of the 7 Series seemed somewhat awkward and unresolved, the 2027 model has adopted Neue Klasse design to great effect, with a slimmer, less bulbous, and more vertical pair of kidney grilles, surrounded by Iconic Glow illumination and hiding the radar, camera, and other sensors, as well as the washer nozzles. The front lighting units remain separated between upper DRLs and lower headlight clusters, but these are more attractive, with the latter now vertically aligned and only using one projector per side. Optionally, crystal headlights with 12 crystal glass elements per light can be specified, and these get a darkened effect with the optional M Sport treatment. Are these necessary? No. Do they add to the feeling of opulence? Surely. Adaptive LED lighting with cornering is standard, and the lights provide welcome and farewell animations. As part of these animations, there is now what BMW calls a “ceremonial light carpet,” projecting light from the door sills onto the ground so you don’t get your expensive loafers wet in a puddle.

The shoulders of the car flow to the rear to accentuate length, below which new door handles appear in Satinized Aluminum or gloss black, the latter with the M Sport package. At the back, the taillights are longer and have chrome strips to further highlight their size, and at both ends, the lights flank a new, larger matte-finished BMW badge within a valley/recess. Opt for the M Sport treatment, and BMW adds darkened taillights, 21-inch wheels, dark kidneys, blue brake calipers, and special animations. An M steering wheel and black rear spoiler are also available with the M Sport Professional package, which also paints the calipers black. But ultimate elegance for the 2027 7 Series comes courtesy of a new BMW Individual dual-finish paint scheme, where the lower half of the car gets a matte finish, and the upper section gets a hand-applied metallic paint, with the two separated by a hand-painted Rolls-Royce-like “coach line.” This 12-step process takes over 75 hours, or more than three days, to complete. BMW says this is six times longer than it takes to apply a normal paint finish, highlighting how the 7 Series is flirting with the ultra-luxury segment. Of course, paint is not the primary focus of luxury limo buyers; it’s the interior experience.

2027 BMW 7 Series Interior: Tech Meets Luxury

The main attractions of the 7 Series are found in the back, where the 8K 31.3-inch Theater Screen resides below the Panoramic Skylounge LED roof with 40 diodes and a pattern that matches the quilting on the seats. The Theater Screen is now a full touchscreen and is controllable in function and tilt by the screens in the door cards. It also gains a camera to allow Zoom video conferencing and can accept HDMI inputs to allow you to connect your laptop. Because this TV-like display impedes the driver’s rearview when deployed, the rearview mirror now doubles as a digital display for a camera on the rear parcel shelf. Below the screen, the headrests of the front seats now have illumination that forms part of the extensive ambient lighting setup, lighting that extends to the speaker grilles of the Bowers & Wilkins 18-speaker Surround Sound System. Optionally, this can be upgraded to a Bowers & Wilkins Diamond Surround Sound System with Dolby Atmos, double the speakers, and 1,925 watts of power. Four years of data are included with the car to allow easy access to the internet.

To take full advantage of the experience in the back, buyers can spec the Executive Lounge option, which allows one to lie back at up to 43 degrees and includes an integrated leg rest for the occupant behind the front passenger. It also offers a heated armrest and an Alcantara-trimmed wireless smartphone charger, and BMW says that, while this tilts the front passenger seat forward, the driver can still see the wing mirror on that side of the car. Numerous interior options are available: M Sport with Merino leather in Black/Atlas Grey with optional M tricolor accents or BMW Individual Merino leather in Black, Mocha, Smoke White, or Tartufo. Bi-color options include Smoke White/Light Grey, Black/Dark Grey, and Caramel/Atlas Grey. The headlining comes in either Anthracite or Atlas Grey, with an Anthracite Alcantara also on offer. With the extended leather option, a new Adelaide Grey color is also available, and cashmere wool can be ordered for various sections of the upholstery.

BMW has also enhanced luxury and tech for those in front. While the AI-assisted Panoramic iDrive concept is familiar from the iX3 and i3, as is the four-spoke steering wheel, the 17.9-inch central touchscreen is here joined by a standard passenger display to allow the person riding shotgun to enjoy movies or other entertainment on a 14.6-inch screen. This automatically dims when there’s no one sitting alongside the driver, and when there is, it has a shield function to prevent distraction. As standard, the front seats are ventilated and provide a massage function, and these functions are both available for the rear seats, too. The soft-close doors are smoother than before, and the automatic motors are now complemented by radar sensors to ensure the doors don’t hit obstacles beside the car or open when another car or a cyclist is approaching.

2027 BMW 7 Series: Powertrains and Pricing

Two all-electric i7 models will be offered at launch: i7 50 xDrive with 449 horsepower and 487 lb-ft of torque (0-60 in 5.3 seconds, top speed of 130 mph) and i7 60 xDrive, with a maximum of 536 hp and 549 lb-ft (0-60 in 4.6 seconds, top speed of 149 mph). These will start at $106,200 and $124,700 (excluding $1,550 for destination), respectively, and the latter will offer over 350 miles of range from its 112.5 kWh battery. Recharging increases to a rate of 250 kW, enabling a charge from 10-80 percent in as little as 28 minutes through a standard NACS charge port. Adapters for other chargers will also be available.

Those who prefer inline six-cylinder combustion power can choose from the 740 xDrive with a new turbocharger helping produce 394 hp and 398 lb-ft (0-60 mph in under five seconds and a top speed of 155 mph) or a rear-wheel-drive 740, whose acceleration figures have not been revealed. The regular 740 has a base MSRP of $99,800, while the AWD version starts at $102,800, again excluding $1,550 for destination.

Related: LEAKED: 2027 BMW 3 Series Hybrid Will Be Even More Powerful Than We Thought

If you’d prefer a hybrid, the 750e xDrive is a plug-in entering production in the final quarter of this year with a 308-hp straight-six and a 194-hp electric motor, delivering a combined total of 483 hp and 516 lb-ft. This will do the 0-60 sprint in approximately 4.6 seconds and will top out at 155 mph with the engine in play or 87 mph in EV mode. As this will only arrive next year, pricing is not yet available. Sometime next year, BMW will launch a V8-powered M Performance model, likely meant as a rival to the incoming Mercedes-AMG S 63.

Conclusion: BMW 7 Series Levels Up

BMW has refined the looks of its luxury limo to the point that one no longer needs to justify the purchase by focusing on the tech. Yet, the 7 Series has taken a clear step forward there, too, and with self-levelling air suspension that is joined by a system that decouples the connection between each axle’s wheels to reduce body roll when driving in a straight line and maximize overall comfort, the experience will surely be serenely plush. Hand-applied paint over a meticulously hand-sanded body further speaks to how seriously the 7 Series is taking luxury, and while six figures is a lot of money to spend on a car, the pricing seems justified. This is close to Maybach levels of opulence in a remarkably intelligent package. Will it be enough for BMW to retain its luxury crown for another year? The fight is on.

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