Calling the 7 Series a just flagship model, certainly wouldn’t do any justice for this luxury titan. The heir to the throne for the BMW dynasty, BMW goes bolder, smarter and pure hybrid with the sixth iteration of the 7 series. Making its debut in 2020, the Germans are set to roll out a fleet of hybrid luxury sedans. With standard as well as ‘xDrive’ variants of the 750Li, the 745Le, the 750Ld, the 740Ld and the 730Ld models, the tally is roughly ten.
So what’s different about the 2020 7 Series compared to its predecessor?
If you’re a BMW enthusiast, the first thing you’ll notice, are the enlarged grills. Being 40% larger than the previous 7 series, the face does share strong resemblance with the X7, its SUV counterpart. The sedan has also been flanked by thin headlights with LED inserts, while the rear section almost remains the same, but updated with restyled lighting. Overall, the appeal leans towards a more aggressive and sporty side, rather than the traditional classy and clean aesthetic.
In terms of the luxurious cockpit, the 2020 model comes with much smarter driving assist and focuses strictly on safety. You’ll notice the speed-indicating gauges have been swapped out, giving it a more digital and minimalist appeal. In addition, an executive rear seat package option includes a BMW Touch Command tablet for manipulating the rear-seat entertainment, which includes two 10-inch displays and its own Blu-Ray player. Don’t forget the wireless charging docks, Wi-Fi and ambience lighting facilities.
The vehicle is also packed with the BMW Intelligent Personal Assistant, which allows the driver to access a variety of functions and information about the car and its surroundings through voice control.
Under its hood, resides a new V8 six-cylinder plug-in hybrid powertrain that thumps out 389 HP, just a notch higher than what a city sedan would theoretically need. Although, if properly applied, it’s enough to sprint from 0 to 60 mph in 4.9 seconds, all while offering an all-electric power mode for zero local emissions and silent running. BMW will release specs on range for the EV mode at a later date.
Under the skin, BMW has confirmed the usage of a variety of high-tech materials for the construction, including a Carbon Core passenger cell and carbon fibre-reinforced plastic elsewhere.
Expect this executive ride to cost no less than US $83,000 but that can go all the way to $156,700.
All Images: BMW