Motor News travelled to Portugal to drive BMW’s updated flagship sedan
The massive grille totally dominates the new frontal design and has lifted the bonnet 50mm.When buying a true executive car, top of the list remains the three German sedans. The Audi A8 has fallen behind in popularity and a new Mercedes-Benz S-Class is coming in 2020, so BMW looks like it is in a pole position with its 7 Series, the updated version of which we just drove in Portugal and which will arrive in SA in late May or early June 2019.
Some will like its increased presence; after all, styling is a subjective thing. The changes have come about because BMW sold 44% of its 7 Series models in Asia in 2018 and the Chinese wanted a bolder front end in order for it to provide more status over the 5 Series. New technology includes the latest infotainment system, and updates to the gesture control including the ability to “thumb” your way through music tracks. All well and good adding gestures, but the system is still a bit hit and miss in its operation. The same is true of the Personal Assistant, which allows you to say “Hey BMW” and interact with it.
Bigger changes have occurred in the engine bay, with upgrades to many of the powerplants. The 750Li gets a new V8 unit with 60kW more power at 390kW, while the plug-in hybrid 745Le gets a new straight-six, which together with the updated batteries gives a combined output of 280kW, jumping to 290kW in Sport mode. The PHEV also gets an increase in electric-only range from 50km to 58km. Interestingly, the M760Li drops power from 448kW to 430kW, mainly to reduce emissions.
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