pdeacon

A friend came by with his new 7 Series. Appears to be only incremental styling changes to the exterior. Not much different from the model it replaces. The real changes have taken place with the interior. Truly a big advancement over the previous model. Now on a par with the S Class in material finishes and technology. This particular vehicle had every conceivable option. The rear seating area seems to have as many control switches as the front compartment including a removable iPad in the center arm rest that allows one to control a number of vehicle functions from the back seat. Coincidently the leather interior color is very similar to the silk beige in my S so it allowed a good comparison. It is a very impressive car that now drives like and has the luxury feel of the S. I found it obvious that the S was the benchmark for materials and technology. Now the big question; would I consider the 7 as an S replacement? In my opinion the S has a more elegant exterior design. The interior fit, finish and "feel" are now equal. I do find the technology easier to use in my S but that is probably a function of the many MB's I have owned over the past several years. The 7 will certainly be cross shopped with an S more than it has been in the past. It is one sweet ride. I'm not sure I'm ready to make the switch but the choice is more tempting now than it has ever been. This will be a very successful model for BMW...but at the moment I would be hard pressed to make the leap. My friend ordered the spare tire option in spite of the run flat tires that come as standard equipment. It does encroach on trunk space but he felt more comfortable having the spare.

Spec33

I have been a loyal BMW owner for many years, but when I seen the new S550 I had to have one. I traded my 2011 750li in for my 2015 s550. I have recently seen the new 750 at the dealer and I may have acted to fast. Don't get me wrong, the S class is at the top of the hill, but I have always considered the S550 a luxury car with sporty features, But the 750 is a sporty car with luxury features. I have always love the handling of the 750. Now with the new 750, I may go back...decisions, decisions, decisions.

Wolfman

It's great to have more choices. BMW definitely stepped up and it's a excellent option to consider. Much nicer than our last 750 but I haven't warmed up to the exterior.

Actually I am indifferent to it. Don't love or hate the look of the car, it's not bad to look at, just completely unexciting and somewhat forgettable.

WSH

As a consumer, always been rather underwhelmed by BMW's inept engineering....even in M: weak brakes, dubious computer reliability, weak tq/gearboxes, weak active/passive safety structures/systems, awful engine/exhaust music, pathetic HVAC (even vs coastal CA's mild climate), etc etc

If comparing corp profitability, different dynamics: vast majority of affluent folks anywhere can't drive and buy whatever POS is fashionable at moment and fits within finite budgets/lease parameters....thus, Porsche POS kill anyone else in "scale" profits...

wilassasin

I've always loved bmw's and have previously owned three, (2) 750's and (1) 335 coupe. However, not trying to imply that I prefer one manufacturer over the other because I feel that both truly make great vehicles, but the one thing I've experienced with MB that I really enjoy is the interior luxury.

The New 7 to me has not pushed the car in the direction I've anticipated but I hope others will enjoy it.

Chucky300

Exterior styling is so close to previous generation. It's not a leap forward design wise.

Tech inside is very impressive but much of it redundant. I just purposely drove my father's 2014 7 series individual to upstate. 120 mile drive. The twirling of the hands to raise the volume up or down? I have a button (as does the new one) at our finger tips on the steering wheel. I also have a dial on my steering wheel to toggle different channels or tracks on my USB.

The tablet in the back to control everything in the car like the windows, radio, etc. Come on - we have buttons on the doors that open the shades and windows. I am positive its faster and easier to just press that button.

Im not knocking BMW at all - I actually enjoy the drive better in the BMW 7 over the S and feel it is more vault like.

But to throw in tech for the sense of showing you have the capability isn't as impressive as meaningful tech that would apply for every day use.

The key to park the car? No one is going to use it more than once, or to show a friend.

Tablet in the back will be good for bored backseat drivers (who already have smart phone and will likely just use their smart phones)

I think they may have been throwing darts at a board here. They weren't sure what tech the consumer would want, so they threw it all in - relevant of not.

Wolfman

I recently read a statistic from JD Powers that shows many people never use the tech the car industry spends so much money developing.

Gesture control is a solution in search of a problem and a limited one at that (IMO)

http://www.jdpower.com/cars/articles...ology-features

ajm0623

bang on agree with you, chucky300 and wolfman. (i know we're discussing the new 7 on this thread but) even on our s-classes of today and of yore: lots of technology built in ,,, for what appears to be technology's sake ,,, that actually make it *more* difficult in some instances to 1/ perform basic function execution or 2/ is just plain silly. to wit (respectively): 1/ why can't we have an "off" button that shuts off the hvac system (like we did on the 221s)? currently, i must go through several maneuvers of switches and/or mouse clicks to bring up the hvac menu to *just shut off the system*; and 2/ remember the 90s s-classes that had powered interiour rear view mirrors controlled by a round switch at the base of the centre console by the ash tray? silly over-engineered function. (note well we no longer have them. well done.)

jprescott

I find it interesting that a spare tire is offered. Could it be that BMW (and hopefully MB eventually) have realized that giving a set up option with non run flats is important to some of us?

Wolfman

You can only get run-flats from BMW even if the spare tire option is selected.
I think they realized that nobody stocks run flats and that people need to be able to drive until that tire comes in...