To give you some indication of the number of changes wrought upon the new iteration of BMW’s flagship 7 Series, the press release runs to 8,000 words. Distilling all this innovation into a snappy news story will be a challenge, but here goes. In short, BMW describe this as the ‘most extensive BMW Group model update ever’.
Inside and out, the 7 Series has been transformed, no doubt mindful of the recent updates announced for its long-term revival, the Mercedes S-Class, as well as the ever-louder clamour of Chinese competitors.
You’ll remember the current generation (G70) 7 Series. As the all-electric BMW i7, it was the car that set a new for rear-seat entertainment with the introduction of the 31.3in Theatre Screen that folded down from the roof and also served as a useful division between driver/employee and owner. It was feature that was swiftly imitated (and bested) by several premium Chinese brands.
Not to be outdone, the rear screen has now been upgraded to 8K resolution with the addition of Dolby Atmos (and integrated video conferencing, should you desire to take such horrors on the road). BMW has also thrown in a passenger side display screen for good measure – the company’s first (although it is way behind the trend here).
Photographed here at the headquarters of the BEEAH Group in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, self-evidently designed by Zaha Hadid Architects, there’s a strong contrast between the BMW’s stoic upright simplicity and ZHA’s fluid concrete gymnastics. Nevertheless, the new 7 has been given a fairly comprehensive aesthetic makeover in line with BMW’s incoming Neue Klasse design language (already seen on the BMW i3 and BMW iX3).
BMW 'Neue Klasse' 7 Series, 2026
Stately would be a polite way of putting it. BMW’s designers have been looking over the shoulder of Rolls-Royce’s team, especially when it comes to the application of what one could polite call ‘stately verticality’ (don’t forget that Rolls is part of the BMW Group and under the skin of the i7 there’s quite a bit of engineering acumen shared with Rolls-Royce). BMW calls the design ‘monolithic’, with new front and rear treatment – the latter evoking the tail-spanning light configuration of the much smaller 3 Series.
The new rear lights
At the front, the 7 has been given a new face. The kidney grille is still enormous, but the combination of horizontal, vertical and 45-degree lines gives the car a faintly anonymous appearance, especially as the slim LED headlights have been reduced still further to thin lines on either side of the top of the radiator grille.
It’s more resolved than the original G70 model in the sense that it conveys the sense of a single, unified design (especially in two tone paint configuration), whereas the first generation car front elevation looked a little bit like two disparate models spliced together.
The brutalist front elevation of the new BMW 7 Series
The 7 Series frequently benefits from customers opting into to the BMW Individual, where paint and trim options are practically limitless. Other bespoke options include sparkling crystal headlights and a dual-finish exterior paint (a new take on two-tone, combining matt and gloss finishes).
Detail of the new two-tone paintwork and the famous BMW 'Hofmeister Kink'
The intensive lighting package has orchestrated welcome and goodbye modes, while the optional ‘Ceremonial Light Carpet’ projects a cascade of light out from the doors, using 194,000 animated LED lights. Elsewhere in the cabin, as well as that additional customer screen and cinematic rear options, you’ll also find smartphone-style screens set into the rear door handles (‘Touch Command modules’), providing control options for windows, seats and the four-zone automatic climate control. The main cabin controls are operated via the BMW Panoramic iDrive system and BMW’s Operating System X. Alexa+ is the onboard AI agent of choice.
The standard Passenger Screen doubles down on the ‘wonky iPad on a shelf’ aesthetic of BMW interiors, adding a second smaller, asymmetric screen to give front seat passengers their own personal media space. Audio is provided by Bowers & Wilkins, with a standard complement of 18 speakers and 655 watts of power.
The new 7 Series features an additional Passenger Screen as standard
Upgrade to the B&W Diamond Surround Sound System and BMW has somehow found space for 35 speakers putting out 1,965 watts, including speakers integrated into the headsets for Dolby Atmos experience surround sound. The regular Comfort seats can be replaced by optional Executive Lounge seating in the rear, which come with a leg rest, heated armrests and greater recline angles.
Executive Lounge rear seating
Another major change is the dashboard. Instead of a traditional instrument binnacle behind the newly redesigned steering wheel, BMW’s Panoramic Vision feature projects information right across the width of the windscreen, just below the driver’s line of sight. This is combined with a 3D Head-Up display. There’s also an optional digital interior mirror – particularly useful if the Theatre Screen has been deployed and blocked off the view through the rear window.
The two information panels are supplemented by the wide Panoramic Vision screen
BMW does its best to ensure that even its most limo-like models are still fine machines to drive despite their size and weight. The latest generation Level 2 driver assistance package includes a Motorway Assistant-style advanced cruise control that can handle junctions in most European countries (with the UK introduction to be confirmed) as well as slow for corners and roundabouts.
BMW 'Neue Klasse' 7 Series, 2026
All-electric i7 models – three of them – launch first, with two plug-in hybrids to follow. The range leader is the i7 50 xDrive, which offers up to 452 miles of range, whilst the performance laurels going to the i7 M70 xDrive, with a total of 680 hp and 0-62 mph dispatched in 3.8 seconds. The two plug-in hybrid variants will be the 750e xDrive and the top-tier M760e xDrive, another BMW M Performance model.
BMW 'Neue Klasse' 7 Series, 2026
New cars – especially those in the upper tiers of tech-stuffed sophisticated – are increasingly subjected to comprehensive online deconstructions of their various gadgets and trinkets. The new 7 Series will doubtless get the same treatment, thanks to its panoply of screens and servo-assisted seats.
BMW 'Neue Klasse' 7 Series, 2026
It’s an impressive piece of work, but we can’t help but feel that the industry is obsessed with innovation for innovation’s sake, often at the expense of simplicity, practicality and repairability. However, for those in search of the latest, greatest, most gadget-stuffed vehicle on the roads, the 7 Series is most certainly a contender.
New BMW 7 Series, prices tbc, more information at BMW.co.uk