For 2027, the 7 Series got one of the most comprehensive mid-cycle refreshes (life-cycle impulse in BMW-speak) in BMW history. The LCI 7 doesn’t just have a new and vastly improved front and rear end, but the interior is also almost entirely new, adopting the screens, steering wheel, and nearly everything from the Neue Klasse.
I spent a little time in the i7 last week, in both the front and the back, and came away with quite a few thoughts on this refreshed edition of BMW’s luxury flagship.
It Looks So Much Better
While it’s true that car design is subjective, the original design for the G70 7 was the most controversial since the E65 was released in 2001. The G70 was such a departure, and so bizarre, that every reaction was polarizing. This update, though, takes that original design and turns it into something chiseled, imposing, and, most importantly, cohesive.
What felt like five designs mixed into one now seems to make sense from front to back.The front end is far better integrated and the wider taillights do wonders for the rear of the car. Of course, the design is still subjective and many people will still be unhappy with the direction BMW took here, but I think this LCI does a much more successful job of communicating the design language than the initial model did.
The interior looks great, though there are complaints (see them below), but the available steering wheels and the new design there can be frustrating. BMW has gone a different direction with the wheels, putting spokes at 12 and 6 rather than 9 and 3. This can make it easy to mix up, at a quick glance, whether the wheel is straight or turned. Is it a real problem? No. But while it feels great in my hands, this new design doesn’t look natural.
No Buttons
The LCI 7 incorporates the Neue Klasse interior into the 7 Series. While most LCIs are a small refresh, this amounts to a generational change inside. The 7 gets the new Panoramic iDrive, the Neue Klasse center screen, and a passenger screen. What it doesn’t get are buttons. The iDrive controller is gone along with all the HVAC controls, including the vent adjustments. Buttons held on the wheel are haptic touch.
I’m a fan of buttons, so this change from the automaker that made iDrive into the best in-car infotainment solution is a shock. The good is that the screen is responsive and easy to use, and the AI-powered assistant (because of course the assistant is AI powered) can use conversational voice commands to make changes or pull up menus. The bad is that, well, many things take more steps than before. Drive mode changes are held in the screen, as are things you may want to adjust in the moment, like the following distance for the cruise control. It takes a lot of getting used to, but also takes your eyes of the road.
Panoramic iDrive Is Great
That all said, the new panoramic display on the base of the windshield is fantastic. It’s easy to read, isn’t impacted by polarized glasses, and puts all the info you need right where you’re looking. The 7 can still be had with a true head up display, but it truly isn’t needed.
The Rear Seat Is A Lot
The i7 60 xDrive I spent time with also had the theater screen in the back, the massive 31-inch drop down screen that takes up the full width of the rear. Unlike before, 7s with the screen have a digital mirror, which does let you see behind while driving, an important improvement. The rear seat also reclines to a lounge position and moves the passenger seat forward to a point where your feet are resting near the driver. Now, I’m not someone who gets driven around and I found that I felt rather awkward being chauffeured, but for people who are more comfortable with being waited on, it’ll be a comfortable, relaxing experience.
It Drives Great
Much of the driving experience remains the same, so this does use the same motors as the old i7, just with new batteries that can provide more than 400 miles of range. It’s smooth and tractable, with plenty of power. The driver aids are also really impressive on the highway, allowing for hands-free driving, steering, and even lane changes, which can be activated by the blinker, by looking and turning the wheel where you want it to go, or by simply looking when the car recommends a lane change.
I find letting a car drive for me to be disconcerting, and even though it said I could keep my hands off the wheel and feet off the pedals, I just didn’t trust it and kept them nearby, shadowing the inputs. But it worked flawlessly, and for people in congested areas, these systems are likely lifesavers.
So, the 7 looks better, drives well, and is still just as luxurious. And what it loses in buttons, in gains in tech. It does improve on the car it replaces, though I still miss buttons inside. But the market dictates what all automakers do. BMW is no different, and there are many places in the world, like China, that aren’t interested in using buttons. It’s just the world we live in now.
