2022 BMW i7

The iDrive Dial Will Live On, But Only In The Biggest BMWs

Some BMWs are just too large to comfortably reach across and tap a touchscreen, one of the brand's interior designers says.

BMW’s iDrive interface is like cilantro — some people love it while others believe it tastes like soap. But iDrive has been curiously missing on some of the brand’s newer models, like the 2 Series Active Tourer. It figures to miss the X1 as well. If you thought that meant the polarizing puck wasn’t long for this world, think again. BMW’s just decided to be a bit more discerning with when and where it’s used.

Stefan Frick, interior designer for the brand, told British publication AutoExpress that iDrive will live on in the company’s larger vehicles — like the complicated, conflicted-looking 7 Series — where the driver might struggle to reach a touchscreen:

“You have to think about the architecture of the car and the ergonomics. If the screen is not close enough it makes no sense [to remove the rotary controller], he said, adding, “In the 2 Series [Active Tourer] it’s a different architecture, and the screen is pretty close - it’s quite convenient to control with touch.”
Click to expand...

Of course BMW makes quite a number of big vehicles these days, from its latest flagship sedan to the X7 and the forthcoming XM — which is still kind of hard to believe is actually happening. The company is so good at setting the internet on fire every time it posts a rendering that its worst design crimes barely stay in our collective memory for more than two weeks. That’s probably part of the strategy.

jalopnik.com

The iDrive Dial Will Live On, But Only In The Biggest BMWs - Jalopnik

BMW’s iDrive interface is like cilantro — some people love it while others believe it tastes like soap. But iDrive has been curiously missing on some of the brand’s newer models, like the 2 Series Active Tourer. It figures to miss the X1 as well. If you thought that meant the polarizing puck...
jalopnik.com jalopnik.com
 
BMW opens i7 configurators in Germany, Canada and the UK

BMW has opened the i7 configurator in Canada, Germany and the UK, so now eager pre-orderers can preselect all the goodies they'd want on their uber-expensive new luxury sedan. Or you know, for fantasy buyers of dream cars.

In Germany, the BMW i7 xDrive60 in its Excellence trim starts at €138,310, in the UK it's £110,455, while in Canada it's CAD 147,000.

The included extras list is a long one - soft-close doors, the interactive bar in the dashboard, ambient lighting, heated seats, a Bowers&Wilkins sound system, air suspension, and adaptive LED lights.

www.arenaev.com

BMW opens i7 configurators in Germany, Canada and the UK

The configurator is open and you can preselect all the options for the i7 sedan.
www.arenaev.com www.arenaev.com
 
Under the skin: How the BMW i7 makes use of its advanced tech

EV can take on board 106 miles of range in 10 minutes due to improved battery management and cooling

Although much of the chat surrounding the new BMW 7 Series has focused on its looks, the firm's electric drive technology continues to evolve underneath that controversial skin.

The first global model from launch will be the BMW i7 xDrive60 BEV powered by the brand's existing fifth-generation eDrive package, with elements of it, such as the regenerative braking functions, tweaked further to eke out even more efficiency from the drivetrain.

The fifth-generation eDrive is based on drive motor-generator technology that does away with permanent magnets in the rotor (the spinning part of the motor) and the rare earth metals they are made of.

The price of neodymium oxide, used to make the high-powered magnets, more than doubled back in 2019, and because 90% of the supply comes from one source (China), moving away from its use improves the sustainability of EVs and knocks any concerns over future supplies on the head.

The alternative chosen by BMW is the electrically excited synchronous motor, which swaps the rotor’s permanent magnetic field for one produced by electricity. That involves feeding electricity to the rotor via brushes and a slip ring (rather than it being brushless), which is traditionally seen as a disadvantage. But in reality, the technology has worked fine for BMW so far and it also worked well in the Renault Zoe.

www.autocar.co.uk

Under the skin: How the BMW i7 makes use of its advanced tech | Autocar

EV can take on board 106 miles of range in 10 minutes due to improved battery management and cooling
www.autocar.co.uk www.autocar.co.uk
 
BMW 7 Series and i7 (2022) Specs & Price

How much will the new BMW 7 Series cost in South Africa? The Munich-based firm has released indicative pricing for its new flagship luxury sedan range, which includes the all-electric i7…

BMW Group South Africa has announced local indicative pricing for its seventh-generation 7 Series line-up, which is scheduled to touch down in the fourth quarter of 2022. The global reveal was as recent as April 2022.

In South Africa, the long-wheelbase G70-generation luxury saloon range will include petrol (though not the twin-turbo 4.4-litre V8), diesel and all-electric powertrains at launch. Three specification packages will be available: Design Pure Excellence, the M Sport Package and the M Sport Package Pro.

The 740i uses a turbocharged 3.0-litre straight-6 petrol engine (with a 48 V mild-hybrid system), offering the rear axle peak outputs of 280 kW and 540 Nm through an 8-speed automatic transmission. The result is a claimed 0-100 kph time of 5.4 seconds and a top speed of 240 kph. Indicative pricing for the 740i starts at R2 160 000.

The local market is also set to receive the 740d xDrive, a derivative that wasn’t detailed at the global reveal, but which will kick off here at around R2 280 000. This all-wheel-drive derivative’s 3.0-litre straight-6 turbodiesel heart generates 210 kW and 650 Nm, facilitating a claimed 6.3-second sprint to three figures.

Finally, the fully electric i7 tops the range, with indicative pricing starting at R2 825 000. Offered in xDrive60 guise, the i7 has two electric motors that draw their urge from a 101.7 kWh lithium-ion battery pack mounted beneath the floor. Delivered through a two-stage, single-speed transmission, maximum system outputs come in at 400 kW and 745 Nm. The claimed 0-100 kph time is 6.1 seconds, top speed is limited to 240 kph and claimed range is between 590 and 625 km (on the WLTP cycle).

How much does the BMW 7 Series cost in South Africa?

BMW 740i Design Pure Excellence – R2 160 000

BMW 740i M Sport Package – R2 235 000

BMW 740i M Sport Package Pro – R2 275 000

BMW 740d xDrive Design Pure Excellence – R2 280 000

BMW 740d xDrive M Sport Package – R2 355 000

BMW 740d xDrive M Sport Package Pro – R2 395 000

BMW i7 xDrive60 Design Pure Excellence – R2 825 000

BMW i7 xDrive60 M Sport Package – R2 900 000

BMW i7 xDrive60 M Sport Package Pro – R2 940 000

*note these indicative prices include VAT but exclude CO2 emissions tax

www.cars.co.za

BMW 7 Series and i7 (2022) Specs & Price

How much will the new BMW 7 Series cost in SA? The firm has released indicative pricing for its new flagship luxury sedan range...
www.cars.co.za www.cars.co.za
 
BMW’s Enormous New Theater Screen Blocks Your Rear View

The new 7 Series will come with a 31-inch screen in the back, which BMW admits could block your rear view.

BMW is preparing to launch its next generation 7 Series sedan and, as you’d expect, it’s packed full of fancy technology. One of the standout new features is an expansive 31-inch screen in the back that folds down from the ceiling. But BMW admits that, when in use, the screen blocks the driver’s view.

The 31-inch Theater Screen was one of the big talking points on the interior of the new 7 Series, which was unveiled earlier this year. It forms a big chunk of the 70-inches worth of screen you’ll find throughout the car, which our own Lawrence Hodge, warned risks being too much of a good thing.

When the screen is stowed away, it sits flush to the roof of the luxurious sedan and is hardly noticeable. But, once in use, it sticks down so far that it could get in the way of your rear view. And this is something BMW has acknowledged could be an issue with the new car.

jalopnik.com

BMW's Enormous New Theater Screen Blocks Your Rear View - Jalopnik

BMW is preparing to launch its next generation 7 Series sedan and, as you’d expect, it’s packed full of fancy technology. One of the standout new features is an expansive 31-inch screen in the back that folds down from the ceiling. But BMW admits that, when in use, the screen blocks the driver’s...
jalopnik.com jalopnik.com
 
The BMW i7 is coming to SA with its ICE counterparts – we have pricing!

It has been almost half a century since the 7 Series nameplate came into existence and the BMW i7 signals the first to be purely powered by electricity. Here is how much it will cost in South Africa in comparison to its fossil fuel powered counterparts.

The global market launch of the new BMW 7 Series range commences in the fourth quarter of 2022. Indicative pricing for the new 7 Series in South Africa (including VAT and excluding CO2 tax) is as follows:

BMW 740i Design Pure Excellence – R2 160 000

BMW 740i M Sport Package – R2 235 000

BMW 740i M Sport Package Pro – R2 275 000

BMW 740d xDrive Design Pure Excellence – R2 280 000

BMW 740d xDrive M Sport Package – R2 355 000

BMW 740d xDrive M Sport Package Pro – R 2 395 000

BMW i7 xDrive60 Design Pure Excellence – R2 825 000

BMW i7 xDrive60 M Sport Package – R2 900 000

BMW i7 xDrive60 M Sport Package Pro – R2 940 000

www.carmag.co.za

The BMW i7 is coming to SA with its ICE counterparts - we have pricing!

It has been almost half a century since the 7 Series nameplate came into existence and the BMW i7 signals the first to be purely powered by electricity. Here is how much it will cost in South Africa in comparison to its fossil fuel powered counterparts.
www.carmag.co.za www.carmag.co.za
 
I’m really not a fan of BMW’s “We’re going to prop up a monitor here instead of a dashboard” design. What do you think? I am leaning to Mercedes’ next because of this.
 
Why don't they just use the camera rear-view mirror design similar to Nissan's?
 
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