What makes the new BMW 7 Series as light as a 5 Series

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What makes the new BMW 7 Series as light as a 5 Series

What makes the new BMW 7 Series as light as a 5 Series-makes

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On a diet: The BMW engineers have largely opted for carbon for the new 7 Series.

Source: BMW

What makes the new BMW 7 Series as light as a 5 Series-bizarre duel laser light blenders

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As a result, the luxury sedan has become around 200 kilograms lighter and now weighs around 1.9 tons in the lightest version.

Source: BMW

What makes the new BMW 7 Series as light as a 5 Series-makes

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The 7 Series will celebrate its premiere at the IAA in September, shortly afterwards the car will go on sale.

Source: BMW

What makes the new BMW 7 Series as light as a 5 Series-makes

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During a first test drive in the still camouflaged prototype, the changeable driving behavior was particularly noticeable. With the luxury limousine you can either be sporty like in a 3-seater or knockout…mfortabel almost like being on a magic carpet. This is made possible by the air suspension, which pumps the car up by at least one and a maximum of four centimeters.

Source: BMW

What makes the new BMW 7 Series as light as a 5 Series-bizarre duel laser light blenders

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Gesture control in the cockpit is also new. For example, you can be connected to a conversation partner by pointing a finger on the display, and by swiping…The conversation can be ended again by moving from left to right.

Source: BMW

Mercedes has set standards with the S-Class and many model variants. With the 7 Series, BMW now wants to counter this with good driving behavior and technical innovations. The air suspension helps here.

A.This time, Klaus Frohlich can do without the usual camouflage film. When the newly appointed BMW Development Board Member now gives a first look at the new 7 Series, all you see is a skeleton. It is not possible to draw any conclusions about the shape and format of the luxury sedan from this. But the scaffolding nevertheless provides the perhaps all-important finding.

"For the first time, we have made significant use of carbon in a mass-produced vehicle," says Frohlich, drawing attention to the black carbon fiber elements that run lengthways and across the body shell.

Lighter and stiffer than steel or die-cast aluminum, they lower the center of gravity and push the weight. “We saved 40 kilograms in architecture alone,” says lightweight construction boss Florian Schek. And because the other trades also put each screw and component on the scales three or four times, the success of the diet adds up to 200 kilograms, Frohlich calculates.

The Maybach is to float away

What makes the new BMW 7 Series as light as a 5 Series-series

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With the XXL version, Mercedes is putting the crown on the S-Class.

Source: Daimler

What makes the new BMW 7 Series as light as a 5 Series-bizarre duel laser light blenders

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In contrast to the less fortunate relaunch shortly after the turn of the millennium, this time they didn’t build their own car and launched their own brand, but instead… keep close to the S-Class.

Source: Daimler

What makes the new BMW 7 Series as light as a 5 Series-Outwardly almost entirely same Series

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Nevertheless, the Maybach is not just a pimped up equipment variant, which is defined by thicker leather, more elaborate seams and softer upholstery.

Source: Daimler

What makes the new BMW 7 Series as light as a 5 Series-light

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The luxury sedan deserves the Maybach logo on the C-pillar with a wheelbase that is 20 centimeters longer…

Source: Daimler

What makes the new BMW 7 Series as light as a 5 Series-Maserati Ghibli trident fast lane

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…which with a length of 5.45 meters now completely benefit the backbenchers: because of the great success, it has been extended, so to speak.

Source: Daimler

What makes the new BMW 7 Series as light as a 5 Series-Maserati Ghibli trident fast lane

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In the 100-page price list there are a handful of options such as silver champagne flutes or the panoramic roof with the electrochromatic blackout from the SL, …which are reserved for the top version only. Because you can get heated cup holders or elegant folding tables even for the two shorter wheelbases.

Source: Daimler

What makes the new BMW 7 Series as light as a 5 Series-makes

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Anyone who can slide into the upholstery at the back on the right will enjoy legroom like in a ballroom and seating like in the first class of a scheduled airline – only that you can sit in the… Maybach sleeps better than in the Jumbo. And the infotainment system with fixed screens without touch function and a complicated remote control is top notch.

Source: Daimler

What makes the new BMW 7 Series as light as a 5 Series-makes

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That here in the 600 up to 830 Newton meters a 2.3 ton heavy mountain of steel can beat in case of doubt in 5.0 seconds from 0 to 100 and the 500 with 8 cylinders, 455 HP and …700 Nm is hardly less dynamic, the chauffeur may be pleased.

Source: Daimler

It is true that the expanded comfort and safety equipment consumes part of this gain. But in the end there is a weight saving of up to 130 kilograms and the lightest 7 Series suddenly weighs less than 1.9 tons.

This lowers the consumption of the luxury sedan and helps the manufacturer with the CO2 balance. “The lighter a car is, the more agile it feels. And the level of comfort increases with the rigidity, ”says Schek. In doing so, he outlines the balancing act that the 7 Series wants to achieve better than any other luxury liner: sometimes super sporty, sometimes super comfortable – and always calm, confident and effortless, the flagship should be and thus outperform competitors such as the Mercedes S-Class or the Audi A8.

The Bavarians are so proud of the scope of this balancing act and the extreme expression of the two characters that when they first encounter the 7 Series, they do not stop at looking under sheet metal, which is largely made of bent aluminum. Half a year before the public premiere at the IAA, Frohlich asked for the first test drive.

The car can be super sporty and super comfortable

The car actually feels as light and handy as a 5 or even a 3. Especially when the prototypes are equipped with the new, future standard air suspension and rear-axle steering. While the roll stabilization calms the body, the turned wheels in the rear reduce the radii and you notice the ten to 15 kilograms that were saved in unsprung mass per wheel at every pothole, the 7 Series cuts through the curves as if M GmbH had its fingers had in play.

The steering is direct, requires a firm hand and with all due respect for the travelers’ backs, the chassis does not leave you in the dark about the condition of the road. That changes as soon as you switch to comfort mode. Then the 7 series shows its second face. The air suspension pumps it upwards by at least one and a maximum of four centimeters, and the chassis becomes soft cotton. Suddenly you hold the course with your little finger.

The 7 Series cuts a particularly good figure with the new 3.0-liter in-line six-cylinder in the 740i – no wonder when the weight drops and, in return, the output increases to around 350 hp. In addition, there will probably be a V8 with the well-known 4.4 liter displacement for the 750i at the start, whose output will certainly also be above the current 450 PS.

Bad car smells are sniffed out here

When buying a new car, the scent plays a crucial role. How it smells in the car is therefore not left to chance. Daimler hires a nose team to track down everything. Source: The World

In addition, a six-cylinder diesel in two power levels and all-wheel drive for almost everyone – the starting grid is ready. But it will not stay that way: The Bavarians are already talking openly about a plug-in hybrid and giving the twelve-cylinder grandfathering. What they don’t really like to talk about yet are the four-cylinder, which will probably come with the first facelift at the latest. Lightweight construction is not all about good sides.

Dynamism is still the top priority at Bayern. But Klaus Frohlich’s team also knows that the fight will take place in other arenas. That is why the new 7 Series stands for an electronic upgrade in addition to its lightweight construction, which primarily applies to the operating system. The Bavarians therefore counter the Audi’s virtual cockpit with a fully digital display, which, however, still has physically tangible scale rings.

There are three small touchscreens for climate control. And because the iDrive controller may not be the last word in wisdom in the age of the smartphone, you can now swipe on the large navigation screen and zoom with spread fingers, just like you know from a tablet computer.

The 7 Series drives into the parking space alone

A brand new feature is the gesture control, which is linked to a camera on the inside mirror and can be used, for example, to regulate the volume of the on-board program or for call management: a finger on the display and you have the person you are talking to on the line. And if you swipe from left to right, the conversation is over.

While the 7 Series can make an impression with such gimmicks, the new assistance systems are almost accepted as usual. That the electronics now gently intervene in the steering at speeds up to 210 km / h if you lose your lane or just want to relax and follow the person in front? Extremely complex to develop, but unspectacular in everyday life.

The intelligent cruise control, which can be adjusted to current speed limits with the push of a button, is not exactly an awakening experience. And perhaps the most attractive extra, of all things, marks the beginning of the end of driving pleasure as we know it: The 7 Series is the first BMW to roll the last few meters alone into its parking space while the driver stands outside and presses the new display key.

Maserati Ghibli – trident for the fast lane

What makes the new BMW 7 Series as light as a 5 Series-bizarre duel laser light blenders

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The Ghibli is Maserati’s answer to the BMW 5 Series, the Audi A6 and the Mercedes E-Class. The basic version with 330 hp is available for around 67,000 euros.

Source: Dominik Butzmann

What makes the new BMW 7 Series as light as a 5 Series-bizarre duel laser light blenders

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However, if you want the top version, the S Q4 with all-wheel drive and 410 hp, you have to invest at least 83,000 euros.

Source: Dominik Butzmann

What makes the new BMW 7 Series as light as a 5 Series-Maserati Ghibli trident fast lane

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The car with the trident in the grille is an eye-catcher, even if when the Ghibli was announced, some critical voices spoke of the traditional brand’s decline into mediocrity…hen.

Source: Dominik Butzmann

What makes the new BMW 7 Series as light as a 5 Series-light

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Not even close. The little brother of the Quattroporte is a successful mixture of a classy sedan and sports car.

Source: Dominik Butzmann

What makes the new BMW 7 Series as light as a 5 Series-light

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And of course you can also accelerate, …

Source: Dominik Butzmann

What makes the new BMW 7 Series as light as a 5 Series-bizarre duel laser light blenders

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… Road users who are too slow are likely to be maneuvered out of the way with these elegantly designed headlights by flasher.

Source: Dominik Butzmann

What makes the new BMW 7 Series as light as a 5 Series-bizarre duel laser light blenders

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The Ghibli not only looks elegant on the outside, the cockpit also shows Italian style.

Source: Maserati

Of course, Frohlich wants to mark the "technological spearhead in the segment" with the new flagship. But the Bavarians also know that they will crack a tough nut to crack and first have to knock the S-Class from the throne. Because design and ambience are only a question of taste and the two luxury sedans do not give each other anything in terms of space and appearance, this race will be decided in a different discipline.

When it comes to comfort and luxury, the S-Class could stay ahead; With almost six model variants from the convertible to the Pulman, it definitely offers a larger selection. But if you prefer to sit in the front left rather than back right, you’ll drive better in the 7 Series. Because no other luxury sedan can be moved so light, so handy and so sporty.

At least not if you don’t take a dedicated sports model like the Audi S8 or the Mercedes S63 AMG and get shaken up for it in everyday life. The 7 Series does not even need a push of a button, because the character control now recognizes the driving style itself and tunes the luxury liner either as hard as a rock or as soft as a cloud.

Mercedes S-Class or BMW 7 Series – that could turn into a close showdown from autumn. However, there is still a big stranger to this game: At the end of next year, Audi will be showing the next generation of the A8. At BMW, too, they make no secret of their curiosity: "We’re excited to see what’s in store for us."

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