Born in the teeth of the Wonderful Recession, the fat but not so content fifth generation of BMW’s 7-series flagship is ultimately relinquishing its post to a a lot more fit successor.
The 7-series has traditionally been the BMW for those who can barely recall their stick-shift, tail-sliding days. Offered in a option of extended or really lengthy wheelbases, with up to 12 twin-turbocharged cylinders, and with rear- or 4-wheel drive, the 7 is a 4-door limo blessed with comfort, speed, and a suitably aloof demeanor.
But the globe has changed because the current 7 arrived in 2009. Fisker came and went, Tesla emerged as the green-chip luxury brand, Mercedes is as sturdy as ever, and Cadillac is showing signs of intelligent life. The luxury-vehicle business is flourishing so nicely that even the Korean brands are nibbling a thin slice of the pie.
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BMW has created decisive moves to safe its future. Last year, the company’s engineering commander announced that electrification will spread beyond the i3 and i8 fashion statements and the present 3, 5, and 7 ActiveHybrids to include a plug-in hybrid selection for every core model. BMW is the uncontested leader amongst automakers in weight-saving composite plastics with its own plant in Washington state creating reasonably priced carbon fiber in partnership with the SGL Group.
5 years ago, fresh out of its shipping container, a 2010 BMW 750Li thumped a Mercedes S550 in a 2-car comparison test, but the big Bimmer rapidly lost steam. A 750i lost to Porsche’s new Panamera S whilst beating a Maserati Quattroporte Sport GT S. Then in 2011, a 750Li suffered the indignity of a distant third-spot outcome versus Audi’s A8L and Jaguar’s supercharged XJL. The new 7 arrives late this year to make amends.
Although we can’t announce mission accomplished soon after only 8 paced laps around BMW’s Miramas, France, test tracks in early production automobiles, we’re encouraged by what we’ve discovered about the 7 hence far:
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• Project head Walter Schindlbeck acknowledges the want to restore the flagship’s neglected ride and handling strengths.
• Weight-saving technologies have been applied in earnest. BMW engineers have produced an astute mix of high-strength steel, aluminum, magnesium, plastic, and carbon fiber supplies to trim a claimed 285 pounds in base weight—a third of that from the body—while lowering the 7’s center of gravity and improving both bending and torsional stiffness. Numerous suspension and brake elements have been switched from iron and steel to aluminum and sound deadening is employed more sparingly. Unsprung weight drops by 15 %.
• BMW is so proud of its innovative ‘carbon core’ unibody building that a badge touting that technology is discretely affixed to each of the 7’s B-pillars. Although stamped steel remains as the key constituent, there’s less of it thanks to the use of 15 molded carbon-fiber (CF) reinforcements added at strategic locations. The largest molding is a lengthy CF tube that sweeps majestically from the base of each A-pillar, along the top of the door openings, and down to the base of the C-pillars. The upper half of every B-pillar is reinforced with a CF layer that’s pressed and cured in place with a single-sided die. A huge patch is also secured with rivets and adhesives at the base of every C-pillar. The windshield header and 2 bows reinforce the roof structure. The 7’s center tunnel has a CF doubler to augment the body’s bending stiffness and to assist manage forward collision loads. Add to that 2 CF door-sill inserts per side and a horizontal shelf beneath the backlight produced of the black magic material. How exactly the CF and steel parts are joined with adhesives and fasteners and painting approaches are proprietary details, as BMW naturally prefers to keep its learnings away from competitors as lengthy as achievable.
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2016 BMW 7-series Detailed, Driven: A Prototype Drive Shows It is No Turkey
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