Can the Abundance of Technology Make the BMW 7 Series a Leader in Its Class?

Is bigger always better, or does excessive use of something make it good? These questions came to mind when I looked at the BMW 7 Series, and as I delved into the car, I began to find answers. Everything in moderation is beautiful, BMW. I hope you understand this and can make your cars as beautiful as they used to be. But wait, why did BMW turn the 7 Series into a love it or hate it scenario when they can make their cars so stylish in the lower segments?

BMW has become an iconic brand with its kidney-shaped grilles. The designers at BMW, who decided to enlarge the kidney design featured in older models, opted for a kidney size resembling a elephant’s kidney. BMW, which also divided the front headlight group into two parts, has perhaps the ugliest BMW design ever on the front, if we ignore the front of the car. Excluding the front, it has a design akin to a swan, with straight lines and a majestic stance that befits its name, the 7 Series. The rear design of the car is, well, somewhat passable. Actually, when you look at the parts individually, the 7 Series has quite elegant and beautiful components, but when these parts come together, what emerges is a complete mess.

The minimalist design language continues in the interior of the car. The 7 Series, which has undergone button detox, has reduced the number of buttons in the interior and replaced the existing buttons with capacitive buttons, meaning everything inside the car operates as a touchscreen. Although not very important for passengers, it would have been much more logical for the buttons under the command of the driver not to be touchscreen. You have to use the touchscreen to adjust the volume, turn on and off the sound, and adjust the air conditioning settings. While the 7 Series can, of course, recognize voice commands and gestures, it should have included physical buttons. All the buttons of the iDrive system in the center console are also touch-sensitive. The crystal-designed light bar that interacts with the driver looks very stylish.

We all know that the main purpose of the 7 Series is the comfort and happiness of the passenger in the right rear seat. BMW, in order to please this special person, has included a massive 31-inch television, and the control of this television and many other features is embedded in the touchscreen controls on the door handles. A motorcycle hitting your rear door has never been so costly, right? Of course, the multifunctional rear passenger seat comes with all kinds of comfort features. Calf support, armrest, massage, and cooling are just a few of them. After the selected person in the back is happy, does the visual discomfort they give to the outside world really matter? If you’re someone who wants the driver to take care of the necessary things with buttons without disturbing your aesthetic pleasure, then the 7 Series is the perfect car for you.

So, can the new 7 Series surpass its biggest rival, the Mercedes-Benz S-Class, in sales figures? The answer to this question is probably known by everyone. With the 7 Series, you can only choose between internal combustion and electric options. In the S-Class, there are three different wheelbase options for internal combustion – standard, long, and Maybach – in addition to an electric option like the EQS. The personalization possibilities in the S-Class are greater, and it has a more traditional design that appeals to many. The technology underlying this design is not behind BMW. Plus, the S-Class has the prestige factor, especially if the car bears the Maybach logo. The 7 Series has brought some excitement to the game, but even with the increasing number and variety of competitors, Mercedes-Benz doesn’t want to give up the title of offering the most prestigious cars in this class to anyone.