Generous space – it goes almost without saying that occupants of the new 7 enjoy plenty of knee, head and elbow room in the front and rear compartments. Contemporary design – the ambiance is luxurious, high in quality and advanced in its amenities and functions. The contours, color coordination and choice of materials symbolize taste and harmony. With its center stack lightly angled toward the driver, the control center promotes the driver’s intuitive mastery of the vehicle: this is always a hallmark of BMW interior design. And yet this interior isn’t only for the driver; its concept, layout, technology and design focus equally on the driver’s needs and the passengers’ well-being.

The feeling of generous space and harmonious design is enhanced by horizontal color gradations pervading the entire cabin.  High-quality materials and meticulous workmanship communicate the innate precision of these automobiles; details such as visible seams on the dash and door ledges, and double-framed central air outlets, are evidence of passionate devotion to details.  The leatherette covering the main instrument-panel surfaces has been newly developed to be as close to leather as can be imagined – and yet soft Nappa leather here and on the door ledges is optionally available.

As always in BMW, the harmony of design and function is visible everywhere: for example, in the integration of door handles into the door panels’ chrome trim lines, or the door pulls as part of their contrasting trim material. Speaking of which: there are three choices of wood trim, four Nappa-leather interior color schemes, and the optional additional leather surfaces.

All these refinements and choices provide the interior counterpoint to the 12 available exterior colors, and enable customers to highlight classic elegance, sportiness or sheer luxury according to their personal tastes and preferences.

BMW 750Li: lavish space for rear-seat passengers.
If the standard-wheelbase 750i already offers generous interior space, the long-wheelbase 750Li provides truly lavish accommodations for rear-seat passengers. And in the new 7, the meaning of “L” isn’t confined to just length: rather, this model also has its own roofline This solution provides additional rear head room, as well as help maintain the dynamic proportions of the car to avoid making it look like a stretched version of the short wheel base 750i. Thus BMW’s typical “Joy of Driving” is complemented by the “Joy of Being Driven.”

And even this extra space can be further enhanced by two available options. Rear Comfort Seats only available in the Li model, includes individual left and right Comfort seats with multiple adjustments including fore-aft (70 mm/2.76-in. range), cushion and backrest angles, and head-restraint positions. Additionally, rear Comfort Seats also feature Active Ventilation and Active Comfort (“massage”) functions.

The Rear Entertainment Package adds yet another dimension to rear-seat luxury: a DVD player with color monitors integrated into the front seats’ backrests, controlled from a dedicated remote. This option is available on both 750i and 750Li.

Clear, intuitive control concept for greater driving pleasure and comfort.
Control of the many interior functions and amenities is via a freshly thought-out and executed overall concept that is clear and intuitive. To begin with the simplest aspect of this, ample storage is provided by a spacious glove compartment, bins in the door panels and pockets on the front-seat backrests. Two cupholders are on the front center console; power-seat controls are on the seats and memory controls are on the doors.

The basic concept for all controls rests upon a philosophy of a clear, functionally logical arrangement of the entire interior. Thus, driving-related functions are all on the driver’s side, comfort-related functions around the center. This principle goes for the placement of buttons, keys and levers around the cockpit, as well as, controls on the steering wheel, where those for cruise control are separated from those for the audio and phone systems.

Analogous to this “horizontal” division of functions is the arrangement of all displays in a more “vertical” separation. In the upper areas – and thus, at about the driver’s eye level – are the primary displays, such as the speedometer and tachometer. Below that are less frequently viewed instruments like the fuel and oil-temperature gauges.

At a still lower level are actual controls, optimally accessible and mostly operable without looking at them such as the turn-signal and low/high-beam/flasher stalks. Controls that need to be seen to be used are generally grouped together, for example, those for the driver-assistance functions clustered around the main lighting control: this too is highly logical, as all these support the driver’s need to perceive the vehicle’s surroundings and situations.

Everything at a glance: instrument cluster in Black Panel technology.
The new 7’s instrument cluster combines classic elements and new solutions into a complete, harmonious presentation of driving information. For the first time in a BMW, the entire cluster is a high-resolution Black Panel display, in which four classic circular instruments are most prominent; other driving-relevant displays and readouts – including GPS Navigation, vehicle-monitoring functions, upcoming service requirements and other information – also appear here in their various (and function-related) graphic forms.

In “dormant” state, this display is a mostly blank black form defined by its chrome-toned periphery and including only pointer needles, scale markings and the tachometer’s red warning zone within it. The circular instruments’ numerals, as well as, the integrated displays for current fuel economy and range on remaining fuel, are entirely electronic and not visible until a door is opened.

So it is that the advantages of mechanical and electronic displays are ideally combined – with eye-catching visual and graphic effects. As the user enters the vehicle, the circular instruments’ “chrome rings,” until now open at the bottom, close and become brighter. Once the ignition is activated (upon pressing the Start/Stop button), the numerals plus all other displays and warnings illuminate. As the engine starts, functions that have been previously activated by the driver are then revealed as well.

The instrument cluster interacts in new ways with the iDrive control display and the optional Head-up Display. According to selected function, users can call up phone numbers or radio stations via the steering-wheel controls. The cluster also augments the iDrive GPS Navigation display with a further enhanced directional arrow display, which can now direct the driver to change lanes and help the driver find the correct street at a complicated or obscured intersection. If the Head-up Display is activated, the relevant directions appear primarily there; otherwise, they appear in the instrument cluster.
Current climate-control settings are indicated in a second Black Panel display in the center stack, along with all system controls. Users need not go into iDrive for any climate settings.

E-Shift transmission selector and Dynamic Driving Control on console.
While retaining the E-Shift concept first introduced on the predecessor – no mechanical linkage from shift lever to transmission – the new 7 moves its transmission selector from steering column to center console.

Instead of moving from position to position within a “gate,” the E-Shift lever is generally “tipped” in one direction or another to change from one range to another. Park is engaged by a button atop the lever. To engage Reverse, the driver tips the lever forward; to engage Drive it is tipped rearward. From Drive, the lever does actually move to the left to engine its Sport mode; from there, the driver can execute manual shifts by tipping the lever forward for downshifts, rearward for upshifts. The lever markings are R-N-D in the right plane and M/S -/+ in the left.

Adjacent to the E-Shift lever are the Driving Dynamics Control selector (logically, on the driver’s side) and the iDrive controller. DDC provides four settings that tailor vehicle characteristics to different drivers, one driver’s different moods, driving conditions – or all of the above. The settings are Comfort, Normal, Sport and Sport Plus; the following vehicle-dynamics parameters are affected:
• Shock-absorber firmness (within the Dynamic Damping Control system)
• Engine throttle response
• Transmission shift characteristics
• Power-steering assist level
• Dynamic Stability Control mode.

Clearly, the vehicle’s driving dynamics can be widely affected by these different calibrations of so many elements. In addition, via iDrive, the driver can program his or her preferences for all five parameters into the Sport setting for a personal, instantly recallable mode.

Another control in this area affects Dynamic Stability Control (BMW’s all-encompassing stability- and traction-control system) alone. A brief push on this button switches the system to Dynamic Traction Control, in which DSC’s intervention threshold is raised; one effect of this setting is improved traction in deep snow. A long push on the same button de-activates DSC altogether, though one function (antilock braking) is always active.

Like its predecessor, the new 7 has an electrohydraulic parking brake rather than the customary mechanical one; the driver sets and releases the brake with a button on the console. An Auto Hold function, which automatically holds the vehicle at a standstill and thereby eliminates “creep” when stopped in gear, is also available via an adjacent button.

iDrive, 2nd generation: more intuitive operation, expanded functions.
With iDrive, the predecessor 7 Series initiated a new direction in the control of vehicle features and functions; via a multi-menu color display and a mouse-like controller usable by driver and passenger alike, a potentially crowded landscape of buttons and knobs was supplanted by a computer-logic control path. Now, a 2nd generation of iDrive builds upon that pioneering development while making it more natural, intuitive, simpler and elegant.

An overarching attribute of iDrive was the separation of control (via the console controller) and display (the centrally placed iDrive monitor). This basic arrangement remains; the controller has been further developed and the display is larger: fully 10.2 in. vs. 8.8 in. previously.

Positioned at the same level as the instrument panel, the new control display sets higher standards for logical, readily understood menus and attractive graphics. The controller has been refined for comfortable, intuitive selection and activation of functions via standardized turn, push and tilt motions, while being augmented with more direct-selection keys.

Convincing functionality, satisfying to use: controller with direct-selection keys.
Benefiting from the newest biomechanics R&D, the state-of-the-art controller operates with tactile precision and clearly structured motions. New control elements, menu schemes and graphic representations in the control display become evident upon first use, yet, user appreciation grows over the longer term. A graphic depiction of the controller in the display itself helps orient the user to the next control step; the rotation, pressing and tipping motions generally correspond to those of a computer mouse.

Thus interpreted, rotation of the controller takes the user through menu selections; pressing it makes the choice. Tilting the controller to the left or right effects navigation through various menu levels. Via clear graphic organization in the form of stacked layers and onscreen depiction of controller movements, the user enjoys highly intuitive navigation. All menus are structured according to a consistent scheme, so that one is almost immediately at ease; menus are broad so that the user can view relatively numerous options without switching to another level. Also, functions are arranged so that in longer-term use the most important options are reached more rapidly.

An additional new refinement is four direct-select keys placed directly next to the controller, for the most frequently used menus. These allow quick selection of CD, radio, phone and navigation menus, and are augmented by three further keys of general utility: one takes the user directly to the start menu (MENU), one to the most recently active menu (BACK), and the third (OPTION) presents various options within the current area. As a result, searches are likely to be shorter, or unnecessary.

Familiar and proven, yet now more useful: Programmable Memory Keys.
An iDrive enhancement recently introduced in other BMW models now comes to the 7 and represents a further user convenience: Programmable Memory Keys. Lined up above the audio controls, these eight keys allow the user to store favorite or most frequently used functions (radio stations, phone numbers, navigation destinations as an example) on various keys and recall them instantly. The stored functions can be as specific and detailed as a navigation map in the preferred scale, an audio balance setting or a selected chapter in the Integrated Owner’s Manual (about which more later). And because the keys are sensitive not just to being pressed, but also to being merely touched by the user’s finger, one can get the stored function shown on the control display by lightly touching the key. If it’s the right one, the user need only press the key and it’s there, ready to use.

Large-format display, preview maps and full-screen images.
With its 10.2-in. monitor, the new iDrive system doesn’t just outdo all other graphic displays in automobiledom to date; its 1280 x 480-pixel resolution means remarkably true-to-life images. It’s a system appropriate to the vehicle it’s in, achieved via up-to-date hard- and software. White-on-black menu lists; effective symbols and icons; contemporary graphics; and clear, consistent color-coding are among the elements that enhance, not only function, but also esthetics.
Menu structures, too, make finding desired functions easier. In the Start Menu, all functional areas served by iDrive are listed. Selecting a given item leads to its menu layer, where the options of that level are also listed. This consistency in navigation assists in orienting the user, as does the “stacking” of menu layers in the display. Visual assists further contribute to clarity. And if the user gets to a place where he or she didn’t mean to be, the Back key usually reverses the error.

User-friendlier GPS Navigation.
This overall refinement of functionality means simpler control of the standard GPS Navigation.  Full-screen map displays offer outstandingly detailed views of the geography; maps and landmarks can be shown in 3-dimensional form. Selected points of interest along the travel route appear with near-photographic realism.
Mere input of destinations reveals the new system’s impressive capabilities. If the destination appears on a list in the system, a preview map appears as the user scrolls the list; this can help distinguish between places with similar or identical names. If a destination (or a phone number) needs to be entered manually, this is done with a new, circular “speller” that makes the entry go more quickly.

Convenient combination of voice entry and controller operation.
Yet another iDrive innovation is its ability to combine voice and controller entry, called Multi-mode Input. The user can go back and forth between the two methods while actually inputting; indeed, voice recognition can remain active during input via controller and the user can modify an input via voice. Voice recognition – BMW calls it Voice Command – is activated by its function key on the steering wheel, and de-activated either upon completion of the action or by pressing the key again.

Voice Command is simplified by visual display of the available commands, yet its capabilities go further in that numerous synonyms of these commands are also recognized.

This newly optimized iDrive introduces a very significant step forward in the operation of automotive features and functions. Greater efficiency, improved logic and clear, attractive displays help define the character of the new 7 Series. Indeed, the new iDrive helps the new 7 Series create a user experience that is incomparable in automotive history.