2019 BMW 7-Series

This 2019 7-Series is elegant, albeit not very expressive. We give this version a 7 out of 10 before the new version arrives later this year. (Read more about how we rate cars.)

Like years before, the 7-Series builds on its long hood with defined creases that run from the kidney grilles to the cabin.

A shoulder line starts close to the front fenders and reaches rearward to the 7-Series’ taillights. The big sedan wraps up neatly, unlike the bulbous bottoms of yesteryear. High-powered M760i xDrive versions get their own design flourishes such as macho exhausts and a lower front bumper.

The 7-Series boasts a bigger snout compared to the rest of the BMW’s sedan lineup—and it’s only getting bigger next year. If luxury isn’t synonymous with flashy for you, we suggest snapping up a 2019 version soon.

Inside, the 7-Series is more restrained. The leather isn’t as ornately designed as the 5-Series, nor is the 7-Series as loaded to the hilt with excessive tech.

Across the front, the 7-Series is adorned plainly, but with elegant materials. Unlike other BMW sedans, the central climate controls are offset from the rest of the controls, finished with metal that’s cool to the touch.

Brushed aluminum, wood, and stitched leather drape the dashboard with mostly horizontal themes. It’s not as interesting as, say, the Mercedes-Benz S-Class, but the 7-Series is likely to age well.

It’s available with 4-, 6-, 8-, or 12-cylinder power—all turbocharged—with or without all-wheel drive in some configurations.

It’s a sublime ride regardless of what’s under the hood and the 8-speed automatic on all models is very good. We land at an 8 for performance, with one more thumbs up for the 7-Series’ ride. (Read more about how we rate cars.)

Most will consider the 740i to start, and its turbocharged inline-6 that makes 320 hp and 330 pound-feet of torque. With rear- or all-wheel drive, the 740i smoothly accelerates up to 60 mph 5.4 or 5.1 seconds, respectively, and easily keeps pace with traffic. That’s partly due to the 7-Series’ diet since the last generation where it cut more than 100 pounds from car’s chassis.

The next step up is a drop in cylinders, actually. The 740e pairs a turbo-4 with a 9.2-kwh battery and an electric motor for a combined output of 322 hp. It’s the most efficient version of the 7-Series, but we’d advise that interested buyers consider that the newest plug-in hybrid 7-Series is due later this year. That 2020 7-Series pairs an inline-6 with a bigger battery pack for more electric range and power—at a higher cost, of course.

Back to this year’s 740e: it’s smooth and quiet, but burdened by more than 400 pounds of battery packs and it feels it. It accelerates up to 60 mph in 5.1 seconds, too, but the weight of the big batteries doesn’t help the 7-Series around corners. The trade-off? More than 20 miles of electric range, according to the EPA.

The 750i is the V-8-powered version of the 7-Series, and most likely to be considered by well-heeled buyers. Not only is it the richest in available interior appointments, the 750i is also $13,000 more than a comparably equipped V-6 version. The 4.4-liter turbocharged V-8 is stout and sonorous, and makes 445 hp, but it still prefers a relaxed pace based on our time behind the wheel. The 750i is equipped as standard with rear-wheel drive, but all-wheel drive is a popular and available upgrade for those versions.

The top of the performance pyramid is a rarity among automakers today: a turbocharged V-12 found under the hood of the M760i xDrive. It packs a 601-hp wallop and 590 lb-ft of torque to slingshot the sled up to 60 mph in less than four seconds. Its power is prodigious and so is its price: more than $150,000 to start.

Underneath that dizzying array of engine options, BMW’s most sophisticated chassis and suspension in a sedan keeps all 7-Series models smoother than a Steely Dan show.

The 7-Series uses double wishbones up front and a five-link rear suspension complemented by a standard air suspension system that can tune in or out road imperfections, depending on circumstances.

We’ve noticed some crash through bumps while in Sport, but attribute that more to BMW’s insistence on rolling-rock hard run-flat tires and big wheels.

Nonetheless, the 7-Series directs, slows, and redirects its motion with ease. The electric power steering is welcome here with a light, direct feel behind the wheel. It can be too quick in sportier modes, but that’s not the 7-Series’ best use anyhow.

Based on an average sedan, the 2019 7-Series is better in every way: front seats, rear seats, cargo, fit and finish...there are many ways. The 7-Series is a 10 for comfort. (Read more about how we rate cars.)

The front seats in the 7-Series are dreamy: leather, power adjustable, heated, all-day comfortable. Throw more money at them, and they get better: massagers, coolers, more adjustability, softer leather. We’ve logged hundreds of miles behind the wheel of the 7-Series and haven’t recorded a sore back.

The better seats may be in the rear, however. The 7-Series offers more than 44 inches of rear seat leg room, that can be stuffed to the palatial gills with recliners, tablet controllers, massagers, and 10-inch screens for entertainment. The big BMW coddles passengers like a pro.

We cover BMW’s infotainment more below, but it’s relevant to comfort because it’s ever-present. For example: When equipped with Active Comfort systems, the 7-Series can use GPS and camera data to “read” the road ahead to select the right gear for a more comfortable ride. The 2019 BMW 7-Series isn’t alone in its technical complexity, but it is up front about its potential—if you’re willing to navigate the menus to find it.

The 7-Series’ fit and finish is excellent and it’s awash in high-quality materials. Like what? Knobs are coated with a thin layer of metal so they’re cool to the touch. When activated, the heated seats heat the armrests for front passengers, too. Wonderful.

This year, all 7-Series models are equipped with automatic emergency braking as standard equipment. A spend-up feature includes active lane control, adaptive cruise control, and a driver-assistance feature that can pilot the 7-Series for short distances on its own, such as in stop-and-go traffic or long-distance drives. The system works for less than a minute without driver interaction before the nannies ask drivers to, you know, drive.

Systems like BMW’s driver assist are nifty party tricks, safe and smart—but not replacement drivers. Humans still figure into the system, for now. Next year, we expect the 2020 7-Series to go further with self-driving features, but stop short of driver-less.

If it were your family and your money, wouldn’t you want to participate too?

For its standard and optional features, widescreen infotainment system, good warranty, and customization options, the 2019 7-Series rates a perfect 10, but only by a smidge. If not for its tremendous luxury, we would take back a point for extra-cost Apple CarPlay after the first year and land at a 9. (Read more about how we rate cars.)

Next year’s 7-Series promises considerable advancements in features and tech but if the money’s burning a hole in your pocket, BMW has ways to take it now.

The base 740i costs about $84,000 and includes leather upholstery, 18-inch wheels, a moonroof, power-adjustable heated front seats, four-zone climate control, active safety features (that we cover above), premium audio, a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, a 10.1-inch touchscreen for infotainment, and power features.

At the top, the 2019 BMW M760i xDrive costs more than $157,000 and includes 20-inch wheels, performance goodies like rear-wheel steering and aerodynamic packages, and a hulking V-12 planted under the hood. It’s a scream.

We’d steer more toward serene with our options.

BMW offers a driver assistance package that can reduce driver fatigue in stop-and-go traffic and on long drives for $1,700. Check.

A $3,900 rear-seat luxury package offers a table in back for climate controls and infotainment, heated and cooled rear seats with massagers, and heated armrests. Check. (For $5,750 more on 750i versions, BMW can have the rear seats recline and add a footrest.)

And so on. The 7-Series coddles riders with options all the way up to softer Merino leather for $4,000, premium audio from Bowers & Wilkins for $3,400, even remote-controlled parking that can shimmy the big sedan in and out of tight spaces. The 7-Series doesn’t blink past $100,000 and few cars can match its opulence. BMW's standard warranty covers three years of maintenance, and includes a 4-year/50,000-mile bumper-to-bumper warranty that's better than most of its rivals.

But even at six figures, BMW does something no other automaker does: Ask owners to pay for Apple CarPlay every year, after the first year. BMW’s insistence on making owners “subscribe” to smartphone compatibility for $80 each year in a six-figure luxury sedan is a bridge too far for us.

BMW iDrive

Perhaps more than any other vehicle BMW makes, the 7-Series integrates every aspect of its iDrive infotainment system into the car’s tasks. The system is full of useful (and not-so-useful) redundancies, including a clickwheel controller, touchscreen, gesture controls, and steering wheel-mounted controls—and that’s just to change the radio station.

When equipped, in back the BMW 7-Series offers a touchscreen 7.0-inch tablet computer that also can control many of the car’s functions.

The system, and its included redundancies, isn’t one of our favorites from any automaker but it is one of the most comprehensive. BMW’s aligned with Microsoft for Outlook calendar integration and email, and the automaker’s updated mobile app is thorough and can notify others of the car’s arrival at a destination—even find an empty parking spot on the street.

It’s worth learning to understand all that it can do, even if we think it’s less intuitive that some rivals’ systems.

Without all-wheel drive, the 740i rates 21/29/24 mpg, according to the EPA.

The V-8-powered 750i xDrive nets 17/25/20 mpg, rear-drive versions add 1 mpg to each of those figures.

The plug-in hybrid 740e and V-12-powered M760i xDrive share one common feature: They’re both rated for premium unleaded. From there, they couldn’t be more different. The 740e can travel up to 14 miles on electricity alone and it rates 27 mpg combined as a conventional hybrid. The M760i xDrive’s V-12 swills gasoline at a clip of 13/20/16 mpg, according to the EPA.