2002 BMW 7-Series in Whittier

Fiuggi, Italy - The new 7-series is a huge gamble for BMW. The company has launched a car that completely defies conventional thinking on interior and exterior design into one of the most conventional segments of the market. Predictably, BMW disagrees about whether the Seven is a risk. Burkhard Gschel, the board of management member in charge of research, engineering, and purchasing, says that widespread acceptance of the new 7-series and its high technologies will be only a matter of time: "If you want to set new standards, you must be prepared to break new ground. We felt that a radically different shape and a radically different ergonomic concept were compulsory to leapfrog the competition. It may take a little time to get used to the iDrive system's one-knob-does-it-all approach, but once you get the hang of it, the system is more rewarding than a zillion buttons."

BMW gave its outspoken chief designer, Chris Bangle, carte blanche with the new 7-series, and the results are mixed. The exterior styling is let down by a nondescript grille and strange, teardrop-shaped headlamps, as well as a series of odd curves and cutlines at the rear and a coffin-style lid for the trunk. There is nothing wrong with developing a new design language, but we wonder: Does it really have to be this controversial?

The new body does score in objective ways. Both the standard-wheelbase 745i and the extended-wheelbase 745Li models are taller and wider than the outgoing 740i and 740iL. The passenger compartment is marginally larger, and the trunk volume grows from thirteen to eighteen cubic feet. As well as being more generously proportioned, the structure is significantly more rigid than that of the previous car.... Read full article