Backgrounder: BMW’s F01/F02 5th generation 7 Series BMW will announce the fifth generation of the 7 Series at the Paris Auto Show, October 2008, with fall delivery for Europe and late winter, likely March 2009, for the U.S. Dimensions are nearly the same as on the outgoing E65 (normal wheelbase) and E66 (long wheelbase) 7 Series. It's designated F01 for the normal wheelbase and F02 for the extended wheelbase, and it will be significantly different. Bill Howard's first-drive review (August 2008) First drivers: Other voices on the 7 Series (August 2008) Here's a summary of the changes. Engine/drivetrain. U.S. customers get a 400-hp, twin-turbo V8, same as on the X6. The rest of the world can also have a six-cylinder twin-turbo gasoline engine or turbo diesel. The transmission remains a six-speed automatic. The shifter moves from the steering column to console. Suspension. BMW adopts the FlexRay networking bus also used on the X5/X6 to allow the suspension to compensate instantly for road conditions. Each rear shock absorber controls compression and rebound individually. The driver can press Comfort/Sport buttons on the console to set four levels of handling or sporting comfort, plus a fifth that turns off everything except traction control iDrive. BMW pioneered iDrive in the E65/E66 when it launched fall 2001 (spring 2002 for the U.S.). This version is vastly different. Now, you press either a direct access button to go directly to CD/ Multimedia, Radio, Phone, or Navigation, or press the menu button and scroll down a list of eight commands. Gone is the sliding motion used to initiate commands or move among areas onscreen in other menus. iDrive display. It's 10.2 inches, 1280-by-480 pixels, and use transflective technology, as on the 3 Series convertible, that gets brighter as sunlight shines on it. Cockpit. The center stack is canted 7 degrees toward the driver. The climate control system is back on the dash and once again unrelated to iDrive. The base of the instrument panel is an LCD display. The IP and HVAC display are black panel devices (like Lexus LS) that appear blank / black when nothing's going on. Steering wheel. Cruise control moves from a stalk to the left side of the wheel. Audio/phone is on the right. BMW adds a scroll wheel for audio but it's for tuning stations or list-selection, not volume. Electronic aids. BMW offers a mess of electronic technology that may polarize BMW fans. Much of it's optional. You don't HAVE to buy the options: Stop and go adaptive cruise control with collision warning. Head up display. Higher resolution, more features displayed. Night vision. Gen 2 Flir / Autoliv system detects pedestrians and warns if they're within 100 meters. Lane departure warning. Blind spot detection. In some markets, "lane change warning." Side view cameras. In the front fenders, they peek ahead to see as you pull out of an alley or parking space. Front and rear sonar. Plus a rear camera. 80GB hard disk drive. Stores navigation data, with about 13GB for music, and a Gracenote lookup tool to ID CDs you've ripped. Plus two USB jacks for music keys, iPods (with adapter cable). Rear seat entertainment. Two separate LCD displays, two separate programs possible. Active anti-roll stabilization. Separate rear air conditioning system. Mounts in the trunk, smaller than on the E65, no cooler box available this time. Flashing rear brake lights. Under heavy deceleration. But not in the U.S. Automatic speed limit detection. Forward facing camera reads signs, parses speed limits. Not in the U.S For more details, see our first-drive review
