At a glance:
• U.S. will initially get the 740i (MSRP $81,300) and 750i xDrive (MSRP $97,400). Prices do not include Destination and Handling fees.
• Only long-wheelbase models coming to the U.S. market
• Groundbreaking Carbon Core passenger cell
• Available with BMW’s latest generation of inline-six gasoline and diesel engines and updated gasoline V8
• xDrive all-wheel drive will be on U.S. models
• Plug-in hybrid 740e will be introduced with 326 total horsepower
• Adaptive Driving Experience Control
• World’s first Gesture Control
• Active Kidney Grille and Air Breather
• Optional seven-inch Touch Command Tablet
• All-New Display Key as a standalone option
• Standard Wireless Charging and WiFi Hotspot
• New iDrive 5.0 with touch screen technology
• Panoramic Sky Lounge LED roof, Ambiance Lighting, LED Light Carpet
• Largest HUD in the industry
• M Sport package available
• Executive Drive Pro debuts in the new 7 Series
• Full-LED Headlights standard; Laserlight possible pending government approval
• Exclusive Bowers & Wilkins Diamond surround sound system
• Class leading performance and luxury
On June 10th, as promised, BMW unveiled in all its carbon-fiber and ultraluxurious glory the all-new BMW 7 Series; generation six of the brand’s luxury flagship. With the 2016 7 Series, BMW was shooting for a lighter chassis, excellent handling, greater connectivity, luxury rivaling its competitors, and more intuitive control. Did it succeed? Only the owners of the new 7 Series will be able to say for certain, but production has already begun and the cars will be in their new owners’ hands this fall, so we don’t have to wait too long to find out.
While we wait for those owner reports, here’s the rundown on the new top-of-the-line sedans and what BMW has to say about its new Meisterstück.
We knew it would be big, and it is. We knew that it would have pretty much all the technology that BMW could fit in a car that still had to be comfortable, sporty, and luxurious, and it does.
BMW has a history of introducing new technology in new 7 Series. The first 7 introduced in the U.S. in 1978 contained an antilock braking system (ABS), and was the first production car in the world with an electronic engine management computer (DME).
The second-generation 7 Series introduced Automatic Stability Control (ASC), adaptive transmission control, Xenon headlights, and the world’s first use of integrated body electronics with advanced diagnostic capabilities. On the third-generation 7, we saw Dynamic Stability Control (DSC), a Head Protection System (HPS), an on-board navigation system with moving map, the side-impact Interlocking Door Anchoring System, and for the first time in the U.S., Valvetronic variable valve lift technology.
The first time BMW put Active Roll Stablization (ARS) on a sedan was in the fourth generation 7 Series, along with adaptive brake lights, electromechanical parking brake, and electronic adaptive headlights. The fifth generation 7 Series made it to the U.S. market with Night Vision 2 with Pedestrian Detection, Integral Active Steering, Adaptive Headlights with Dynamic Headlamp Control system, and “reverse flow” cylinder heads to facilitate better packaging and minimize turbo lag. We also saw features such as Blind Spot Detection and Lane Departure Warning, Active Cruise Control with frontal Collision Warning System, Dynamic Damping Control, and Driving Dynamic Control.
The new 7 Series Innovative Design
The 2016 BMW 7 Series will be offered in the U.S. only in the long wheelbase version, which makes it one inch longer than its predecessor. It is the roomiest sedan BMW has ever built. Family members as well as chauffeured owners will appreciate its class-leading rear seat legroom.
The new 7 will be the first BMW to feature an Active Kidney Grille including visible air flap control. The air flap is only open when more cooling is required; otherwise, it stays closed. Like tape on a NASCAR grille, this improves aerodynamics, but in the 7’s case, the additional vertical bars in the kidney grilles also make the front more attractive. At least that’s what BMW is going for.
Two non-metallic and nine metallic colors comprise the available palette for the exterior. Owners opting for the M Sport package may also choose from Carbon Black Metallic and Singapore Gray Metallic. Depending on the model, standard wheels are 18 inch or 19 inch but if that’s not good enough, the Accessories catalog lists other wheels up to 21 inches.
The M Sport package comes with an M Aerodynamic kit that includes model-specific front and rear aprons and side skirts, 19-inch or 20-inch M light-alloy wheels, illuminated door sill plates with the M logo and accents in either light or dark chrome. M-specific interior details include the BMW Individual headliner in Anthracite and an M driver’s footrest.
The balance of dynamics and comfort are reflected in the design of the interior.
Customers have a choice of five color variants for the Dakota leather on 740i variants or five Exclusive Nappa leather upholsteries available on both models.
The Interior Design Package includes an Alcantara headliner, deep-pile rear floor mats, and fine wood inlays for the seat belt outlet covers, rear center armrest, and roof grab handles in the rear.
BMW EfficientDynamics
BMW EfficientDynamics strives to make cars stronger, but lighter; to improve luxury and performance, but use less fuel and generate fewer emissions.
BMW accomplishes this in the new 7 Series through what it calls intelligent design and extensive use of carbon-fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP), aluminum, and ultra-high-tensile steel. Throw in a turbocharged modular engine from the new generation of BMW powerplants in the 740i and new energy management systems and aerodynamic properties and you do have a big luxury car that is efficient and most definitely dynamic. Want more efficiency? BMW eDrive technology in the BMW 740e xDrive plug-in hybrid is coming later.
BMW used the knowledge gained by producing carbon-fiber components for the BMW i3 and i8 to develop the new 7 Series Carbon Core body, which weighs 190 pounds less that its predecessor. The new 7 becomes the first-ever vehicle in which mass produced CFRP is used in combination with steel and aluminum.
The doors and the trunk lid are made of aluminum. Lightweight design in the suspension, brakes, and wheels has reduced unsprung masses by up to 15 percent.
As a result, the vehicle’s center of gravity has been lowered, and following BMW tradition, the weight distribution remains near 50:50.
Redeveloped V8 engine and intelligent all-wheel drive
The top-of-the-line 750i xDrive is powered by a 4.4-liter V8, with the TwinScroll turbochargers located between the two banks of cylinders in the V-shaped space. On this redesigned V8 engine, engine efficiency was improved by increasing the compression ratio from 10.0:1 to 10.5:1 and adding the latest generation of Valvetronic and Double-VANOS technology. For the first time in a production car the intake manifold has been partially integrated into the cylinder head, which decreases air-flow resistance, maximizes air-flow volume, and reduces the overall dimensions. The 750i’s V8 engine makes 445 horsepower.
Getting all that power to the road in the most efficient manner is the job of the xDrive all-wheel drive system. BMW’s latest xDrive version is fully variable and electronically controls the power split between the front and rear wheels, thereby improving traction, stability, and cornering ability, especially in slick conditions.
The BMW 740i’s inline six-cylinder engine
The new 740i’s three-liter inline six with BMW TwinPower Turbo technology is a member of the BMW Group’s latest generation of engines. It cranks out 320 horsepower, and is more efficient and more responsive. The crankcase, cylinder head, and oil sump are all made from aluminum. The TwinScroll turbocharger features an indirect system of charge air cooling that is incorporated into the intake manifold and works together with High Precision Direct Injection, the latest version of Valvetronic, and Double-VANOS variable camshaft timing.
The BMW 740e xDrive plug-in hybrid model
BMW is not waiting to announce the plug-in hybrid version of the new 7 Series, although it will be 2016 before it’s available. The 740e xDrive joins the BMW X5 and 3 Series plug-ins that are due out this fall. The 740e xDrive will have a two-liter, turbocharged gasoline engine and an electric motor channeling the power into an eight-speed Steptronic transmission. The result will be the seemingly opposite results of better performance and lower fuel usage and emissions.
The lithium-ion battery will be under the rear seat. It may be recharged from any standard domestic power socket, a BMW i Wallbox, or a public charging station.
The eDrive button on the center console lets the driver adjust the hybrid drive’s operating mode. In the Auto eDrive basic setting, the gasoline engine’s power is boosted by the electric drive when accelerating. In Max eDrive, the car can run on just electric power for about 23 miles at speeds up to 75 mph. There is also a Battery Control mode, which raises or maintains the high-voltage battery’s state of charge so that electrical power can be deliberately conserved. If the driver chooses route guidance in the navigation system, the predictive power management function calculates a trip-specific strategy for electric driving through to the desired destination.
Eight-speed Steptronic Sport Automatic transmission links to navigation system
An eight-speed Sport Automatic Steptronic transmission is standard in the new 7 Series. BMW claims it has a wider ratio spread, weighs less, and is more efficient. It has a new control system designed to make shifting more comfortable and allow a link with the nav system. Paddle shifters behind the steering wheel are standard, and the transmission has a Launch Control function that we’re guessing does not promote fuel efficiency but sounds like fun.
With the nav system link, the car can “see” the route ahead and adjust shift characteristics based on the driving mode selected. The result is said to promote both driving comfort and sportiness. It sounds very much like a nav system-transmission link that BMW Group has already introduced on selected Rolls-Royce and Mini vehicles.
Brake Energy Regeneration and Auto Start Stop also help with fuel economy. Activating the Eco Pro mode with the Driving Dynamics Control switch allows use of the coasting function, which decouples the drivetrain when coasting between 31 and 100 mph.
The new Air Breather and Active Kidney Grille
The traditional kidney grille is no longer an open door, all the time. It is now the Active Kidney Grille, designed to help engine cooling and aerodynamics. When additional cooling is needed, the Active Kidney Grille bars and flaps in the lower air intake automatically open. This tailors the amount of air for cooling the engine and brakes in a total of five stages as needed based on predetermined temperature thresholds and the speed of the car. For example, during warm-up and when operating at low loads, the BMW Active Kidney Grille is closed completely to maximize the car’s aerodynamic efficiency.
The Air Curtains in the front apron accelerate the fast air flow before the front apron and guides it past the side of the wheel arch, while the Air Breathers guide the air flow into the front wheel arch through a vertical air inlet in the side fender. Together, they efficiently direct air out of the wheel arches reducing the turbulence around the wheels.
Chassis technology and driving experience
Air suspension and Dynamic Damper Control are standard
The new BMW 7 Series uses a double-wishbone front suspension, five-link rear suspension, and Electric Power Steering. Front and rear self-leveling air suspension is standard, with height maintained by an electrically powered compressor with pressure reservoir. Even when the engine is off, vehicle body height is adjusted to keep it at a constant level.
The suspension level may also be operated manually by the driver at low speeds, which might come in handy on a rough road or a really steep driveway. Above 22 mph the suspension is set automatically. If the Dynamics Driving Control switch is set to Sport, the car lowers itself by 10mm as speeds increase.
The advantages of the air suspension in the front and rear are enhanced by the standard Dynamic Damper Control system. The electronically controlled Dynamic Damper System may be engaged with the control switch, to Comfort, Comfort+, or Sport.
Introducing Active Comfort Drive with Road Preview
A new option is premiering on the new 7 Series—Active Comfort Drive with Road Preview. It will be available on all models except the 740e xDrive. The system has the front and rear suspensions working in concert with Dynamic Damper Control to reduce rolling movements. Active roll stabilization is performed electromechanically. When driving straight, the anti-roll bars are set to allow the most freedom of movement, which should translate into a more comfortable ride. The system kicks in to prevent roll as cornering forces increase.
Active Comfort Drive uses Road Preview to anticipate chassis control requirements. The advance information for regulating the combination of chassis systems uses a driving style analysis along with data from the navigation system to set the car’s suspension for what’s immediately ahead.
Redesigned Integral Active Steering
The Integral Active Steering system is optional on the new BMW 7 Series. The planetary gearset previously used at the front has been replaced by a variable steering rack ratio that allows Integral Active Steering to be used with the xDrive all-wheel drive system. By turning the rear wheels in either the opposing or the same direction, depending on the specific driving situation, the system is capable of increasing both maneuverability in urban traffic and agility during higher-speed driving, while also giving the driver a smooth response when changing lanes or cornering.
Driving Dynamics Control switch with Adaptive mode
For the first time, drivers may select an Adaptive mode in the new BMW 7 Series via the standard Driving Dynamics Control switch. When active, the vehicle set-up is matched to the current driving style and changing route profile. The system reacts to accelerator and steering wheel movement and whether the gear selector switch is in the D or S position. Navigation map data is also scanned to select the ideal vehicle set-up; for instance, when switching from urban driving to the highway on winding roads or when approaching an intersection.
The Driving Dynamics Control switch located on the center console is also new. The Comfort, Sport, Eco Pro, and Adaptive modes can be activated at the push of a button. Drivers may also program a custom configuration for the Sport and Eco Pro modes using iDrive.
Operation, interior and travel comfort
iDrive 5.0 with touch display and Gesture Control
Occupants may control vehicle functions using the traditional iDrive controller, buttons, voice commands, the new touchscreen, and hand gestures. The navigation system is standard equipment.
The new Gesture Control that we have heard so much about allows users to make certain hand gestures in the vicinity of the center console to enter specific commands, including adjusting the audio volume control, accepting or rejecting incoming phone calls, and a configurable gesture whose associated function can be customized from a selection of possible functions, such as navigation to the home address or deactivation of the screen.
Dynamic Digital Instrument Cluster, touch control, Wireless Charging
The standard Dynamic Digital Instrument Cluster has a 12.3-inch display area, and alters the cockpit gauges graphics and color scheme to match the mode selected with the Driving Dynamics Control switch. In Comfort mode, the instrument cluster display features a classic four-dial arrangement, with a magnifier function to highlight the current speed. When Eco Pro mode is selected, the rev counter morphs into an EfficientDynamics gauge that indicates how to maximize efficiency and how the journey is progressing. With Sport mode engaged, the entire speedometer displays only the essential information. The speed and selected gear appear as large digital readouts.
Passenger comfort
Passenger comfort is paramount in a luxury car. The new 7 Series features standard four-zone automatic climate control with a separate control console in the rear. The control panels are touch-sensitive. The intensity of the ventilation, the seat climate control functions, and the fragrance system can be controlled by touching on-screen buttons. Another new feature on the 2016 7 Series are heated front and rear door armrests and front and rear center console armrests. Cell phones can be integrated using Bluetooth and USB connections. A universal holder compatible with a range of cell phones and Wireless Charging is standard.
Luxury Seating Comfort and Rear Executive Lounge Seating
The Luxury Rear Seating Package might make the rear passengers not want to get out of the car. It has Rear Ventilated and Comfort Seats, Heated Front and Rear Armrests, and a seven-inch Touch Command Tablet. The comfort seats offer eight massage programs, each with three intensity levels. Rear passengers can indulge in the Vitality Program, which encourages training to revitalize the body on longer journeys. The training program instructions are displayed on the rear-seat entertainment system screens.
It gets even better with the optional Rear Executive Lounge Seating Package. The backrest can be reclined up to 42.5 degrees. The back of the front passenger seat contains an electrically operated fold-out footrest. The rear-seat entertainment system screen can also be electrically adjusted to the ideal viewing angle. The Executive Lounge rear center console also features a fold-out table, two cupholders, and a storage compartment, as well as the new BMW seven-inch Touch Command Tablet.
Touch Command Tablet: connecting with the vehicle
New for any BMW is the removable BMW Touch Command Tablet. Its seven-inch screen allows occupants to control comfort functions such as seat adjustment, interior lighting, and air conditioning, as well as the infotainment, navigation, and communication systems. The Touch Command Tablet can also play external audio and video files, surf the Internet or serve as a game console. The car has a built-in WiFi hotspot to provide online access. Selections made on the tablet will then play on one of the rear-seat entertainment system’s ten-inch screens.
Ambiance light, Ambiance highlight, Panoramic Sky Lounge LED Roof
Standard Ambiance lighting illuminates the rear of the instrument panel, the door beltlines, the map pockets on the front seat backs, and the foot wells. Courtesy lights and illuminated bars on the door sills provide additional light. Users may use the iDrive controller to select from six different color variants for the lighting effects. The LED graphics projection from the side skirts to the entrance/exit area is what BMW now calls the Light Carpet.
Cars equipped with the optional rear sunshades also come with the Ambiance Light Pillar. Vertically arranged light sources in the B-pillar area illuminate the rear compartment. Intensity may be adjusted using contact sensors, the iDrive, or BMW Touch Command.
The new BMW 7 Series comes standard with a two-section Panoramic moonroof with an opening front section. If moonlight is not enough, the optional Panoramic Sky Lounge LED Roof can be ordered, where the light emitted by LED modules along the sides is spread evenly throughout the glass surface. At night, etchings in the moonroof glass create the effect of a starlit sky, and is available in six different color schemes.
With the optional Ambient Air package, occupants may ionize the air or fragrance the vehicle interior with selected scents. There are three levels of intensity and eight scents available.
Bowers & Wilkins Diamond surround sound system
The optional Bowers & Wilkins Diamond surround sound system was designed for the new 7 Series and features studio-grade acoustic technologies providing exceptional sound experience that BMW says has never before been heard in a production car. A ten-channel, 1,400-watt amplifier and dynamic sound equalizer push the audio through sixteen partially illuminated speakers for uniform acoustic performance to all seats. Five acoustic options allow occupants to customize their sound experience.
BMW ConnectedDrive in the new BMW 7 Series
BMW takes great pride in using connectivity to improve safety, comfort, and information delivery. This new 7 incorporates more connected features than any car BMW has produced, from driver assistance systems to the number of functions that can be integrated in the car using Apps—either with the built-in SIM card or a smartphone—and operated using iDrive.
The embedded BMW ConnectedDrive Services SIM card allows Advanced Real Time Traffic Information as part of the standard Navigation System. The SIM card also provides over-the-air automatic navigation map updates free of charge for the first three years. The car not only updates its maps, but also the BMW server through interactive traffic sign updating—a first for the auto industry. Images of roadside traffic signs recorded by the optional Speed Limit Info camera, along with the signs’ position data, are relayed anonymously to a BMW server, which then updates the map database. BMW 7 Series drivers have to activate this system but if they do, they are helping to keep the navigation database accurate for themselves and all BMW ConnectedDrive customers.
BMW Head-Up Display: optimized graphics, larger projection area
The new-generation BMW Head-Up Display graphically presents a broad range of information on the windshield in the driver’s field of view. It is standard on the 750i and optional on the 740i. The system displays road speed, speed limits, overtaking restrictions, Check Control messages, status and warning messages from other assistance systems, turn-by-turn directions, and telephone and entertainment menus. This latest version of the HUD has a 75 percent larger projection area, and displays images in full color.
New generation BMW Parking Assistant
Previous versions of Park Assist limited the car to parking in parallel parking spots. The new 7’s Parking Assistant is better, because it can select and park in perpendicular parking spots. With the old system, the driver had to shift, accelerate, and brake. The new 7 does it all. An especially welcome feature is that when backing up, the system automatically brakes to avoid hitting something behind the car, even if the driver doesn’t.
Active Driving Assistant and Active Driving Assistant Plus
The optional Active Driving Assistant safety package now includes Rear Crossing Traffic warning. Using data supplied from sensors at either side of the rear of the vehicle, Rear Crossing Traffic warning assists drivers when backing out of parking spots in poor visibility by audibly and visually alerting the driver in the Central Information Display. The Active Driving Assistant package also includes the Frontal Collision Warning and Pedestrian Warning with Light City braking function, Active Blind Spot Detection, Lane Departure Warning, and Speed Limit Info. The Active Driving Assistant Plus package also includes Active Cruise Control with Stop & Go function and Front Crossing Traffic warning, Traffic Jam assistant, and Active Lane keeping assistant with Side Collision protection. These functions use a stereo camera and front and side radar sensors to detect lane markings, preceding vehicles, or approaching side or rear traffic. At speeds up to 130 mph they can help drivers stay in their lane or follow the preceding vehicle. The systems can also help prevent collisions with approaching side or rear traffic during a lane change.
Active Cruise Control with Stop & Go now lets drivers hit a button telling the system to adapt the car’s speed to comply with detected speed limits—automatically.
BMW Night Vision, 3D Surround View
Adaptive LED headlights are standard, so high beams are excellent, but the car is also available with the optional BMW Night Vision System. The Night Vision system projects a real-time image on the Central Information Display, highlighting people, larger animals, and other heat-radiating objects. The new generation of the Surround View system can now show not only a Top View mode but also a 3D View mode, as well as a Panorama View showing side traffic in front and behind the vehicle. The 3D View mode uses the Central Information Display to show the vehicle and its environment from various perspectives to aid safe maneuvering in confined, low-visibility situations.
Body and safety: Strong, comfortable, proactive
Unique Carbon Core body structure
BMW is calling its increase usage of carbon-fiber reinforced plastic combined with steel and aluminum the Carbon Core body structure and it describes totally new construction processes. For example, the CFRP roof frame is now a core-free, closed structural element that is very strong and very light. The process and materials, including combining CFRP and ultra-high-tensile and hot-stamped steel result in a more rigid passenger cell and a lower center of gravity.
The new 7 Series body is stronger, stiffer, and lighter due to BMW’s Carbon Core construction. Ample crumple zones and well-defined load paths help ensure that impact forces are absorbed or diverted away from occupants.
Front and side airbags, head/curtain airbags in both front and rear, active head restraints, three-point inertia-reel seat belts with belt force limiters and belt tensioners in the front seats, and special mounting points for child seats in the rear provide substantial protection in impact situations. The new 7 also has automatic impact mitigation features. In a collision, the standard Active Protection system activates the belt tensioners and, if necessary, closes the side windows and the moonroof. The seat backrests are brought into an upright position to ensure the restraint systems work optimally.
The trunk: variable and convenient
The trunk opens electrically and provides a relatively level loading area to get to the 18.2 ft³ (SAE) of trunk space. The car’s Comfort Access, which is standard, allows hands-free opening and closing of the trunk lid. Waving a foot under the rear apron makes it happen.
BMW Ultimate Benefits
Not all of the new 7 Series’ benefits are built into the car. Some are built into the BMW retail center experience. Encore Delivery follows up the initial customer delivery with a second visit with a BMW Genius at a time and place convenient to the customer. After the owner has had time to absorb the car’s features and systems, the Genius will meet with the owner to conduct a review and go into detail on anything the owner has not yet mastered.
Priority Service Appointments are scheduled within 48 hours of the customer’s initial request, at a time convenient to the customer, with an option for Vehicle Pick Up and Drop Off service at the customer’s location. Loaners will be comparable cars. Customer’s cars can get a vehicle spa treatment, and a 24/7 Concierge can assist with mobility services and other owner-related questions.
Have it your way.
Prospective 7 Series owners have a variety of colors, design lines, interiors, and options available to make their car their own. But if that’s not enough, BMW Individual can step in and build a car from a wider color palette, wheel selection, and wood and leather choices.
Designworks, BMW’s California-based design studio and consultancy offers a BMW Individual Consultation program. Clients may work directly with a professional Designworks designer—in person or over the phone—to commission and personalize their new BMW. During consultation sessions, clients may see image concepts as well as color, leather, and trim samples they can touch and feel.
What’s big and green? The new 7.
The new 7 Series may be big and powerful, but it’s still green in that it makes good use of recycled materials and the CFRP used in its construction is produced at a factory powered by hydroelectric energy. About half the aluminum used in castings and around 20 percent of the thermoplastics come from recycled materials, while the inner lining of the trunk lid and parts of the door trim are made from the natural kenaf fiber.
Building the new BMW 7 Series
BMW Plant Dingolfing is the home of the new BMW 7 Series. The Dingolfing plant began building BMWs in 1973. Since then, it has produced more than 9,000,000 vehicles. Production of BMW 7 Series cars first started there in 1977. Currently, 17,500 staff and 800 trainees work at the factory. Dingolfing turns out about 1,600 vehicles per day, including the new BMW 7 Series, BMW 5 Series, BMW 6 Series, BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe, BMW 3 Series Gran Turismo, the BMW M5, and all three body styles of the BMW M6. Dingolfing also produces aluminum bodies for Rolls-Royce, and the aluminum chassis components and high-voltage batteries for the BMW i cars that are assembled at the Leipzig plant. When production on the new 740e begins, Dingolfing will also be making its high-voltage batteries
In the new BMW 7 Series, we see an evolutionary exterior design and integration of just about every high-tech system or component that BMW has deemed fully developed. We look forward to a test drive to see if the steering, brakes and handling are as good as BMW says and as good as all the driving assistant systems claim. One thing we know for certain is that if we were children and our parents owned this car, road trips would not be the cruel and unusual punishment they once were. For kids, adult rear seat passengers, Internet addicts, and well-heeled driving enthusiasts, the new BMW 7 Series looks like a great ride. We’re also very anxious to see the new 740e xDrive plug-in hybrid version.—Scott Blazey
Want more? Here's the BMW intro video for the new 7 Series.
[Photos, videos, and selected passages courtesy of BMW AG.]
Facts and figures for the new BMW 7 Series
740i 750i xDrive
Body
Seats 5 5
Number of Doors 4 4
Vehicle length 206.6 inches 206.6 inches
Vehicle width 74.9 inches 74.9 inches
Width including mirrors 85.4 inches 85.4 inches
Vehicle height 58.2 inches 58.2 inches
Wheelbase 126.4 inches 126.4 inches
Overhang front 35 inches 35 inches
Rear overhang 45.2 inches 45.2 inches
Ground clearance 5.3 inches 5.3 inches
Turning circle 42 feet 42.3 feet
Legroom front 41.4 inches 41.4 inches
Legroom rear 44.4 inches 44.4 inches
Shoulder room front 59.2 inches 59.2 inches
Shoulder room rear 57.7 inches 57.7 inches
Headroom front with Moonroof 39.9 inches 39.9 inches
Max headroom rear with Moonroof 38.9 inches 38.9 inches
Trunk volume (SAE) 18.2 cubic feet 18.2 cubic feet
U.S. fuel capacity 20.6 gallons 20.6 gallons
U.S. Curb weight 4225 pounds 4610 pounds
U.S. Gross vehicle weight 5450 pounds 5870 pounds
U.S. Payload 960 pounds 960 pounds
U.S. Axle load limit front 2585 pounds 2900 pounds
U.S. Axle load limit rear 3030 pounds 3140 pounds
Engine
Config/No of cylinders/valves Inline/6/4 V90/8/4
Fuel management DME 8.6 DME 8.8
Engine Technology BMW TwinPower Turbo BMW TwinPower Turbo
Turbo Type Twinscroll Twinscroll
Stroke 94.6 mm 88.3 mm
Bore 82 mm 89 mm
Displacement 2998 cm³ 4395 cm³
Compression ratio 11:1 10.5:1
Engine power 320 horsepower 445 horsepower
At rpm 5200–6500 5500–6000
Engine torque 330 pound-feet 480 pound-feet
At rpm 1380 1800–4500
Emission classification (type-certified) ULEV ULEV
Transmission
Transmission type 8HP50 8HP75
Gear ratios
1st 5:1 5:1
2nd 3.2:1 3.2:1
3rd 2.143:1 2.143:1
4th 1.72:1 1.72:1
5th 1.314:1 1.313:1
6th 1:1 1:1
7th 0.822:1 0.823:1
8th 0.64:1 0.64:1
Reverse gear 3.456:1 3.478:1
Final drive ratio 3.077:1 2.813:1
Performance
Top speed 130 mph 130 mph
Top speed optional 155 mph 155 mph
0–60 mph 5.4 seconds 4.3 seconds
Suspension type front double wishbone axle double wishbone axle
Rear suspension five-link suspension five-link suspension
Steering type rack-and-pinion rack-and-pinion
Power-steering EPS EPS
Steering transmission, overall 16.9:1 16.9:1
Front brake ventilated disc ventilated disc
Rear brake ventilated disc ventilated disc
Front tires 245/50 R18 245/45 R19
Front rims 8J x 18 LM 8.5J x 19 LM
Rear tires 245/50 R18 245/45 R19
Rear rims 8J x 18 LM 8.5J x 19 LM
Track front 63.5 inches 63.4 inches
Rear track 64.6 inches 64.6 inches
Cx 0.27 0.28
Generator amperage 180 amps 250 amps
Alternator output 2520 watts 3500 watts
Battery Capacity (low voltage) 105 amp-hours 105 amp-hours
System voltage (low voltage) 12 volts 12 volts
