2019 BMW 7 Series facelift: this is officially it

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After leaks and some more leaks, the revised BMW 7 Series presents itself

After it skipped the facelift version and came up with an all-new X5, BMW was very close of pulling the same stunt with the 7 Series. It didn’t happen, but the brand’s flagship model has changed. A lot.

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Most of the add-ons involve the design bit, although the Germans made sure the tech package gets tweaked, as well as the engine lineup.

Let’s talk size, proportions and design

You might not notice it at first, but the revamped BMW 7 Series is 22 mm longer than the pre-facelift model – this applies to both the normal-wheelbase model (5,120 mm) and the long-wheelbase version (5,260 mm). Elsewhere, width (1,902 mm) and height (1,467/1,479 mm) stay unaltered.

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The front end is now positioned 50 mm above the ground at its tallest point, while the ginormous kidney grille is the result of a 40% increase in surface. BMW X7, anyone? But while the grille got bigger, the headlights turned slimmer. LED tech is standard, but customers can optionally get BMW Laserlight units with a high-beam range of up to 560 m.

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Lastly, the air breathers that form the infamous golf club sit upright in the 7 Series’ side panels and are said to allow better air flow through them.

Cabin

From the design standpoint, not much to mention, except for the redesigned leather steering wheel which sees a different button arrangement, while the wireless charging tray has been moved in front of the cupholders.

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However, the options list makes room for Nappa leather and extended quilting, as well as new optional wood inserts – American Oak Dark and Poplar Grain Metallic Grey.

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BMW says even less sounds will reach your ears inside the revised 7 Series thanks to “carefully executed refinements around the rear wheel arches, B-pillars, and seatbelt outlet covers” at the rear. In other words, thicker padding for better soundproofing.

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Tech-wise, BMW’s Operating System 7.0 is present on the facelifted BMW 7 Series, but customers can further amp their experience with the optional rear-seat entertainment setup which brings two 10-inch, full-HD touchscreen displays.

How about the powertrain?

The BMW 7 Series range topper remains the BMW M760Li xDrive. It relies on a V12 engine displacing 6.6 liters, packing 430 kW (576 hp, 585 PS) and a new gasoline particulate filter.

One step lower in the hierarchy sits the BMW 750i xDrive and its long-wheelbase peer, the BMW 750Li xDrive. These two use a newly-developed 4.4-liter V8 engine good for 390 kW (523hp, 530 PS), which accounts for an increase of 60 kW (80 hp, 81 PS).

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The plug-in-hybrid setup inside the BMW 745e and 745Le and 745Le xDrive makes 290 KW when the Driving Experience Control switch is set to Sport mode and provides an all-electric range of around 50-58 km (31-36 miles).

As far as the diesel range is concerned, BMW offers the 750d xDrive (294 kW, 400 PS, 394 hp) and 750Ld xDrive (same power and credentials) models – both rely on a three-liter, six-cylinder diesel engine fitted with four turbochargers.

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Beneath it on the pecking order sit the likes of BMW 740d xDrive and BMW 740Ld xDrive (235 kW, 320 PS, 315 hp), with the BMW 730d and BMW 730Ld (and their xDrive iterations) rounding up the offer with 195 kW/265 PS/261 hp.

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