STUD or DUD? The 2009 BMW 7 Series Leaks It Way On The Web

Not a big fan at all... I must say a major let down....

Stud

Yay! no more bubblebutt.

Booo, the front end grill looks like it's from an Audi.

It seems that BMW toned down the 7 series to make room in the lineup for the production version of the CS concept, which will be the more radical model

DUD!

They are trying to copy the LS tailights but came out with this monster!

id be PROUD to stoll down rodeo drive in this car
embarrasing all the s class and ls owners =)

The tail lights on the LS look like those on the 5 Series.

My boyfriend has a LS460 and I hate it! ;-<

EL34

Seems like misrepresenting yourself as another member as grossly as you just did would be a terms of use violation. Huh, oh well.

There is a terms of use???

I assume there is or was. Language and name calling obviously at the top for it's the biggest reason to be banned. That list and any reason added to that list (Most TOU's include misrepresentation) would constitute a Terms of Use whether written or implied.

Nothing wrong with the current 7-series though.

thinking the same... I think you pinpointed it exactly what was wrong with it...

shake your head while reading this word: the tail lights

Dud!

Agreed.... I very disgusted. The Current BMW 7 series is a stunner, this is a BIG LET DOWN!!!! It seems like they tried to make it look like both the Lexus LS and the Hyundai Genesis. It look like both of those cars put together. I'm upset that BMW tried copying the Lexus LS, I know sales are great on the LS, but dang Bimmer, this car is just horrible. It's looks like a 2007 LS model without a refresh.

I'm very disappointed. And when the current 7-Series first hit the streets it was a everybody want-wow-factor-gotta-have-it-car. It surely want be that way this time.

BMW what happen? What went wrong? Did you have some layoffs or something? This is not the BMW message that I would expect. It looks like an Acura RL, or did u decide to go with the Japanese look?

BMW, You have some serious explaining to do. Cause I'm up-set.

Are you kidding!?

I don't really like the design much, but you can't seriously say they are trying to copy the LS. The LS IS a copy of all BMW's most recent design cues. So the new 7 is the next logical progression of where they already were.

Yes it's going to look a bit like the LS, but it ain't b/c they tried to COPY the LS. It's b/c the LS stole most of their design cues in the first place.

The Current LS looks nothing like the current 7-series. And you know it. not one bit. Not one Cue, not one strip, not one angle. the Current 7-Series is totally BMW and the LS is totally Lexus. THEY LOOK NOTHING ALIKE!

NOW this new 7-series favors the LS, now you tell me who copied who and the LS was release back in 2006?

I agree with Hantra on this one Silver. If you dont see a que, a strip or an angle on the LS that looks like the 7, you're looking at the LS with blinders on.

>>>"The Current LS looks nothing like the current 7-series. And you know it. not one bit."

Perhaps you're looking at the Cobalt LS. ;-)

It's not just the 7 though. They took the entire BMW design language from the past 5-6 years and ganked it.

The Bangle butt even showed up on the CAMRY!!?? So don't blame BMW when the next ________ looks like the Camry.

I see some Quattroporte in the front end of this car. I like the nose and front end. The interior is beautiful. The rear lights look a little bulbous in my opinion. I'll hold my final judgement until I see it in person.

Big improvement, but not really innovative. It highlights how bad the current one is, that the design language is so bad that there was no place to go with it.

I am usually a fan of BMW design but this one NOT SO MUCH! Good luck with that....

Looks: safe for this segment.

Guts: Driveline beyond reproach!

It shouldn't be flashing considering the type of people who will likely buy it, so it looks good. Inoffensive but nice is about where they should be aiming

YAWWWWWWWWWWN

I'll tell ya', its so hard for a manufacturer to win. First, BMW gets criticized for their current design, "Banglebutt" which is at least unique. Then they go the more conservative route and get criticized again.

I think the design is elegant. Its a nice evolution.

haha golfer38
the banglebutt gets critisized
yet countless automakers copied it

staar - pud pud pud

On the last year before the update, that's to be expected. We'll see who is the sales winner one or two years from now.

wow, shocker, the much more recently redesigned S-class and LS are outselling a seven year old 7-Series that is set to be replaced at the end of the year.

Also just in, "death" continues to be our nations #1 killer.

Staar, using sales figures for only this year doesn't prove anything, except that you're either too lazy to look up more relative figures or too stupid to understand how the market works. Let me help you. For awhile the last 7-Series outsold both the LS and the S-class, both of which were old models by then. Then the new S-class came out and took over. Then the new LS. You see, the market is "cyclical". Say it with me - "cyclical". When the new 7-Series comes out it'll take the top spot for awhile, then later something else new will come out, and then something else, and then something else, and then it'll be the NEXT 7-Series, etc. "Cyclical".

I think that it is a deffinate improvement from the current model! It's to bad that they didn't stick to the cs though.

I don't mind the front end but dislike the rear. The interior's a safe way to go about redesigning. I'm sure when it's all said and done the 7er will still be a comfortable executive saloon. It may not be as good looking as an A8 or an S Class but like all saloons in this range it will be a comfortable luxurious place to be.

dud...the only think cool are the lights otherwise it looks like the same old 7 series

I'd take a black one.

Slightly more refined...dud. S class still owns.

I do like it, but I would have a few things to say:

1) The rear does have a slight Infiniti MX Lexus LS look to it.

2) Could use a dual exhaust setup. I know BMW is known for the dual tip one side, but a dual exhaust would be nice to see.

3) Like the use of the LEDs for the signals and brake lamps.

All in all I like it, nice redesign and kinda kicks on the older 7 look more than a bigger 5 series.

The single exhaust looks to be limited to the 730d in these pics.

Exterior is ho hum. Interior is just like any other BMW. I think that they might have left the door wide open.

Sounds like a recipe for success :~)

Yeah, BMW competitors' success.

The gear selector is ergonomically designed for the human hand.

Get with the program and stop making silly comments.

That's the pot calling the kettle black if I've ever seen it!

Boring analog gauges? Dear god, you're not one of those types that likes those awfully tacky digital gages?

Dud. Nothing exciting about the interior or exterior. It looks as if it should have been introduced in 2002. Time to step it up! Maybe it has more of a presence in person. I will wait to see it then

BIG DUD.

I remember a few months ago one of the many photoshops that came out had it looking a lot like an overgrown 3 series and this is exactly what it looks like. I think all the crap they took over the outgoing generations design got to them and they just went completely safe this time. This just doesn't grab me at all. I'd take an S-Class over this ANY day.

Those tail lights are out of a drug induced design session. UGLY. Over all the car is trying to say too much with its design with too little coming out.

Secondly, the interior SUCKS. I have never seen a car cost so much with such a lack luster interior. Total copy of the last one, nothing sparkles, nothing is new, and those air vents look very small with a lot of clutter around them. I really don't think they are thinking over in bmw design studios.

Rolling artwork.

Stud!

Are you serious? This thing is a major DUD. Especially that horrendous rear. What is BMW thinking/smoking?

Thank goodness it doesn't have all those gurly lines like an Infiniti!

Yes, it has the ugly lines of bad design.

Very inoffensive and evolutonary styling. Front end from the side locks a bit blocky but was well executed. The interior has telematics to rival any possible carmaker in the world.

It's not as elegant as the S-Class but we have to remember thats not what BMW was going here. Overall the car is well done.

My only issue if I had to nit pick is that massive steering wheel.

OMG IT LOOKS LIKE THE LS!?!?! DUD!!!!

That's because Lexus copied BMW ;-)

keep dreaming EL34.

The only thing BMW wished it copied from Lexus's LS is the sales numbers.

DUD

dud!

Mixed feelings about the new 7. Having not seen the car in person, from these 1st pics I have to say there really is no "wow" factor. Thinking long term - I wonder how this design will look in 8 years being that it already appears so similar to the current 7. After looking at these pics several times, my thoughts go back to the Benz S class. In this segment, the S is still the "wow" car - no wonder it is the global sales leader in this segment.

DUUUUUDDDDDD!!!!

@ the troll MichaelTaylor,

"A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines."

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Sadly, I liked you better when you were "JoshLexus4Ever" and you wanted Megan Fox to be your mommy!

Looks like a bad attempt by KIA/Hyundai to copy the Lexus LS. I agree that they were gun shy here given the controversy the current 7 at endured at model intro.

You know what - I like the current one better!

BMW Owner

Side, rear, and interior are a major improvement, but the front still looks sad as the current model. But over all, its a stud, they finaly fixed the 7 series.

Not a bad-looking car. However, I wish that they had gone for a bolder look.

DUD!

What is that big red blob at the back? Looks like some Sci-Fi director designed it.

so much for I-drive, remind me what's the function of I-drive again? i count 27 buttons and that's excluding I-drive.

hmmm
not feeling that rear-end
looks like a VERY nice car though
MILES better than that bloated camry lexus calls the ls

Neither Stud nor Dud. It's somewhere in the middle. Some things work while others don't. They watered the CS Concept down too much to get to this.

already looks old?
that was my first impression of the ls460
this thing is miles away into the future
stop hating because you cant slash your 4 year lease on your ls460
=)

at least bmw has design language
yeah the ls460 doesnt look like a "lexus"
nobody know what a "lexus" looks like
bmw wont make radical changes because wherever you see a bmw...
you know its a bmw

LS wannabe, look at the tailights..sad

why would anybody want to copy the flab lexus thing?
it has no original styling cues
and just blends into the sea of sheetmetal on the road

when i see a lexus on the road
i dont go "OOOH LOOK ITS A LEXUS"
when i see a bmw on the road
it usually grabs my attention with the radical and daring styling cues

Sorry to offend BMW fans but outside of the photos designating this 7-series as a 730d (diesel), this is a total DUD! As other here have noted, it does look like the Lexus LS. Now the LS is a good looking vehicle albeit conservative, but this should not be the type of car that comes from the Bayerische Motoren Werke!
The 1st car that came to mind, to be honest, was not the Lexus, but the NEW Hyundai Genesis sedan! There just isn't anything about it that stands out as one of "The Ultimate Driving Machine". Sure, it will definitely drive like one, but its outward appearance could be easily mistaken for something else by the uninformed -- not a good thing for potential new customers IMO.

it looks like the genesis because hyundai copied bmw
like most other automakers
mercedes, lexus, audi
just to name a few

It does look like an LS Lexus and a XJ Jaguar had sex and made this thing.

But I think that's what makes it cool!

I'd like to see it in real life, but at this point, I would say "Dud". However, sometimes vehicles look better in person, just like some women.

Disappointing...looks like BMW is listening to the wrong crowd. I like BMW for their revolutionary, futuristic take on the automobile design but here they seemed to have taken a step back. I am quite disappointed to see that their new flagship looks like a boring Japanese "premium" sedan made by Lexus or Infiniti. DUD!!!

No, this looks like a boring German "premium" sedan made by BMW.

German sedans and boring don't belong in the same sentence. The concept of boring cars was invented, developed and perfected in Japan. The Japanese have monopoly on boring cars.

Gee, you're so smart. You just contradicted youself. You said that this new 7 looks boring and now you say that boring and German sedan don't belong in the same sentence. Remember the Star rule, the more you type the less credible you sound.

"etool sauce",

are you retarded? I will say it again. This BMW looks like the typical Japanese boring sedans made by Lexus and Infiniti. That's WHY I said is disappointing. It doesn't look like the typical classy, luxurious German sedan. Get it?

bulldogz,

I disagree with you. I think the 7 series e38 model that started in 1994 was one of the classiest looking cars ever made. It certainly didn't look Japanese.

"etool sauce", that's funny. You probably don't even know what my name means. The IS and G are not boring looking, neither is the LS. You say that German sedans are not boring? Some older Mercedes' sedans are pretty boring if you ask me.

Well that just shows you that I don't cheer for BMW like you do for the Japanese c**p. When BMW does it right(most of the time)I appreciate them, when they do it wrong I criticise them.
What you don't understand is the fact that this car is criticised mostly because it resembles the Japanese bloated POS Lexus LS. So every time you hate on the new 7 series BMW remember that you kick Lexus right in the *****.

this makes me excited to see the next 5 series

The New 7 is a Technological Tour De Force!

The car is a winner :-\

The End

of EL34...

wow thinking it was gunna be better but no
Dud =/

I love it, but it seems to be lacking that special BMW "something".

The whole rear seat i-drive-looking setup thing I'm in love with though, gorgeous.

Dud: Yes one could argue that it has many design cues from Lexus, MB, etc., but at least is in good/competitive company. I'd be concerned that it has too many design cues with the Hyundai Genesis or other lower-cost imports. The last design was at least distinctive. In profile, just as you would see this vehicle being retrieved from a valet, the Genesis similarity would really bother me . . . unless of course, I was the owner of the Hyundai!

concerning the exterior, for time being i'm decieved. But i prefer wait to see it in reality. Often cars look much better in reality than a picture. But for sure i don't like the inside.

Not suprised BMW went conservative with 7 series. GS/8 series should offer bolder style design. Agree, wow factor missing with 7. BMW hit a double. 5 series on deck. Better be good.

People, it's supposed to be a revolutionary design! And it really is! I'm in love!

Sorry, yeah, wow, what an error. lol.

I think I like the old one better. I do like this, but I see a lot of the Lexus LS in it. Especially in the rear and side views of the car. I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing because I like the LS, but most BMW enthusiasts do not. I have mixed feelings for the car.

Lets see. It looks like a big 5 series and I kinda like the side profile. I like the inteior too. Much better than the current car. The real issue for me is the front end. The kidney grills are about 2 or 3 sizes too big. I can deal with the rear end and I like the LEDs all around. Plus the wheels look pretty good too.
This one will definitely look better in black to kinda diminish the grill size in the front.
T

I like it. This is how a premium luxury sedan should look. Its design should be very conservative but well proportioned. Audi got it right for years with the A8. Lexus got it with the new LS. BMW has now got it with this 7.

Sadly DUD.

BMW, go back to the drawing board before it's too late.

Oh wait......it's too late :(

Looks good. Stud.

im sorry but, that is the most hideous rear i have ever seen on a luxury car. Looks like a horrible imitation of the genesis

Stud but by a slim chance. Back looks to much like the Lexus LS and the car to me just looks like a stretched 5-Series with updates. Interior mimics the 3-Series way to close, should be set apart. MBZ S-Class is still king. BMW did try. Its a good update from the current 7-Series.

I don't agree! So not everyone does! :)

Interesting that these photos seem to present the car in such a ... non-dynamic light. In the photo of the rear three-quarters, its stance reminds me of the Saturn Aura. I am certain it will look much better in person, when we can see how light reflects off its surfaces, in motion and when intricacies that photos don't show are apparent. Not a stud or dud yet.

I say STUD!

I think it looks like a great balance between an evolution of the current E65 and the more conservative older 7er.

A few details (front bumper opening, rear lights) could be better, and the interior could (should) have been more adventurous, but overall I think it's a winner.

And for those that now say it's a disappointment compared with the E65, just remember how badly that one was received. Not even BMW can afford that two times in a wow!

For all the people who rip the E65's design, I sure do see lots of them on the road. If I'm not mistaken, the car actually sold better than its predecessor. I don't believe BMW considered it a failure, and judging from the number of competitors and plain imitators who copied the trunk's unique design, many of the world's designers did not think of it as a failure either.

A big big DUD.

expected much better design from BMW and this is what they came up with. Even Genesis looks better than this horrendus thing. ohh and even X6 looks better.

JUGNU

"I just showed this to a friend who knows nothing about cars"

I can see why you two are friends. Both clueless when it comes to cars.

The LS looks like raw crab brains.

wow, not bad looking at all, im loving the lights, back and the interior, so that got my vote as an STUD (compare to the current) i do see alittle LS and overall redesign 5 series into it...but thats just me, i have to see/drive it in person, i waited 8 yrs to trade in my car for this...what an DUD!!!

thanks BMW, i guess im in line for an used LS or A8

New 7 looks nice but also appears to be on the Lexus side of Luxury (more tech, less luxury). Does not look as luxurious as the S. Will have to see it live.

Let's see here: GS c pillars, LS integrated exhaust pipe, if I didn't know any better I'd say BMW has Lexus envy or possibly Lexus L-Finesse designers when they "designed" this dud.

Looks to me like a perfect makeover of the current 7 Series.

I really want Lexus to stop copying BMW :-(

Just wait till the high dynamic range photos come out of the new 7.

yuck! the tail-lights look ugly, the front grill looks like it was added in late. the only good parts are the front headlamps. real disappointment. was hoping for something better after the stunning 3-series coupe and m3.

DUD. if they changed the grill and the tail-lights to something more refined, then they may have a winner here.

Is bad but still not as bad as the horrific looking Lexus LS.

BMW cant win for losing with some....the last generation was to risque the new version to bland.....the version before the current model was also to bland......lol I say people should make up their mind.......either way BMW obviously will never make everyone happy or CERTAIN people for that matter so why they are even trying who knows.....I personally expected a more elegant desighn overall these pics dont look like the spyshots which is odd...the spy shots had a low slung long low appearence that was classy, elegant, yet very sporty like the model before the current 7 but with more elegant lines. these kinda look like a large 3 series with a large front end, and a different rear...so all in all I would say Im a little let down Ill wait for the good pics before I pass judgement completely....the interior I like the improvement in the attention to detail and the lack of the steering wheel column shifter which even on the mercedes is very old school American to me not in a good way

Stud. I really don't see much problem with this new design, and I do believe this will grow on many people eventually.

This is certainly a lot better than the previous one, and if I could afford one, then I am totally in.

Who deboosted this? That must be someone who loves those crappy cars of GM and/or Ford that will be forced into bankruptcy, or some ricerboy. Nice try though.

Bangle butt ? Where did Chris copy it from ? From Hyundai !!

The Lexus LS design cues were alreay in the Lexus stands of motor shows in 2003 and 2005, tell me how can they have copied the BMW 5/6 series ?

Boring.. Yawn.. Maybe BMW should save money just pay someone at Buick to design their cars..

The fronts lights of the new BMW 7 looks like the lights of a 9 year old Toyota Avensis built in Derby-United Kingdom.. So BMW slaps a BMW grille on any other car makers design and then calls it their own, maing BMW fanboys wet their pants in pathetic anticipation

Also one more comment. This looks like some poofed up G35.

I actually like it. But I also like the current exterior (not quite as cool as the S-Audi cars with the LED on headlights). The interior still needs work.
This is basic BMW evolution...I'm sure the next revision after this will be more revolutionary. It seems to be the way most manufacturers behave in regards to their styling.

Anyone notice the SHIFT LEVER is back in the console area?

^ and yet Mercedes copied it on the S-class, along with the rest of the interior out of the last 7-Series.

What is WRONG with you BITCHES!?! This new 7 series is perhaps the BEST LOOKING luxury sedan to appear in quite some time; it completely trounces the bulbous S-class and mundane LS. The sweeping, fluid design completely atones for the diastrous Bangle-era monstosities.

The cabin design, particularly the intstrument cluster and GPS screen housing, of this 7 is a lot more clean and luxurious than the Freightliner-esque humps and bumps of the current S-class.

DUD!
Well it's a sad day for myself & other Bimmer fans alike as this car is hideous! I way prefer the current 750i over this & even the 745i.

The taillights & grill look terrible, ultimately they're what ruins the cars design; why are they trying to make this thing look like the LS anyway?

Finally the design just looks dated, I think the current 750i's design has held up quite well & manages to look sportier, classier, stronger, richer & fresher than this new one...

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go cry.

I have faith in German car fans because it looks a like a lot them are being honest. Some, like huu76, like to say a German car fan will buy any piece of shit with a propeller emblem on it; that is just not true at all!

I wanted to really like this, like I said earlier (post @ 9:22:02), but it just isn't good looking at all! Who approved this?!

They really did screw up those taillights, huh?

And, it's BORING!!!

How dare BMW use the current and previous versions of the 7-Series to create the new 2010 7-Series.

Lexus should sue them :-\

Taillights look like they are from a Toyota Avalon.

I was thrilled when I saw the spyshots of the new 7 with camo on but, I guess some things are better left with the camo on than others.

This new 7 had some great potential with its muscular proportions, but the rear end is just plain ol' UGLY!. I actually like the grille, fwiw.

all those wrinkles on the rear lights remind me of grandpa Simpson.

I dont like this car looks at all......but Lexus didnt invent wrap around tail lights........and other than the fact those rediculous shapes wrap around the rear it looks nothing like the LS.....they arent even shaped the same, nor the same size.......it looks nothing like a LS.....odd yes.....not what i expected yes.....but certainly not like an LS because if thats the case the LS looks like the MKZ which also has large rear tailights that wrap around

The S Class looks even better now. I have to say the back does look like an ls, sad sad day for bimmers.

There are so many idiots on this website.
Who did the LS copy? The BMW 7!
That is why they look so similar.

Nonetheless, I find the S-Class to be way better looking than this disappointment.

This is by far the ugliest car of the luxury segment even if it's the newest one...

By the way, I really started to hope that these are the fake photos.I hope they are.

what a SH$T car !!!

im not downing the car at all,but in the light cluster i see audi.........thats my only complaint.glad to see that it was not a big departure from the current model.

DUD DUD DUD... looks like a minor refresh to me. The competition have nothing to worry about!!!

The front end looks very similar to a PIG, the grill looks like it has pig nostrels stuck to the front of it lol!!!

Wow, sad to say, but this is a big DUD to me! I'm huge German-car fan, BMW, Audi, Mercedes, VW. I like em all. But this just doesnt look right. Looks like a slightly refreshed headlight from the current model, the nose is disproportionately long, and the boot seems like it came of an LS!! Even the profile looks LS-ish. I'm sorry, Mercedes S-class is now the looker to beat in this segment. However, I'll will give BMW credit for the interior. It looks great -- very stylish and it looks like quality. I think M-B needs a little work in that dept. I'm hoping Audi doesn't fudge the A8 as badly as BMW did with their 7. I'd buy an 08.

The styling is not my taste. Uninteresting to my eyes, but at least, not unattractive like the current 7, or worse still, the current 5.

bmw tends to look a lot better in person than in pictures. i think most, if not all, bmws do not look good in pics and look better in person.

i can bet that over half of you will change your mind as to the looks of the 7 series after actually seeing it. its plain and may look like the current ls but it looks good. its neither hard or soft in shape. what a bmw had been about prior to the last generation.

its a 4 door 1 series rather than a 3 series with its sport, shark nosed face, tapered body and the next generation bmw, flatter butt.

stdud.

It looks pretty much the same.Get the heavy incentives ready.Bmw has never made money with this car,the firs re-design gave them their largest buy-back in BMW history.

I'm a big BMW fan, but not of the current 7-series, and unfortunately, not of this one, either. DUD.

The one thing I like about this design is the profile silhouette. Otherwise, it doesn't make a lasting memorable statement of any kind.

The worst offense is that they seemed to have deliberately engineered the BMW-ness out of it. The kidney grill and the "dog-leg" C-pillar are the only BMW design traits I can see.

As much as I hate Acura's "cow catcher" grill, I can respect that they're trying to create a visual identity, and it's definitely unique and stands out...here, it seems like all of the character has been sucked out by a subcommittee of design vampires.

And BTW, I don't buy the arguments that we brought this upon ourselves by criticizing Bangle's Butt. That was ugly, but we didn't ask for something uglier.

And I also don't buy the argument that BMW toned this down inorder to play up the CS concept. They are aimed at totally different audiences. People won't be cross-shopping them, so rather than make one boring and one cool and having their customers choose which way to upgrade, they should make them both cool, and be try to steal new customers away from the other brands.

Sorry to say (again, because I AM a big BMW fan, and had higher hopes here) but this is a FAIL.

At this point in time, my favorite BMW designs are the X5, 3-series coupe, and 5-series.

I like it, but the one thing that's questionable in my opinion is the grill. It looks too large for some reason.