Round Two! 001 Lines Up The New 7 Next To the LS. And The Winner Is?

Of course the BMW has too many lines, it looks like it's out of shape. Reminds me of Nissan, way too bulky. The BMW needs to be clean up, It look like a cheap modified version of the Lexus LS.

The Lexus LS looks way more up-class, cleaner, with much better shape. The BMW needs to go on a diet and shed some weight and trim those love handles and body fat.

I'm pretty sure Lexus will still hold the title for the lowest coefficient aerodynamics in this class. You can even tell by the looks.

And it looks like "The Ultimate Copy Machine" just bought a Lexus and studied for years and ask them selfs "how can we make our car look like Lexus." I would have never thought in all my years that a BMW would never look anything like a Lexus.

I like it BMW was BMW as Mercedes is Mercedes and Audi is Audi. People choose Europeans cars to not have that Japanese styling, but surely BMW than left Europe. They should have left that styling up too the Japan boys.

Seems like all we have left to choose now is Audi and Mercedes, because if I wanted the Japanese look it sure wouldn't be that Fatty BULL Frog 7-series.

BMW should be shameful

LS looks more like a flagship. 7 looks like a enlaraged 3 series (which may not be a bad thing)

Wow, I almost fell asleep looking at the front of the Lexus LS.

rofl people who drive LS hate cars? yeah I guess people who buy the maybach and rolls royce really REALLY hate cars, right?

I mean, why woudln't someone wnat a large heavy unsporting package that has sporty suspension and steering instead of super quiet and smooth luxury?

BMW copied Lexus and screwed it up, the Lexus is slightly better aswell.
Neither cars does it for me, would rather have a Jaguar XFR or an Aston Martin Rapide thanks.

Teknik, your photo is absolutely brilliant.

Next up: 7 Series vs. Yugo!

If the LS is starting to show it's age than what is ths 7-series? Cause it looks like a BETA Verison of a Lexus LS.

$60k for a stretched camry...hilarious.

$100K for a rebadged for a 7-Series-Mini-Cooper hilarious

I agree the LS is nothing but a stretched CAmry......I dont know what you people are looking at but the 7 looks way better than the LS. The interior design does not even compare to BMW. That interior is top notch. The LS is nothing but a bigger version of the old LS (2001-2006)there is no dramatic change to the car the BMW did there is no flare to the LS I agree with tattedtwice it is a stretched camry in every way,shape,and form. The LS needs a complete over haul and design change I see that car getting old real quick but the LS is made for the rich OLD crowd anyway. what young people you know are buying a LS I see more younger people in their 30's-40's buying the 7 series and the 50 and above crowd are buying the LS

all you SO-CALLED enthusiasts only know how to deboost but dont have SHyt to back up your deboosting........yeah way to go you enthusiast

So which ones the lexus and which is the bmw?

Pretty much a tie for me. I think the 7 looks more aggressive than the LS, but the LS looks more luxurious. The 7 has better wheels, but the LED headlights on the LS600 blow the beamer's away.

The BMW wins, and it have suddenly nothing in common on the back with the Lexus. We dont have many Lexus here in Denmark og Europe we dont have to many BMW 7 series to, but i have seen a couple and it looks outstanding.

compare it next to the A8 than you'll see yourself a winner ; )

The 7?

The Lexus looks more elegant and stately, with no unwanted curves, lines etc. The BMW looks like it means business. Almost every curve or line in the BMW is meant for something. Lexus looks like a laid back car, whereas, the BMW looks like it's 'in motion'.
Sometimes i wonder the reason why this Lexus exists! It cannot match the pedigree of the Merc or the sportiness of the BMW. It's more like a 'jack of all trades, but master of none'.
The way Audi is designing it's cars now, we better wait for new Audi A8!

7 series definatley looks like LS from rear. I can't beleive some people here can't see the similarity.

anyway both cars look very nice but to choose a winner with respect to design, To me it's LS.
7 Series got too many lines, wheras LS is more elegant and simple. Not all the lines and curves of 7 series work, from some angles due to too many lines it looks ugly espeically rearwards and the curve in tail lights is also very week IMO.

JUGNU

JUGNU

"7 series definatley looks like LS from rear. I can't beleive some people here can't see the similarity."


I consider myself an objective and unbiased poster and I DO NOT SEE any resemblance whatsoever between the rear of the BMW 7-Series and Lexus LS.

These visual comparisons on Autospies are getting really old. They are clearly designed to cause members to engage in mindless flame wars and avoid the posting constructive and insightful posts.

Every car in this class is beautiful in its own way. I'm talking about the S-Class, A8, 7er, XJ, LS heck, throw in a Q45 for all I care.

Wow! -6 already? Did I say something negative about BMW or Lexus in my post? Oh wait! I got it! Just because I don't see a similarity I am deboosted! Hooray!

Wow, this site is full of fanboys who will attack you the moment you disagree with their almighty wisdom. How lame can you get?

There is no one on this board that can say the new 7 series is a radical redesign........... and that is because it is a progressive evolution of the prior series. Now when Audi/Mercedes and now Lexus copied the knob type navigation concept from BMW, that was OK?

Whatever the case may be....if you are looking for a full-size luxury sedan(not uber ie. rolls, bentley etc.) you should look no further then the S Class. The 7, A8 and LS are NO comparison, even at a 30k discount.

I would personally choose the 5 over the E and GS, but ironically I would, if I could do it over again, choose the E63 over the M5 when it comes to h/p versions, tq rules.

"Wimmer" Come on you don't see ANY resemblance between the rear ends? I find them to be very similar in their design, when you squint your eyes it looks like a black LS sitting next to a silver LS from the rear. In fact the rear of the 7 looks more Asian in its design than the LS, with taillights that unfortunately resemble another lower end Toyota relative called the Avalon. Yes I'm not a fan of the new 7's rear.

However I love everything else about this car including overall exterior (minus the rear) & interior design, plus what I hear about the engine & chassis would be plenty enough in helping me to overlook the rear-end problem & choose it over others in this class.

I don't see it.

And I don't differentiate between "Asian" and "European" design. To me the new 7-Series looks distinctively Teutonic. I even see some retro-design in it from past 7-Series. The only thing at the rear which looks LSish are the inner trunk-integrated rear lights, but you can't be serious that BMW "copied" Lexus there.

All these accusations of "copying" are downright childish. Seriously.

7 series all the way, the LS is butt ugly.

Remember Crappy, at you not with you.

Hey pooppy, you do realize the 3series is done by a Japanese designer right? oh how about the last gen 5series.. you guessed it Japanese!!!

The 7 is far more aggressive from the front. The rears are very similiar. Lexus certainly did rip off the Hoffmeister kink. I definitely prefer the 7's wheels over the Lexus. That dark blue Lexus in the first pics looks like it has chrome wheels. In my opinion, there is nothing tackier than chrome wheels. I think the 7-Series bests the LS in styling. If I was in this market, the S550 4MATIC would still be my first choice. If the 750i came with xDrive, it would make the decision more difficult.

The LS looks more conservative, mundane/boring, and dated, while the 7-series looks looks bolder, more modern, more aggressive, and more athletic. Leave the LS for the old fogies.

BTW, though their may be some similarities with the rear end, the BMW's looks much better - clearly not something Lexus would ever come up with with. Make no mistake. Lexus will always look like a Japanese car.

Now let's wait the next few years for all the other Japanese manufactures to pick up on BMW's design elements (as is always the case).

I find the front of the LS too bland for me, but I find the front of the 7 too over-styled-look-at-me. The back end is a toss up since one looks so much like the other. I like the simple elegance of the LS but the aggressiveness of the 7 is nice too, it's just different.

The Lexus LS looks very much like a huge Camry, even these days at first glance I always think the LS is a refreshed Camry. As far as copying goes, the LS to me ripped the tail lights from the current 5 series and exaggerated them a bit more IMO, also the LS has borrowed a lot of design cues from the previous or outgoing 7 series. read this article. http://www.bmwblog.com/2008/09/28/the-lexus-ls-and-the-2009-bmw-7/
Let's be honest, the previous LS borrowed heavily from the S Classes of old, and the new LS has copies BMW so much that an evolution of the new 7 series was bound to resemble the LS simply because the new 7 is building off the same elements from the model it replaces, plain and simple. However, the new 7, especially in the front to me doesn't look so elegant, it must be the air dam at the bottom, also BMW needs to learn how to execute their designs properly, i find them with too many lines and odd looking facial features in the front of the car especially. I've loved BMW ever since I was 6, but i'm a little bit scared of their designs lately, Z4 looks nice but it has more lines than a zebra, X6, X1, and that new 5 series POS, I mean 5 series PAS! Audi and MB look much cleaner and elegant, whereas Bimmers look sometimes unfinished. I love em, but the honey moon years are coming to a grinding halt if they don't start making some adjustments.

The 7 series beats out the Lexus for sure. But the rear end of the beemer does look like it was inspired by the LS, and there are too many lines on the BMW.
The side profile, and headlights are its strongest features.

Bimmer, not Beemer.

sorry about that. bimmer it is.
beemer's usually used for bmw bikes, and I'd been talking about them witha friend that day.

I'll take the LS!

I think both cars look good. The LS is my choice though.

Honestly I think they are both ugly. Like others have said A8 looks better than both of them, and I'm a huge BMW fan. I think BMW dropped the ball on the design of the new 7. I'm sure it drives like a dream but the wheels are too small for it and it looks too similar to the last gen. The LS is just boring all over, but I'm sure a good value for the money. I wouldn't buy either one.

It's time for ToyLex to come up with their own personality.

ToyLex are an abomination and grotesque in everything they are.

The new village idiot agreeing with the old village idiot, a match made in heaven! EL34 and Crappy walking down the aisle hand in hand, what a sight.

I'll be honest with you about Asia and I have been to a few countries there. They copy everything. You can find exact copies of The Beatles, The Eagles or Michael Jackson. You will find pirated CD's and DVD's everywhere and yet there's not one single artist that is popular from original material including ToyLex and their ripoff car designs.

^^^^sad case of dementia...china copies stuff, but not Japan

EL34, do you know how many things the West copied from China years ago?

Remember Crappy, at you not with you.

Both cars are nicely done. Comparing cars like these just comes down to your personal preference. Neither one is a loser.

What's weird for me though is that this is the first 7 series that looks better in white than in black (obviously my opinion)

As usual, hard to sift through the junk here and find the intelligent posts, but I'll dive in.

I'm not a fanboy or a hater of either brand, although I have two BMWs and I've never had a Lexus. I can appreciate the pros and cons of both marques. First of all, if you're going to do a side by side comparison, why is there no straight on profile shot?? If there are any similarities, this is it. You can't deny the similarity, but I doubt BMW copied anyone here, and it's quite possible that the Lexus designers were going for a BMW look when this LS was designed. However, I do find it odd that BMW didn't look at both cars and say, "uh, I think we need to make some mods, as we're looking a bit like the LS", which was either out or shown when the BMW was being designed, or at least finalized.

And if you take a good look at the rear, they are quite similar. It's not so much the taillights, or at least the outer portion of the lights. It's the way that both cars have generally horizontal lights (with the outer vertical edges canted in the same directions), bisected by the trunk cut, which extends down to the bumper and curves around and leaves a small "shelf", with the outer portions of the bumpers smoothly sloping so that they are flush with the bodywork. This treatment can be seen on a lot of cars on the road today.

I personally think the LS is a good looking car, exactly what an executive luxury car should look like (as someone else already said). I like the new 7 a lot, although there's no question that the boldness-factor has been toned down from the last generation. It's more in line with previous generations, which were all good looking cars and never as flashy as their luxury counterparts - and isn't that what everyone wanted when they were bitching about the looks of the last generation??

The need to rename the bmw the "fail series" instead of 7 series

the LS have 5-series tail lights...FACT
7-series have an LS rear end...FACT

@ hachee2001, when BMW was making the 7er, trust me, they had an S, A8 and LS in there stable...FACT
guess which car they went with???????

I am a fan of ALL Toyotas (as my screen name would imply), but can admit when something is good/great. I've always been able to admit the sheer pleasure of driving a BMW however I would still take a Lexus for various reasons.
On this note, design. I like the look of the 7's front end. That's it.
They missed some fluidity on the rear or they would have had me there too.
But the biggest draw to the LS is its quility. And it's visible in these photos.
Looking at the way the light assemblies join the body panels, the LS is flawless, even seamless! The 7, you can see the gaps.
I'm not saying the 7 is a piece. Just noting the 'perfection' of the LS. And that's why I pick even a "stretched Camry" over a BMW 7 series.
Overall, the design of the LS is more fluid as well.

If I've said it once I've said it 'till I was blue in the face.

When ToyLex designs a car the first step for the design team is to surround the design studio with enlaged photos of the big German machines before they proceed.

Next they try to think like a German and design what the future German car will look like :-/

Therefore, when ever a ToyLex mobile comes out we know what the next German cars will look like.

LS gets the copykat award yet again ;->

If I've said it once I've said it 'till I was blue in the face. You're like permanently on acid, right? That's the only way to explain what you try to write here on autospies.

They're not HID - they are LED.

These photos are lousy so I wouldn't go by these. But I say it's a tie. S-class blows both away. In fact, the A8 looks better than these as well.

its funny how so many ppl talk about bmw copying lexus... yes it may be a shame that finnally a B/C has to copy somebody but its not like their first time copying... lexus has been copying all their careers...

LS Hands down!
An easy choice
The 7 steps up, but is still a step behind in a little thing called Schtyle!
The giant round taillights are a major boner
And the doors don't come close to matching on the LWB
And they still can't get the grille/headlights to work together
Smells like a style-by-committee job, just slightly better than the last hodgepodge
Audi A8 and The LS lead this class
BMW and Benz lag behind, more contrived than confident
Better luck next time
DarkPheonix

What what, in the butt.

The LS, expecialy in the front, looks old compared to the 7-series. The chrome front grill looks very dated.

but NOWHERE as old and tired as kidney grills! i spose bmw can't help being bmw and thus painfully constrained to HAVING to have boring kidney grills on everything they make. but they COULD be a bit more creative with variations, as MB is.

I'd say BMW. It has more class and style than the LS. I'd put my money on the Germans.

My boyfriend has a 7 and I love it period..
The End :-/

As long as they are not made in the crappy bankrupt usa I'm fine!!.
Look at my German avatar, I don't even speak German but hey, online I can be anyone I want :--)

El34: mach es dir selber.

The 7 Lost because the kidney grilles don't open with the hood anymore. All BMW's used to do this.

I though I'd never say this but the Lexus looks much better than the BMW. It's sleeker with a cleaner edges. I do agree on the other hand that the 7 has a better interior.

001, you do realize that this horse has long been dead, and all the beating in the world won't bring it back to life? Surely there's better news to post than this endless stream of useless new 7-Series threads.

lol this morning, all the pro lexus comments were boosted way up, and by sundown, all the german fans came out to play.

the freaks come out at night :)

BMW 7 Series vs. Lexus LS . . . and the winner is . . . Mercedes S-Class!!!

what is it with 7s and UGLY ASSES? here we thot the Bangle Butt is finally history, and now they find a way to extend the bumper face up, around, and OVER the rear fenders!!??? someone at BMW Styling must just love fat hausfraus with overwide rear ends.

Other than the front, The 7-Fail-Series-Mini-Copper look like a honda Civic

Wimmer

I never said BMW copied the LS; as the 7's final design was most likely green-lighted more than two years ago before the LS was revealed, but merely resembles the rear of the LS.

Things that look strikingly similar would be the way the taillights wrap around the back of the car in the same angled fashion making them visible from a side angled profile, chrome strip on the trunk (Just the LS's doesn't extend to taillights), the rear bumper & tailpipes.

7 series looks way more interesting than that Camry. I just don't understand why all you Lexus lovers are trying to justify why you can't afford the better car (the BMW of course) by saying "ooh, BMW looks like a Mini Cooper" or what not. That is just utterly insane. This may hurt but just get a grip and accept the fact that Lexus is way too below Merc and BMW in every aspect.

In your dreams. Get some LED's and an 8-Speed auto, then we can talk.

lexus folks have the money; they just can't afford the TIME taking Bring More Wampum cars back to the service dept. every month.

heck even TOYOTA owners won't put up with all the necessary UNscheduled trips bmws require.

BMW copied no1

http://s70.photobucket.com/albums/i105/pittsmaster/?action=view¤t=E32-SIG-1.jpg

To me, the new 7 series is one of the best looking BMWs, and it's the only BMW that looks good from ALL angles.

Everyone is a critic. Old 7 series... too controversial... new one is conservative... now its a lexus. Lexus is not the only car in the world to have integrated tail pipes.. If we want to get to copying look how bmw started the whole idrive idea.. and now look how many cars have that.. bmw started adaptive headlights.. look how many cars have that. and besides all that these two cars should not be compared because the lexus is an extended wheel base camry

Lexus copied BMW in the first place, so now it's a copy of a copy. The BMW has more character. I would choose that over the snorefest that is the Lexus. I don't "love" this one, but it's a lot better than the previous 7 series. I would never own a car as big as those, so it's a moot point.

look at the rear of the e32 7-series. BMW IS ORIGINAL.

It is a sad day in the Luxury car market when BMW is comparing themselve to Lexus.

I think Auto Spies should change the name of this site to...BMW versus Lexus.com...come on people, we're all car enthusiasts here, so let's stick to positive comparisons and stop crapping on each other. All car companies copy each other here and there...nothing new to that at all. In this case, I don't blame BMW for a little copying of a 'car of the year' in the LS. Maybe now, the 7 will win some awards too.

Excuse me...news flash from Consumer Reports.org 2/27/09...Auto Picks for 2009...Top Pick: Best Overall Vehicle...Lexus LS 460.

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery!!

It's not the same car with different grilles?

it doesnt matter what you say, the euro nazis will always vote for the euro car and disparage any competitor or its defender. that is the same as the all the so called automotive media. its nothing but racism but of course you cant say that. europe cannot make cars that are reliable or innovative in the luxury class and this has been the case for 10 years. too bad so many bigots come here.

at least ONE bigot, Crappy, crapped out and got banned. along with all traces of the $hit that spewed out of his keyboard. good riddance!

Do the people that think an Audi is a rebadged VW and the 7 series BMW is a rebadged Mini think that a Ferrari is a rebadged Fiat?
Just curious...