BEST Quality REAL-LIFE Shots Of The 2016 BMW 7-Series! MY, How Things Change When You See A Car In Person!

Say all you want about the greater visual impact in-person versus the press photos, but this car does nothing to move the BMW 7-Series any closer to the Mercedes-Benz S-Class in sales.

The exterior is very similar to the current 7-Series and many would argue made worse with that weird hockey stick-like thing on the sides. The technology has gesture control and a keyfob with a screen on it? That's not much in terms of pushing envelope.

Overall this car is not enough of an advancement over the current 7-series in terms of looks or technology to cause the S-Class any worries.

Carry on Mercedes-Benz. When BMW releases a car like this, it shows just how much better than the competition the S-Class really is. It's not a surprise since the S-class has been the segment leader for decades and will continue to outsell the 7-Series by at least a 2 to 1 margin globally.

So if the new 7 series is this bad, and will sell so badly according your predictions, how bad of a car is the Audi A8 that it sells a whole lot less than the current 7 series, let alone the new one. I mean, by your methodology the Audi A8, which is even not due for replacement this year, must be a dog of a car right? I mean, like a real dog

I am not sure where BMW is going with it's design language. Seems they have lost their way a bit since the E60 5 series. Also I am not talking about details like the headlights going to the grill, or a particular body crease etc... but the overall look and feel of the design. They used to make cars that had a nice light, airy yet sporty appearance. Now they look like a Lexus or other large heavy looking blob of a luxury car. The E38 7 series is a good example of that design language, would like to see them return to it.

The one feature I was most looking forward to - the front passenger dashboard LCD screen - is nowhere to be found:(

Good catch!

I'll ask 001 if there's any word on that…

I think that would of been a cool feature too

I don't get BMW's use of the weird side vents on their cars.....they are all the wrong scale (except the Ms)....if you are going to do the vent, at least make them big enough to fit the area....the vent behind the front fender is way too small....looks tacked on like the 4 series....

Agreed! The Air Curtain integration has been done GREAT on some products and less-than-stellar on others.

Personally, I am not loving the way it was integrated in the 7. It's definitely better than the 4-Series though!

It won{t matter Autospies if you put 100 post of the new 7 series, it will continue behind the S class...

I love the ignorant comments already!

We're posting so much because we were one of eight U.S. publications that were present. You will not find these photos anywhere else unless they're ours.

Looks good to me. Sporty, what BMW does well. Elegant, what Mercedes does well.

That's the difference. People buying large luxury sedans like a 7-Series or S-Class do not want to drag race or drive their cars like they are flying around a challenging circuit course. That's why the S-Class wins in sales by a huge margin. It delivers elegance like no competitor in its class and elegance is exactly what people in this segment want.

I really agree with this statement, at least we know what these to brands stand for, not sure what the 3rd brand, Audi stands for?

At least these 2 are independent brands, not based on a VW Phaeton, BMW is more sport, Mercedes is more Luxury, and Audi is... more Chinese? I don't know, what are the brand values?

Like Germanut says, S class is class and elegance, and the sales figure prove it. How classless is a car like the Audi A8 then? Maybe that's the appeal?

Agent00R: Sorry If I offend you with what I wrote but I did it because "usually" I do not see that kind of coverage on S , A8, or even the CT6, that to my eyes looks better than the 7 (But may be you did not get a direct invitation to the release of those new models) and that "looks", biased. If is not, cool, the fact that I have an account here, tells you that I like the site (even if you do not post any of my suggested links). Keep the good work and if I am wrong the articles will tell us that, and still you know that you do not need justify anything cause you are the Sysop. Blessings.

It looks ok. Nothing groundbreaking. It just looks like a design 10 years ago. I wish Buick would bring out that one concept sedan to production. That was sharp!!!

It's sad that BMW has lost it's way when it comes to design. Even with these new photos the car still looks like a Hyundai Equus knock-off. I'm sure there will still be those out there that want the "status" of owning a BMW and will buy it, but there are better options out there for a full-size sedan.