The 2027 BMW 7 Series LCI just dropped today at the Beijing show and holy hell... what a disappointing swing and a miss.
BMW is calling this "dramatic" and "almost a new car." Dramatic? The new front end tweaks the split headlights into something slightly sleeker and squares off that massive kidney grille even more. It looks a touch more aggressive now, sure—like a constipated shark trying to smile—but it still screams "look at me" louder than a influencer in a rented Lambo. The proportions remain pure barge: that long front overhang, the high hood, and the way the whole nose sits like it’s embarrassed to be attached to the rest of the car. It’s giving luxury liner that accidentally wandered into the wrong decade.
Side profile? Barely touched. Still that stretched, heavy look that makes the car appear 20 feet long even when it’s parked. Out back, the taillights get a sharper, more connected redesign with Neue Klasse vibes. Nice try at making the rear look lighter, but it mostly just highlights how slab-sided and heavy the whole thing still feels. This isn’t elegant flagship territory; it’s a rolling billboard that prioritizes presence over grace.
Step inside and prepare for the tech assault. Gone is the old curved display—say hello to the new panoramic full-width iDrive screen stretched across the dash like they stole it straight from the upcoming Neue Klasse models and the iX3. Then they bolted on a dedicated passenger touchscreen because apparently the giant main screen wasn’t enough screen for your passenger. Why? So your spouse can doomscroll Instagram while you pretend you’re still driving a driver’s car? The cabin is drowning in glass, ambient lighting tricks, and haptic everything. Zero physical buttons worth loving, zero soul. It feels less like a luxury sedan and more like a rolling Apple Store demo with a six-figure price tag and an identity crisis.
Here are the two side by side. New on top and the one it replaced below:
The 7 Series used to be the ultimate expression of BMW—executive comfort with a hint of sport. Now it’s just another tech-heavy barge chasing Mercedes and trying (and failing) to look futuristic. Massive disappointment.
Congrats, BMW. You refreshed the controversial and made it... still controversial, just with more pixels.
Check out this review from a dude on Reddit:
cameronfry3
Man, this thing sucks so HARD.
The takeaways:
The LCI facelift improves the face dramatically.
But, it also highlights how terrible the design is from the A-pillar forward. LOOK at the distance from the top of the wheel well to the top of the hood. LOOK at the size of the front overhang. Very 1980s Lincoln - not good.
Aside from that, the side profile remains virtually unchanged.
Around back, the taillights wrap around and are nearly touching. Not sure why it's necessary but probably because the pre-LCI look was so "hefty," this visual trick lightens it up. Well, it tries to.
Very 2010 Lincoln MKZ.
Inside. So, BMW ships the iX3 and then gives the infotainment screen and full-width IP to the 7?
And, it tacks on some bullsh!t screen for the front passenger?
Why?
There's zero sizzle here aside from screens, screens, screens. Nothing inside that makes me feel like this a quality piece.
Woof!
Thanks to 00R for the tipoff