Now that I have successfully made you recite the opening lines of the title track of the popular sitcom ‘The Big Bang Theory,’ allow me to explain why I chose it to be the title of this story. It might seem like a stretch at first, but it perfectly encapsulates my feelings towards the interior of the BMW 7 Series and what it signifies for the future of automobiles.
The Big Bang Theory, other than being the name of the popular sitcom, is also a scientific hypothesis about the beginning of the universe. The theory hypothesises that the universe began as an infinitely dense single point, which after the ‘Big Bang’ was hurled into a state of continuous expansion – in fact, even after about 13.8 billion years, it’s still expanding. Shifting the focus to automotive history – which is nothing but a speck of time in the grand scheme of things – I believe, it is undergoing something similar.
The advent of screens in cars started less than five decades ago, arguably in 1976 with the Aston Martin Lagonda, wherein information like speed, fuel, temperature and time were displayed through five CRT screens – all of them smaller in size than the ones we carry in our pockets these days.
Fast forward to the new BMW 7 Series, and if someone from the 70s were to sit in the back of this Bimmer, they would likely feel as though screens have exploded throughout the car’s interior. Although, I am not sure if they would consider it a shock or a surprise.
And, just like the ‘Big Bang’ shaped the course of history (of the universe, of course), the 7 Series is poised to change the trajectory of automotive history. You see, there’s not much to be improved in a modern-day luxury car. The quality of materials, the fit and finish, the materials themselves, and even the overall seating comfort have now reached a point of diminishing returns. The screens inside cars, however, have ample room to ‘expand,’ both in terms of size and quantity. And that’s precisely the strategy with the new 7 Series.
In the front, vying for your attention is a new curved panel housing a combination of a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster and a 14.9-inch touchscreen. However, it’s in the rear where the screen game reaches a whole new level. Even the doors integrate a 5.5-inch touchscreen display, allowing controls over features like interior mood lighting, blinds, and media controls. And lastly, BMW offers a massive 31-inch widescreen display(pictured on top of this story), which is retractable and has an insane 8K resolution.
I have driven the 7 series multiple times, including its electric cousin, the i7, and I can attest that every single time this screen folds down, everyone in the car goes ‘wow.’ It’s a party trick that never gets old. And that’s not the end of it either. The screen can play content in 16:9, 21:9, and 32:9 formats and supports HDMI input as well. Furthermore, it has in-built Amazon Fire TV, allowing you to stream content through apps like Netflix and YouTube. And given that the car supports WiFi connectivity and e-sim, you can consume content on the go.
Combine this with the crisp and powerful Bowers and Wilkins audio system, the excellent external sound isolation of the 7 Series, blinds on all glass panels at the back, and the panoramic glass sunroof with LED light threads, and the only thing you are missing is freshly made popcorn to have a true theatre experience.
And let’s not forget, you can take it all a step further by reclining one half of the rear seat, behind the front passenger, resting your neck on the cushy pillow, activating the seat massage function, and putting your legs on the pop-out calf support from under the rear seat and your feet on the pop-down platform behind the front passenger seat, and voila! You have an experience unlike any other car out there.
Lastly, given how well the 7 drives, you won’t have to worry about scattering your popcorn either, if you do decide to get a bag of it.
I could continue talking about the graphical interface of the BMW iDrive system, the ease of use of the menu, the invisible air vents, and even the BMW Interaction Bar interior lighting that runs across the dash. However, I believe I would be reiterating a point already made and prolonging this story unnecessarily.
So, I’ll keep it brief and straightforward – the BMW 7 Series’ interior is simply unparalleled, the best in the world. While one could design an interior embellished with rare elements and diamonds, nothing pushes the boundaries of what’s imaginable inside a car like the new 7. Is this the dawn of a ‘screen war’ among automakers? Or has the craze of screens and lighting gone so far that newer cars will be compelled to veer towards minimalistic and timeless designs, abandoning this trend altogether? I honestly don’t know. What I do know, however, is that this generation of the 7 series has made an indelible mark on our fast-evolving automotive history.
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