It's always interesting to see what one of the world's premier car companies comes up with when it redesigns its flagship model, as the BMW 7 Series will show when it goes on sale next January.
In the view of the Munich car maker, the fourth generation 7 Series "sets new benchmarks in performance, luxury, design and safety, with a multitude of technological highlights, an innovative vehicle control concept, and dynamic interior and exterior styling."
Whatever else you call the styling of the 745i model for 2003, you must also call it familiar. BMW is not in the habit of making a car look too different from the one it replaces, and that's obvious here.
 2003 BMW 7 Series |
There is also a familiar engine size (4.4 litre), but BMW Canada's Julie Segal assures us that it's considerably different. It "may share displacement with its predecessor," BMW Canada's PR boss notes, "but technical advancements abound."
She says the V8's power, flexibility and efficiency are "optimized through a level of variability never seen before." The high level of control exercised over the engine "enables the engine to set new standards for performance and efficiency."
In measurable terms, that means 333 horsepower and about 335 pound-feet of torque, though that is yet to be officially determined.