Going back to old style.

So, I believe BMW is going back to old style and I'm very happy with it. Angled interior, 4 gauges. This car is more like evolution of e38. It's like e65 was error and they backed up and turned back to right direction. I don't like current e65/66 as well as e60. I believe that new 5-series will be more of evolution of e39 Can't wait.

Not too fond of that rear. Reminds me of an Acura or something like that. Also, I love the angled controls toward the driver in the E46 and E39.

Originally Posted by Vitacura

Not too fond of that rear. Reminds me of an Acura or something like that. Also, I love the angled controls toward the driver in the E46 and E39.

But it's def got better rear than e65 IMHO.

Is it me, or did they enlarge the grilles? The front's looking too 7-Series. I don't know what to think about the rear. Can't say it's love at first sight.

I met a guy with a 550 recently. A 550 is a BLAST to drive. It is 'nearly' an M5. He admitted it was ugly, while he was walking around my 540, admiring it. He also agreed that the E39 is a future classic.

[QUOTE=He also agreed that the E39 is a future classic.[/QUOTE]

In the current issue of Winding Road, page 135, they feature the E39 as a "Secondhand Gem". Winding Road, if you have not heard of it, is an on line mag from David E. Davis. Davis is the one who praised the original 2002 in Car and Driver.

"....E39 stands as one of the finest sport sedans ever built."

"Regardless of engine choice, the E39 is the very essence of German motoring........."

I think I'll take the back roads to Mid Ohio next weekend for the AMLS/IRL show!

http://windingroad.nextautos.com/win...b/?folio=cover

the car in the pic, is the new 7

That's interesting. I see the new 7 like some new boring Lexus.

Meh. Better than the current, not nearly as good as the E38 (looks-wise).

What the hell did they do to the tail lights? They are so close to being right on, then they go and make them balloon at the ends.
Kidneys are too big.
At least the headlights are proportional.
Profile is nice.
Don't like the little vent-things crossing the door jambs up front.
Interior looks great.

Overall, a meh.

Meh. Better than the current, not nearly as good as the E38 (looks-wise).

What the hell did they do to the tail lights? They are so close to being right on, then they go and make them balloon at the ends.
Kidneys are too big.
At least the headlights are proportional.
Profile is nice.
Don't like the little vent-things crossing the door jambs up front.
Interior looks great.

Overall, a meh.

Originally Posted by IndiansFan

In the current issue of Winding Road, page 135, they feature the E39 as a "Secondhand Gem". Winding Road, if you have not heard of it, is an on line mag from David E. Davis. Davis is the one who praised the original 2002 in Car and Driver.

"....E39 stands as one of the finest sport sedans ever built."

"Regardless of engine choice, the E39 is the very essence of German motoring........."

I think I'll take the back roads to Mid Ohio next weekend for the AMLS/IRL show!

http://windingroad.nextautos.com/win...b/?folio=cover

Good find!

Originally Posted by AirWreck

Is it me, or did they enlarge the grilles?

You're correct.

For me, tail lights remind me those on 850i, isn't it?

Tails and the grills need a re work, other than that, better than the current.

I don't like how they've dropped the traditional red backlighting.

for the first time, the Lexus LS outsold the 7 so BMW decided to go back being a little more conservative in hopes to bring back those who left the 7 for the LS.

WSJ:

In its new 7 Series sedan, BMW AG is abandoning some of the striking design elements that characterized the previous model -- and turned off some lovers of the luxury brand.

The new model, which comes as the conservatively styled Lexus LS has outsold BMW in the top-end luxury-sedan segment, will hit showrooms in 2009. Breaking with a look introduced in a controversial model unveiled in 2001, the 7 Series is returning to simple, sleek lines. It no longer has a bulging trunk lid (dubbed the "Bangle butt" after its designer, Christopher E. Bangle) or headlights often described as "tearful," with accentuated curves on the lower lid.

The latest 7 Series, unveiled last week, combines elements of the German auto maker's 3 Series coupé and the 5 Series, which have a more traditional look. BMW hopes to woo customers with radical innovations under the skin, such as a thermal imaging camera that spots stray pedestrians at night, Internet access and four-wheel steering, which reduces the turning radius of the car.

Although the car hasn't yet hit showrooms, online photos and video of the new look are sparking comments around the globe. James Dills, the 33-year-old executive manager of a Big 5 Sporting Goods store in Sacramento, Calif., calls the new design a "definite improvement." Mr. Dills, who is shopping for a used 5 Series, prefers the pre-2001 design to the current one but thinks the new design has BMW "heading in the right direction."

The launch of the 7 Series is a critical step for BMW as it seeks to boost sagging profit margins. The luxury sedan is one of the few vehicle categories where margins are robust, thanks to well-heeled, status-conscious buyers who tend to order vehicles with expensive options such as metallic paint, electric heated seats, navigation systems and entertainment systems.

When the current 7 Series was launched in 2001, it represented a radical break from the Munich-based firm's traditional conservative styling. BMW at the time wanted to broaden its appeal beyond the German firm's traditional customer base. It also aimed to help customers distinguish between the designs of its 3 Series, 5 Series and 7 Series sedans, which to some had become the same car in small, medium and large.

But some BMW fans disliked the design and launched an Internet petition calling for BMW's top designer, Mr. Bangle, to be fired. More than 14,000 people signed the petition. BMW toned down some of the extreme design details in a 2005 reworking of the car. Mr. Bangle is now director of design at BMW Group, which includes Rolls-Royce and the Mini brand.

In designing the new car, BMW placed as much emphasis on making the new 7 Series "elegant" as on making it "distinctive," Chief Executive Norbert Reithofer said at a presentation in Munich last week.

Mr. Reithofer said the final design of the new model is the product of an exhaustive evaluation process that started out with six potential designs submitted by competing teams. "The entire management board was involved in weeding out designs that were deemed unsuitable," Mr. Reithofer said.

Although the current 7 Series is the most successful 7 Series ever in terms of unit sales, it hasn't kept pace with its main competitors. Sales of the current model, despite the 2005 reworking, never managed to overtake the market-leading Mercedes-Benz S-Class. Last year, Mercedes-Benz sold 85,500 S-Class cars, helped by the fact that it presented a new generation in 2005. In 2007, BMW sold fewer than 50,000 7 Series.

Perhaps more troublesome for BMW, sales of the 7 Series were overtaken by the conservatively styled Lexus LS in 2007. Lexus boosted sales of its LS to 71,760 sedans in 2007 -- nearly double the previous year's 34,833 -- after introducing a new generation in 2006. BMW aims to increase sales of its 7 Series with the new model, which is known as the fifth generation.

Adrian Van Hooydonk, director of design at BMW automobiles, who styled the exterior of the new 7-series, says the car is distinctive and designed to reflect "authenticity and engineering precision." The new BMW now has a "stance and proportion" to express "power and dynamics," Mr. Van Hooydonk said.

Mr. Van Hooydonk, a Dutchman, said BMW kept to its custom of not polling customers before putting it into production. "We don't use customer clinics," Mr. Van Hooydonk said. "They will be judging it based on the world today. Design needs to look good in eight years' time. You can't ask a customer whether he will like the design of the car in 2018." BMW does spend a lot of time researching customer needs before designing a car, Mr. Van Hooydonk said.

BMW is also keeping its i-Drive system, a button mounted near the armrest with which to control the vehicle's suspension system, climate control, satellite navigation and entertainment systems. Like a computer's mouse, it can be used to point and click through menus on an in-dash display. The system -- which was quickly dubbed "why-Drive" or "iDunno" when it was introduced in 2001 -- has since been copied by rivals Audi and Mercedes-Benz.

Analysts at HSBC say the global premium-car market has grown by 20% since 2003. Volume growth in the global premium-car market is set to rise 24% between 2007 and 2013, HSBC said in a research report last month. Competition is getting more intense in this segment of the market. Audi's A8 is connecting with drivers, as sales rise, while Infiniti, the premium brand owned by Nissan, will launch a raft of new cars in Europe this year.

Separately, BMW on Tuesday said it's exploring a cooperation deal with Fiat SpA of Italy to jointly develop components for Mini and Alfa Romeo vehicles. Both companies declined to divulge details of the possible collaboration.

I think BMW have made a big mistake with the styling on this car. It just looks like nothing. There's nothing aspirational about it to me. And I don't think people were turned of the current 7 because of styling - I-drive and build quality sucked on the first models and they never recovered that lost ground.

The nose is too blunt, it`s too slab-sided, and the rear looks like a blend of Acura & Benz....not exciting enough to make me want to buy one....

To me it looks like every other Lexushundaitoyotahondakiamerc. Nothing special and boring. This is what all the
Luddite bitching has brought us.

So did anybody liked this car except me?

I never plan on owning this car but I like the way it looks. Granted most people bitch and moan about this car they will never own let alone drive.

I really like the new 7 series, I think its going to be a major success. Judging from the amount of bangle-era BMW's that I see on the road today, the public has definitely warmed up to the styling.

And as for the new 7's gauges loosing the amber color, I believe that in the day time the gauges are lit in white (like most Lexus's) and when the headlights/parking lights are activated it will switch to orange. At least I hope.

I really like it as stated above.. Especially if they angle the controls back to the driver!

Originally Posted by Vadim540i

So did anybody liked this car except me?

I actually really like the new designs of this car, much more than the previous 7. The only thing that is not that amazing is the enlarged grill in the front, if they toned that down, it would be perfect designed, all in all, much more subtle than the Bangle 7.

It's no E38

Simply put

Interior is Great
Exterior is NOT Great infact the current 7 series exterior style is better then it.