BMW 7 Series Roars Back With Bold Facelift And V8 Power

The 2026 BMW 7 Series has rolled into view, and according to Mat Watson in his latest walkaround video, although a quick glance might suggest only minor tweaks, this saloon has undergone the most dramatic mid-life overhaul Munich has ever signed off on. Mat reckons it’s less a facelift and more a full nip, tuck and chest enhancement rolled into one. Think reshaped sheet metal, a refreshed cockpit, smarter cabin tech and a recalibrated powertrain line-up, all wrapped around the same long-wheelbase silhouette that made the outgoing car a chauffeur favourite. Park it next to its predecessor and the differences leap out immediately.

Up front, the headlights have been completely reworked, fusing the dipped and main beams into one slimmer cluster that no longer stretches across the bumper. The kidney grille has grown taller and now sits flatter at its top and bottom edges, while the bonnet picks up two prominent power bulges that flow forwards to frame it. The flanks remain familiar, but fresh alloy designs and new paint finishes spice things up, including a striking two-tone option layered through twelve separate processes over three days. At the rear, a redesigned bumper and broader tail lamps borrow heavily from BMW’s Neue Klasse iX3, giving the saloon a planted, road-hugging stance that demands attention.

Slip inside, and the cabin transformation is even more striking. The dashboard architecture has been ripped up and rebuilt with layered surfaces, premium materials and trim choices spanning open-pore wood, carbon fibre, hide and even wool. The new central touchscreen mirrors the iX3’s crisp graphics and slick response, while the standout addition is the Panoramic iDrive head-up display that sweeps the full width of the windscreen, projecting navigation prompts, drive data and media controls. Flick the saloon into Sport mode, and a rev counter joins the party. There’s even a passenger-side display loaded with YouTube and Disney Plus, plus PlayStation controller support for gaming on the move.

Rear-seat occupants have not been forgotten, because the back of the cabin is where the 7 Series really earns its keep. Generous legroom and deeply cushioned reclining chairs return, along with the lounge function that glides the front passenger seat forward at the touch of a button. The rear touchscreen controllers now run on quicker processors, the cinema-style 32-inch ceiling-mounted display has jumped from 4K to 8K resolution, and the 36-speaker Dolby Atmos system pumps sound through transducers built into the seats so passengers physically feel every beat. It’s first-class travel in everything but name.

Powertrain options are broad and tempting. Europe gets 3.0-litre straight-six petrol and diesel units, while UK buyers will be steered towards plug-in hybrid variants topping out beyond 600hp, with persistent whispers of a non-electrified V8 flagship circling. The fully electric i7 returns with a more energy-dense battery pack delivering up to 452 miles in the 455hp guise, a useful 65-mile gain over the previous model, although that figure still trails the Mercedes EQS. Performance hunters will want the i7 M70, which now packs a savage 680hp and rockets from 0-62mph in 3.8 seconds. The electric i7 lands first this September, with combustion variants following soon after, lining the saloon up for a head-to-head showdown with the new Mercedes-Benz S-Class.