Meet the BMW 7 Series that can park itself
BMW’s flagship sedan, the 7 Series, is now available with optional remote control parking in South Africa.
Although most red-blooded drivers wouldn’t admit to any deficiencies in their parking ability, the new feature comes in handy in tight parking spaces that are too narrow for passengers to enter and exit the vehicle without risk of bashing the doors.
It’s the world’s first series-produced car that enables owners to manoeuvre in or out of forward-parking spaces or garages without anyone at the wheel. It allows the driver to stand outside the car and guide it into a parking space using only the high-tech BMW Display Key. Proximity sensors ensure the 7 Series drives itself safely into the bay without colliding with anything.
The self-parking option is priced at R7 900 and adds to the plethora of high-tech gadgets already available in the latest 7 Series, which was launched in South Africa in January. The luxury German sedan was introduced with a number of innovations, including gesture control which allows certain functions - for instance the radio volume - to be controlled by hand movements instead of touching a button.
With the aid of a ceiling-mounted sensor that tracks hand movements, twirling your finger clockwise in the air raises the audio volume and counter-clockwise reduces it; and swiping your hand left or right answers or rejects an incoming phone call.
Along with a central screen which is now touch-operated, the new Seven has an enhanced user interface which offers several ways to access the various infotainment functions including voice activation and the traditional iDrive knob. Also as a new feature, a smartphone holder in the centre console allows a mobile phone to be charged wirelessly for the first time in a BMW.
The rear seats, where many chauffeur-driven execs will spend most of their time, also lay on the luxury and high-tech. In the long-wheelbase 7 Series with the Executive Lounge option pack fitted, rear passengers can fully stretch their legs and perch them on a footrest built into the front passenger seat, getting the full lazyboy experience.
With the Executive Lounge pack the ventilated rear seats have adjustable backrests and offer several massage programmes, and it’s all controlled by a tablet mounted in a smart-looking brushed-metal console between the two rear seats. The tablet, which is detachable, also controls the window shades, sunroof, and entertainment system.
A touch of glamour in long-wheelbase versions is a Sky Lounge Panorama glass roof which at night projects a starry sky onto the glass surface.
The light show continues with a ‘Welcome Light Carpet’ that illuminates a path to the car doors.
Laser lights, which made their world premiere in the BMW i8 and with a range of 600 metres, are double that of LED headlamps,and are available as an option.
The 7 Series range will be expanded in October with the launch of the 740e iPerformance plug-in hybrid derivative, and in January 2017 with the range-topping M760Li xDrive. Y
es, an M badge for a 7 series, but it’s justified by its 6.6-litre twin-turbo V12 engine which musters a monstrous 448kW of power and 800Nm of torque. Combined with all-wheel-drive traction, the big barge is claimed to be capable of a 0-100km/h sprint in just 3.7 seconds.