BMW is updating the 7-Series for 2027 and calling it the most extensive mid-life revision it has ever executed. The claim is defensible. The i7 gains a 112.5 kWh battery, more than 350 miles of range, 250 kW charging, and Neue Klasse electrical architecture, without leaving the CLAR platform. What this update demonstrates most clearly is how BMW intends to modernize every model still on older underpinnings while the full transition to Neue Klasse takes another several years to complete.
BMW has quietly removed Level 3 autonomous capability from the 7-Series. Mercedes did the same. At some point, a pattern is a conclusion.
The Electric Powertrain
The i7 60 xDrive leads the electric lineup: 536 hp (400 kW), 112.5 kWh usable capacity (up more than 10%), range rising from 311 miles (500 km) to over 350 miles (563 km), 10-80% charging in 28 minutes at up to 250 kW (up from 195 kW), and 4.6 seconds to 60 mph. All 2027 i7s come with an NACS port. Starting price is $126,250 including destination, up from $125,750. The i7 50 xDrive replaces the deleted single-motor eDrive50 at $107,750, rated at 449 hp and 5.3 seconds to 60. BMW has not released a range figure for the 50 xDrive.
The Tech Layer
The new electrical architecture, carried over from Neue Klasse models, delivers 20 times the processing power of the previous generation. A zonal wiring harness removes approximately 610 m (2,000 ft) of cabling and cuts harness weight by 30%. Amazon Alexa+ is integrated for voice control and smart home access.
Panoramic iDrive arrives in the 7-Series: a full-width Panoramic Vision windscreen projection, a 17.9-inch free-floating central display, and a 14.6-inch passenger screen, now standard, with streaming, gaming, and TV. An interior camera dims it automatically if it detects driver distraction. The rear 31.3-inch Theater Screen is now an 8K touchscreen with Zoom video capability, HDMI input, and Dolby Atmos support through the optional 1,925-watt Bowers and Wilkins Diamond system.
Combustion and What's Missing
On the ICE side, the 740 and 740 xDrive get a new-generation 3.0-liter inline-six at 394 hp, up 19 hp from before, priced from $101,350 and $104,350 respectively. The 750e PHEV at 483 hp combined arrives in early 2027. A V8 M Performance model follows after launch, likely inheriting the 4.0-liter unit from the outgoing 760i.
The Level 3 autonomous driving system that made the previous 7-Series a genuine technology reference point does not carry forward. BMW replaces it with BMW Symbiotic Drive, a Level 2 system that uses eye-tracking to distinguish intentional from unintentional lane departures, and extends automatic emergency braking to wildlife detection. The rationale mirrors the reasoning Mercedes gave when it made the same call: regulatory complexity and liability exposure outweigh the commercial benefit of Level 3.
Production begins at Dingolfing in July 2026, with i7 and 740 variants reaching US dealers shortly after.