41

• Four-seat layout optional
• Ample 515-litre boot
• Large body means lots of space

How much space is there?

The 7 Series can carry five people, assuming you stick with the standard car, but it’s really designed for a maximum of four. Those in the back will have enough room with the standard wheelbase, but long-wheelbase cars really feel like there’s somewhere to stretch out. Big, heavy doors allow easy access, and there’s a range of storage spaces for drinks, tablet computers and anything else you might carry on a long trip.

While the Mercedes-Benz S-Class remains the roomiest option for customers, the BMW’s seats are among the most comfortable in the business.

Boot space and storage

The 7 Series’ boot is deceptively large, measuring 515 litres. That’s only slightly smaller than the luggage bay in an X3 SUV, but the shape is slightly less useful. Nevertheless, it’s plenty big enough for suitcases and anything else you’re likely to be travelling with.

41

Plug-in hybrid models have a little less space thanks to the packaging of the battery systems under the floor, but a 429-litre load space is hardly minute. Unfortunately, the back seats can’t be folded down to offer more space, so what you see is what you get.

However, the 7 Series is marginally more practical than the Audi A8, which offers up to 505 litres of boot space. Better still, the 7 Series luggage bay is accessed via a powered boot lid, meaning you never have to get your hands dirty, and the opening is usefully large, which helps with loading up. 

Is it easy to park?

A car the size of a 7 Series is not always easy to park, and the BMW’s shape is not ideal for seeing the extremities. That said, the car comes with parking sensors and a reversing camera as standard, so that should prevent most car park dings.

The 7 Series also comes with the Parking Assistant Plus aid, which can help you get into a parallel space, and the Reversing Assistant – a clever feature that offers automated reversing and steering in confined spaces, allowing you to keep an eye out for traffic or pedestrians. There’s even a remote parking system that allows users to park their 7 Series via the key fob from outside the car, while the surround view system allows them to see every inch of their 7 Series during low-speed manoeuvring.

Safety

• No official safety rating from Euro NCAP
• Carbon Core architecture improves strength
• Lots of safety equipment on offer

The 7 Series has never been tested by Euro NCAP, but the big BMW is often the first car to get the safety equipment that appears on smaller models of the future. All versions of the 7 Series come with eight airbags, covering side, front and head protection with Isofix child-seat mountings in the rear, so we’d expect it to score well if it were to go through the crash test process.

Also in the 7 Series’ favour is its Carbon Core construction with lots of high-strength steel, which not only keeps the weight down, but makes it safer thanks to enhanced stiffness and strength, while maintaining standard crumple zones.

Moreover, there’s a wealth of driver assistance systems on offer, including adaptive cruise control that works with the lane-keeping assistance to provide a kind of safety net when driving on the motorway. The car can theoretically maintain a safe distance to the car in front and stay in its lane without the driver’s input, although this is only a back-up for when the driver’s attention wanders. It will also warn the driver when they haven’t made a control input for a short while, helping to maintain concentration.

Other features available with the 7 Series include Traffic Jam Assist, Cross Traffic Alert, Priority warning and wrong-way warning systems, evasion aid and blind-spot monitoring.