More details on the new 2009 BMW 7-Series

This morning you saw to leaked pictures of the 2009 BMW 7-Series and probably thought you were still sleeping and were having a horrible nightmare, only to find it that it was an unfortunate reality. Then you thought to yourself, “hey the 5-Series eventually grew on me, maybe the fifth-generation 7-Series will too.”

Honestly, when we brought you renderings of the 2009 BMW 7-Series back in December 2007, we were having second doubts about even posting them because they looked rather extreme. However, Munich decided to release almost the same exact looking car and its here to stay whether you like it or not. So why not just give it a chance and learn some more about it before its official launch on July 7th.

According to Automotive News, the new 2009 BMW 7-Series will get the 4.4L V8 twin-turbo from the new BMW X6 xDrive50i that produces 400-hp and 450 lb-ft of torque. And while everyone has been talking up the rumored 8-speed automatic transmission, Automotive News says the engine will be mated to a 6-speed automatic transmission.

A 3.0L twin-turbo straight 6 producing 326-hp and a 245-hp diesel will be offered in European markets but won’t come to the U.S. as of right now. But “never say never,” says a BMW source. Maybe that little tone of excitement will make you love the new 7 just a tad bit more.

Rumors say a gas-electric hybrid model using a two-mode hybrid system developed in partnership with GM and Daimler will also go on sale later next year. The model along with the BMW X6 Hybrid will kick of an extended range of hybrids for the company in coming years.

The 2009 BMW 7-Series comes standard with Dynamic Damping Control, a new BMW technology that allows the driver to choose the degree of damping force and gearshift changes of the automatic transmission at the touch of a button. The system has comfort, normal, sports and sports-plus modes. The Active Steering option also gets an upgrade allowing the drive to change the rear-wheel steering angles by 3 degrees.

Other fun stuff includes lane-departure system, night vision, massaging rear-seats, rear-view and side-view cameras.

We’ll find out more later next week. Pricing and availability details will be announced closer to launch.

2009 BMW 7-Series (leaked pictures):

              

 

Photo Renderings: 2009 BMW 7-Series:

Photo Renderings: 2009 BMW 7-Series Photo Renderings: 2009 BMW 7-Series 

 

Source: Automotive News (Subscription Required)