2023 BMW i7 - Could This Be The Start of Something Nice? OK, Less Ugly, at Least

They're also the most difficult to shake off your retina once you've seen them, a trait some people might consider to be a quality. After all, the worst thing someone could say about a car's appearance is that it's "forgettable," and these two are definitely anything but.

However, if we're to look for where it all started, I think we need to go back to the moment the current 4 Series was launched. Granted, as it so often happens with BMWs, the sporty coupe has since begun to grow on us, but no one can deny the waves of shock and horror it sent throughout the automotive world when it first broke out.

Just because the 4 Series was able to redeem itself, that doesn't mean the same will happen with the other two I mentioned above. The main difference between the pair of SUVs and the 4 Series is that while the latter was a beautiful car with a questionably large grille, the former are just plain ugly. They are objectively poor designs, and that's not going to change over time.

Recently, the Germans introduced the new 7 Series flagship limousine, complete with the i7 all-electric version. We kind of knew what to expect following the many spy shots that preceded this launch and, given the brand's recent history, you can understand why we were ready for the worst. Besides, the thought of split or layered headlights on a luxury limousine, as suggested by the camouflaged test vehicles, sounded like the worst idea ever.

Now that the new 7 Series is out in the open, I have to say it's a lot better than I expected. I may still not be entirely convinced by the choice of split headlamps, but the overall appearance and, more importantly, presence of the limousine is as elegant, powerful, and stately as you'd expect from a vehicle in this class.

It definitely sends a very different message than the Mercedes-Benz S-Class whose rounded shapes seem to emphasize a more aristocratic type of elegance, whereas the BMW is all about testosterone and power. That really isn't a bad choice and, by making the car larger, the grille finally seems to be almost the right size.

But not everyone will feel that way. Well, people who cry after the previous generation's exterior design should stop for a second, grab a paper tissue to dry their eyes, and take advantage of their newly restored vision to look at the outgoing model's interior. That thing looks like it belongs in a museum. It's so reminiscent of BMW's cabin aesthetics from a decade ago that it looked ancient compared to some of its rivals, including every car's nemesis in this segment, the Mercedes-Benz S-Class.

By force of habit, though, the launch of a new BMW model meant every digital artist in the world went into overdrive. The Bavarian designs of late have generated this Pavlovian reaction within their ranks because almost all of them proved to be an aesthetic mess in need of rescue. Not the new 7 Series, though.

The fact everyone seems to replace the split headlamps with a pair of classic BMW units and not do much more is basically a testament to how uncontroversial the limousine's design actually is. If you told me BMW's awful streak was going to be halted by a car with headlights similar to those of the original Nissan Juke's, I would have laughed at you. For hours. Well, I'm definitely not laughing now. In fact, you might find me hiding in a corner, choking on my hat.

We can only hope this means the BMW design department "bring your kid to work and let them do it for you" program has finally ended and, from now on, we'll start to see models designed for adults for a change.

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