BMW 7 Series review - Practicality, comfort and boot space

The latest 7 Series is certainly opulent inside, with the front seats being particularly sumptuous with a wide range of adjustment. We found the level of the dashboard line quite high, which means you need to raise the front seats more than you might expect to ensure decent visibility.

The side and rear pillars are thick and don’t help visibility, so it's just as well the 7 Series has blindspot detection as standard, along with front- and rear parking sensors, and a back-up camera. The optional Parking Assistant Pro gives you a 360-degree camera system.

Speaking of technology, those up front are still well catered for with the 14.9-inch central infotainment system running BMW’s latest iDrive software. It’s menus are getting a little complicated to navigate with all the features it now has, but the handy rotary controller near the gear lever with its shortcut buttons makes it easier to use on the move than rival systems.

There’s a huge glovebox, deep door bins front and rear, and generous storage under the central armrests for both rows, meaning plenty of hiding spots for your odds and ends. In the rear, a pair of cup holders slide out from within the central armrest, and a couple of USB-C ports sit inside its cubby. The optional Travel and Comfort System adds a pair of tablet holders for rear-seat passengers, plus an extra USB-C port for each.

We’d recommend getting the Executive Pack (which includes the Rear Seat Comfort Pack) because it adds electrically adjustable and massaging rear seats, which can be reclined for greater rear seat comfort. It’ll be a useful option for those buying the 7 Series as a chauffeur car.

Size

Even compared with its sizeable predecessor, the seventh-generation 7 Series has grown a little larger. At 5,391mm, it’s 130mm longer, plus it’s 48mm wider and 5mm taller, too. 

That makes it even longer than the elongated long-wheelbase S-Class, although the width is similar for both luxury cars. 

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Leg room, head room & passenger space

Predictably, rear-seat space and comfort are brilliant in the 7 Series. Headroom and knee room are plentiful, and the seats are wide and soft. Buyers who plan to be driven, rather than drive, will certainly feel like they’re getting their money’s worth with the BMW limousine.

The only downside is a broad transmission tunnel running through the middle that takes up foot space. 

Boot

On paper, the German model’s 525-litre boot volume seems impressive. However, it’s a little smaller than what’s offered in the S-Class and is quite an awkward shape. Most of the load bay’s capacity is achieved in its length – it measures 1,130mm from the back seats to the boot lip – but with a narrow opening and steps in the boot floor itself, it’s not an easy space to exploit when carrying luggage.