7 Series 2009 BMW 750i Long-Term Test

[Merc1]

Lets face it, these new regulations (which are somewhat, but not totally ridiculous) are to blame for all these ill-fitting and clamshell design hoods or bonnets for your Europeans. Auto makers are going to pass the extra cost of all this engineering right down to us. Plastic to metal almost never looks right because of the way each material holds paint. Don't believe me? Take a look at the Jaguar XK up close. You'll see the hood and nose don't even match, but yet they're the same "color". Back when cars all had real metal front ends we didn't have the problem, but those days are gone so oh well....


M

 

[braaf]

I'm not sure if you were also referring to my post but let me specify it anyway.

Personally I'm not so irritated about the gap but the actual location of the shutline. It breaks the integrity between the hood and the car's front end / kidneys.

The shutline should go below the kidneys or horizonally on the same level with the upper frame of the kidneys like in the E60 5er.

Not at all. In fact I'm quite pleased to hear that it doesn't irritate you that much. But i reckon if they moved the position of the line it would probably spoil the effect they trying to achieve.

 

[coolraoul]

The Europeans regulations are very welcomed if they can save lives. I couldn't care less if my car doesn't look fully right, but is able to save a life.

And MB, Audi all suffer from the same problem. Yet it is only BMW who has these issues. MB, like Audi, are hiding the gap by putting it in the grille area.

BMW is putting the gap right where your eye goes, where it breaks the front in two parts.
And while this gap is just right in terms of width on 6er or Z4, on the 7er it is just too wide.

You can't blame the regulations, if you can't get a shutline right. It's a normal gap on the middle, but gets wider on the extremities, this has nothing to do with pedestrian regulations.

As far as "without 2cms gap the hood would touch the bumper when you close it"... Well, the hood shutline is as old as the automobile, and I don't think every single car has a shutline that huge.

Cars like modern Renault all have a shutline looking like the BMW's, but very narrow.

 

[Sunny]

So I looked in the pic thread for another closeup and I don't see any huge gap. I really think it is a case of some someone not closing the hood properly in the other pic.

 

[Mr Robert]

Well, that looked right. Just like on the 7-series at my BMW dealer.

 

[klier]

Still talking about supposed gaps that are not there in real????

In every pic where the hood shutline looks wrong it's either:

1) Lighting/ Flash of camera

2) Angle of shot

3) Hood not being properly closed

There is NO problem with the hood shutline of the 7er. Coolraoul is trying to make us believe (or something) a freaking Renault Clio has better shutlines, while he yesterday told us he has never even properly seen the F01 in real life. Judging something with only pics is impossible.

 

[braaf]

Noticed the same thing at my local dealer. Coolraoul is trying cheat us. Basterd

 

[coolraoul]

Still talking about supposed gaps that are not there in real????

In every pic where the hood shutline looks wrong it's either:

1) Lighting/ Flash of camera

2) Angle of shot

3) Hood not being properly closed

There is NO problem with the hood shutline of the 7er. Coolraoul is trying to make us believe (or something) a freaking Renault Clio has better shutlines, while he yesterday told us he has never even properly seen the F01 in real life. Judging something with only pics is impossible.

Errr, this is not a Clio in my pic. It's a Twingo.

I've already seen several pics of the 7er with a too huge gap. Maybe they were pre-production models?

Anyway, the one Sunny showed is okay, so I guess it's not a general problem with F01s.
Fair enough.

 

[Merc1]

The problem is that the cut lines are in the wrong place due to design/safety having to be compromised.....a lot of hoods look like they aren't closed fully when they indeed are. The problem (if there is one) on the BMW is where that cutline is. I don't doubt the final fit and finish of the car once it leaves the factory. An ill-fitting hood would be quite easy to spot before the car is shipped.

M

 

[Zafiro]

I've seen two 7-series without any huges gaps. Once its been delievered to customer there wont be a "seethrough hole".

 

[SCOTT27]

No there are no quality issues regarding the panel fit of the new BMW 7er. In order to meet the segment requirements , BMW had the same quality measurements that are used in the Rolls-Royce Phantom which have been passed down to the next line of models such as the BMW 5er and 5er Gran Turismo.
Every single body panel applied to the structure is measured and aligned by a specially computer controlled laser measuring system.

 

[klier]

^ Reminds me of that Audi R8 commercial "Tick Tock clock" or something......So I hope we can finally give that issue a rest now

Other than the location of that cutline perhaps.

 

[HighestOfHigh]

^ Reminds me of that Audi R8 commercial "Tick Tock clock" or something......So I hope we can finally give that issue a rest now

Other than the location of that cutline perhaps.

Exactly! It's not that big of a deal. Car looks good and it will sale.