BMW was on a roll in the 2010s – dipping their feet into electrification, experimenting with carbon fibre frames and creating the novel i3 and i8 models. But even on the ICE front, we were given a string of lavish concepts: the BMW CS Concept, BMW Gran Lusso and BMW Vision Future Luxury. We were expecting some of these previews to translate into the upcoming 7 series at the time – the BMW G11/G12 generation. And what we got certainly defied expectations. I’ll leave you to Google the pre-facelift versions – and yup, they were as exciting as a shiny new Camry.

I still remember lamenting about how it just looked like a scaled-up 3 series (inside out)! Now, it was certainly not bad looking by any stretch, just bland. I’ll give credit to the designers- they got the profile view nice and balanced. But the front end, the dashboard, etc, to me it seemed dated on arrival. Say what you may about Chris Bangle’s E65, but that car moved the game, inside out. And the new polarising G70 follows that exact same formula 20 years later- the interior made me go wow – and that’s how luxury flagships are supposed to make you feel. Even if you can’t afford them, they are to serve as the halo to draw you to the lesser models.

Now let me get back to the G11/G12. So when it was time for the facelift (or LCI- Life Cycle Impulse in BMW-speak), the designers pulled off quite a feat! I saw the launch photos, and I thought, well, okay, now that looks a bit tighter and neater. Those slim headlights are exactly what I was expecting when the car originally launched a few years back. But beyond the photos, I didn’t give it much thought until one drove by on my way to work one morning. It woke me up better than any coffee could. By reworking the ‘hockey stick’ trim on the sides and slapping on an upright nose, the car truly gained a massive amount of presence on the road. Controversial, yes, but still surprisingly managing to look smart and solid at the same time. And in M Sport trim (as on the model you see here), it convincingly looked edgy.

Those slim headlights – to me, they were like a throwback to the beloved E38!

And speaking of the lights – GT Spirit has done a fine job replicating those Laser units (this was one of the last production BMWs to use the Laser technology).

At this point, I must say I think this car is one of GT Spirit’s finest efforts. The proportions & ride height are spot-on. It does look expensive, almost diecast-like even, especially in this Donnington Grey shade. Given GT’s excellent track record with paint jobs, I was expecting a bit more depth, a bit more of that metallic sheen. But under the right lighting, you do get to enjoy the body lines even better.

Nice rear end, but if we were to speak of accuracy, that silver strip running across the trunk should be in gloss black, given this car is spec’d in BMW’s shadowline trim. I don’t mind, though it still looks fantastic.

Glossy black shadowline trim appears all around, very stylish with grey. Nice ‘echo’ line too against the iconic Hofmeister kink.

I’ve always appreciated GT Spirit’s interior plastics- they’re matte and look very posh. But the details have always been hit or miss, but on this 7, I am impressed. The intricate centre console is very neat, tampos/ paintings seem to be nice and precise, and the textured seats look rich. They could’ve used some black piping to dial up the impact, but costs need to be cut somewhere, so still good.

One of the most attractive aspects of this model is the panoramic sunroof (which is a must for luxury models), so you can view the interiors in full glory. But for some reason, the plastic sheet used here is slightly opaque, getting cloudy the minute you look through it from an angle. Hence, the lack of aerial photos is probably my single biggest disappointment with this model.

Notice the tyres have valves! Sweet detail- they could have been a tad bigger though!

If you’re a fan of luxury sedans, this is an automatic choice. Excellent model here – this will really command a presence on your shelf – just make sure it gets enough lighting for that bodywork to shine!