The reviews are coming fast and furious of the new 7er after the press introduction last week. One of the most important historically has always been from the NYT and this time the story is a little more positive than it was with the E65:

>Unfortunately, the delights of the 7 Series, which include blowing away rosy-cheeked lads in Subarus, had become weighed down by baggage. The often-derided iDrive controls made it hard to tune in Neil Diamond without wanting to punch out the display screen. And while I usually have no beef with icy Germanic interiors, the outgoing model took the dominatrix-in-Berlin theme too far; no flagship luxury sedan should make people suffer for their driving pleasure. Cabin demerits included obtuse controls and rigidly minimalist appointments.

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>That’s why the 2009 7 Series is such a double delight, whether in standard (750i) or stretched (750Li) guise. Yes, the new 7 is faster, nimbler and more fun than any plus-size sedan has a right to be. But with all due respect to the Bavarian engineering on display, that’s almost an easy birdie on the BMW course. More surprisingly, the big BMW has ditched its misanthropic ways to embrace anyone in its rich presence.

+ 2009 BMW 750i and 750il / NYT