The 2003 BMW 7 Series Is the Most Controversial BMW Ever Made 

The longest running controversy on this channel has been Doug's 2 t-shirt style. ...

"The most controversial car BMW ever made." /me laughs in i3.

Every time I see this white 7 series, first thing that comes to my mind is "Every day im hustlin" by Rick Ross!

Dang I remember when my classmate’s dad got this car. He was a VERY hard working man, loved his family to the ends of the earth. His wife supported him, and he showed IMMENSE respect to his family. They owned a business or something. They pulled up one day and we were like WOAH. He was NEVER pretentious about it. He was always thanking people for complimenting his car, and he never let it get to his head. Good man :) Probably why I love BMW’s… because of him Lol he set a great example, just because you drive a nice car, doesn’t mean you’re better than anyone else

BMW, 2003: controversial styling at the rear, 2020: controversial styling at the front

The good old day when the headlights are bigger than the grill

I’ll never forget working at a bmw dealer when these came out, everyone was talking about how they had the most computers in any car ever made. Soon after, they came in droves for service, they would be sitting in the shop with wires coming out from every orifice for diagnostics/testing etc.

You forgot a quirk: the rear passenger mirror cannot only be folded up and down but also swiveled left and right.

The E65 forums are going nuts, Doug’s finally reviewing their car

Apparently the car automatically starts playing "Everyday I'm hustlin" whenever you drive into Miami

This really was a game changing car at the time. It looked and felt like the future. I remember my dad picked one of the earliest models up and it was a V8. Boy was that the most expensive car to maintain ever. The thing I think was missed is how absolutely incredible the interior styling was. The materials, the fit and finish and the new way of addressing the interior was in my opinion the biggest leap from my perspective. Even the door locks had this nice matte finish. The cup holders and the seat controls all felt very premium. It was a true departure from previous generations. The top lighting panel too that felt super premium. I wish they had better power trains but I think a lot has to do with the pioneering drive-by-wire tech used in the car.

Is no-one else surprised that Doug said that he was 14 when this came out, making him only 31 years old!

This car was such a massive leap forward technologically speaking when it came out. Also, I don’t know of many cars that have better rust-proofing than the E65 7 series. In the Midwest, you notice this sort of thing when most cars that are 7-8 years old have rust starting. I’ve never seen an E65 with rust yet.

A friend of mine pre-ordered one, when it was not yet in the showrooms. Man, was he surprised. He wanted his old one back, immediately.

I remember reading an interview with Chris Bangle and he said that he was happy that his design provoked emotions like that and how some people would walk up to the car and secretly touch it. It may not have been the prettiest car, but it was certainly striking and helped bring BMW into the modern era, especially with the cars that followed like the Z4, 6-Series, X3 and more.

I've been a BMW tech for 15 years and I have always loved E65s. Yes they're a pain in the ass but I love the look and this vehicle pioneered technology used today... when you work on them, you see how different they are from any other of the bmws of that generation and that just adds to its charm.

Doug: This is the most controversial BMW ever made. New 3/4 series: Hold my big ass grill

Idk about it being the most controversial 7 series, I’d look up the 2023 model

I actually like the Bangle design with hindsight. The Bangle designed 6 series is one of my favourite modern BMWs, especially as an M6. However, the interior design of this 7 series has not aged well. So much plastic everywhere and the glossy wood cheapens it immensely. Think it’s taken a lot of time for BMW to improve their interiors to their current level of quality.

I remember when I was in college back in the day (when this car came out) and my father's friend had a white one just like this one in the video and my mind was blown 🤯 !! He was nice enough to allow me to sit in it and I felt like I was in a Spaceship. Till this day, it still looks great to me. The styling and design language of this car aged very well in my eyes. They kept true to this look up until the recent one that came out a couple of years ago with the super big kidney grille. Dope ass car 👌🏾 (but that iDrive knob would drive me crazy for overcomplicating the simplicity of everything).

"Reviewed by Doug DeMuro"" * value shoots up by 50%*

Ha I remember being a valet in 2003 and parked this car. I had to be given a quick class by a co-worker on how to drive it with that shifter. Lol. Was an amazing car back then.

Doug's description of this car's controversy and how everyone talked about it back then, reminds me A LOT of the new M4 / 4 series when it came out

9:11 there is still a wireless phone in the first tray of the center console, there is also a small slot to put your sim card in, 20:30 you can also pull the rear passenger mirror and swivel it left and right, pretty quirky. AND just to flex, mine has the fridge and another pair of ceiling vents 😎

Although controversial, this car technology wise was ahead of its time. So many of these new features are now standard in our modern cars almost 20 years later

My father was fortunate enough to make some extra money in 2003 and he was so excited about hunting for a large sedan he always wanted. Brought back good memories of helping him look, this, the S-Class, and the A8 L. He ended up with the A8 L as it featured a lot of the same features but came in at a lower price, and oh boy it was so cool. I wasn’t very old and I’ll never forget the size of that backseat and the amazement when I saw things like heated rear seats and a mirror for the backseat as well. What a great little time trip back to some fun memories. And some less so, like him putting 80k miles on a $80k car from 2004-08 and selling it for $22k. Or the hilarious electric issues he got like the car sitting there completely turned off, empty and randomly turning the radio on at full blast. He went away from the German cars after that and drives a Toyota now after having his fun and then wanting something rock solid. But wow what a trip back! Thanks Doug.

I have owned a 7 series just like this one for about 15 years now, and what doug failed to tell you is that it is one of the coolest cars EVER made, the amount of technology in it is outstanding for a car that was designed in the LATE 90s and early 2000s! And he also failed to tell you that the infotainment is actually REALLY easy to learn, after owning this car for like a week you can get the hang of it real fast. Thats my take on the video

Great review Doug, as always. Thank you.

18 years old and it still has the best rear window shade setup ever!

I’m 28, and I’m not ashamed to say I have always loved the “Bangle Butt” design, especially the split LED tail lights. As a bit of a cars and electronics geek, these were some of the first automotive LEDs I had ever seen, which I thought was really cool, and I still think they look quite elegant today. I also think BMW’s interior design during this era was impressively timeless.

And yet it is the most sold chassis code through the 7 series history. Looks like success to me I love it

I love the E65 rear design - after all it was something someone had to do, and the weird lighting setup was corrected to please larger audience in the facelift model, which no one can call ugly. Bangle was definitely after something not many understood but later.

i gotta say they certainly made it look futuristic, that doesn't even look like a design made in the early 2000s, it looks more like 2010-2015

I grew up with this car. My mom got rid of it about 7 years ago now. She loved it. The funny part is the drivetrain never gave her a single issue but it was always the little electronics and sensors etc. that made the car a nightmare to live with.

Doug, you should know that this BMW 760, and the 745 had an option called "Comfort Access" which gave you the option to unlock/lock the door with a touch of the door handle, and you could start the car without the key.

During this time, a friend of mine got a BMW 535GTi with the golfer-butt trunk. From what I understood, this was built on a 7 series short frame due to the size. I remember when I first saw it, strikingly beautiful yet unique looking. Thanks for the video, Doug.

Doug is having a stroke describing the idrive system.

"The 2003 BMW 7 Series Is the Most Controversial BMW Ever Made...and here's why I love it"

I’m pretty sure the two arrows next to the eject button are for changing tracks/presets in entertainment mode - not requiring messing with idrive controller

The facelifted version of this is one of my most favourite BMWs. In fact, I love the Chris Bangle BMWs' facelifted versions, especially since they were available during my childhood, and the V10 in the M5 and M6 during that time... ❤️

Take a shot of tequila every time Doug says “controversial”

Hey Doug First of all this vehicle DID came with a proximity key option, pretty rare but it’s existed. Second those wheels also been shared with the Alpina B7.

My grandpa owned a similar 2002 7 series and he was always overwelmed by the iDrive system. He always needed me or my brother to access the main IDrive menu, he just alwas had it on FM Radio. I have many warm memorys of this car and we went on lots of vacations in it, it has soo much space we ve had 4 people and our german shepherd + cargo in it. As Doug said it had many odd features and you had to adobt to it, but my grandpa loved it especially for its reliance and its spacious design. We had no major problems or car shop bills with it, until the engine just out of the blue decided to stop working alltogether when we were on holiday... But this was after 8+ quiet years of ecsessive use as main car, it served well.

I had the old original Idrive in a 2005 5 series and it was pretty briliant in my opinion. The knob always knew where the end of the menu was and it just stopped scroling once you got to the end of the list. Then to get to different sections by moving the whole knob was also great, because I didnt have to look anywhere for even a split second, you grab the knob, move it and boom you are there. Better then finding a particular button in a mesh of 6 buttons. It also supported split-screen, I could have navigation on half of the screen and the radio on the other half for example. The iDrive in the 5series was different than the 7series but I really liked it. Much more than the infotainment in my current 2015 jaguar. That one just sucks, its slow, it doesnt support showing two things at the same time and every time I want to do something I have to take mye eyes of the road.

I still remember to this day, the 2002 DC auto show I was 13. The BMW section was absolutely flooded with people waiting to get their close up with the new 7 series. I waited for probably 30 minutes to get my turn to sit inside, I was absolutely amazed at the tech this thing had compared to literally everything else at the show. I mean this car blew my mind, I still remember seeing that phone dial pad slide out of the dash and thinking this was legit James Bond's car. Funny how that stuff sticks with you.

Doug: "Five steps to change a radio preset!" Me: presses button on steering wheel once, "Not that hard."

I remember the "ski sack" being an option on a new 1989 VW Jetta I was looking at then. I remember it could replace the plastic back panel in the center armrest when folded down to let you put your long (and wet) skis and poles in the trunk, extending into the passenger compartment but keeping the wet and cold out. Hadn't seen it on another car until now!

Switching the radio is easy, two arrow buttons next to the CD eject button. You even showed them a few times in the video Doug!

The climate menu is hilariously complex and over-engineered. Absolutely insane.

Ah, just as I was about to admit my immeasurable disbelief that throughout filming of this video the car didn't throw a check engine light, it did at the end. I was not disappointed.

Meh, I think the car has aged well and still looks very modern. Today's tech has actually caught up to the car. The iDrive on this car is really not that difficult compared to the tech in today's autos.

Good review. I remember all the drama !!

How many times are you going to say "Controversial"? Doug: Yes

Even though these are money pits, I see these driving around quite often probably powering through multiple malfunction messages.

Great Video , Thanks 👍

@7:30 If I'm not wrong, you can change radio presets using the left-right key next to eject key next to CD slot visible @8:11. And let's not forget the optional refrigerator behind the central rear armrest (replacing the ski-sack).

Just happy the cup holders didn’t bring much controversy.

I am shocked at how well preserved this specific 7 series is, just beautiful condition. The tech in these is still really good which tell you how advanced they were back then. I really liked that the interior was totally different from the lower models, something you don’t see anymore.

I remember seeing one of these when I visited Monaco when these were new. Really had quite a presence. I’ll never forget seeing that V12 badge and just saying “holy cow”.

I was 15 abs huge fanboy when this came out but I was like wtf but in person I learned to love it... styling was ahead of its time. I ended up owning 2 e60 550s among other bmws but the e60 is also bangle butt hated but I love those too.

For better or worse, Chris Bangle has probably had more influence over the last 20 yrs than any other designer

I was watching older Dougs and realized there has been a slight Flanderization throughout the years. Younger Doug was way less Doug and it felt like vacation to me.

Loved this car when my mum got it new in 2004. Was easy to use, even for someone in their 50s. And funny enough, Lexus was first to have an in dash cd changer, glove box and airbag! And yes, the cd cartridge was lost all the time. You took it inside the house to load CDs and it just got lost. The seats were different but easy to use. Everything was over engineered, but that was the point. iDrive was so simple and intuitive, not sure why so many didn't get it. If my mother loved it, compared to her last BMW, an F10 550i, anyone could use it with little learning curve. And a configurable fav button. Lexus again. In 1993 my mum had a new LS400, the phone was voice activated and had a Motorola Micro Tac Lexus phone in the centre console. The steering wheel had two fav buttons to dial 2 fav numbers, when the voice control didn't work. Gotta say, voice control has not come very far in 30 years lol. Was a comfy car for road trips or the requisite family outings, as it was used only for my younger brothers school run to highschool for only one year, after which no kids were left in school, other than both in Uni. Memories for sure! Also the rear view mirror was just one in the middle. A LS of this era, had two one for each rear passenger. And ski-sacks, sweetie, these were available since the late 80s, early 90s. Why do people who were little kids or not even born during certain times, believe that because it didn't happen in their lifetime, it didn't exist. Lol. This car was the pinnacle for BMWs of the modern era. Built like a tank, build quality was obscenely great. BMW lost itself after the HP wars of the mid to late noughts. Then the E60 M5 with that N/A V10 was insane and amazing, with reliability that was nothing but a disaster. Most BMWs lost the driving perfection they were known for, instead they were boats that drove more like a Merc, albeit built way better. It wasn't until he G20 3er was launched that BMW has found its way again. Using the CLAR architecture, hoping BMW has to its mojo back, as the newest 3er is sublimely perfection. A 6cyl with the power that was close to this V12. And now that the next 7er loses its V12, this car will be a classic.They have returned to the "Ultimate Driving Machine" instead of the Ultimate Riding Machine. Here's to a car with so many memories, that amazing V12 that's all but dead in a world of EVs being pushed, and a car that brought us iDrive, which is the best vehicle infotainment system around. And a at that brought us tech that is only now mainstream almost 2 decades later! Bravo Chris, Bravo!

my dad had the facelifted E65. 2008 750i black on black, sport package, short wheel base. I still remember the three spoke sport steering wheel looking 10x better than the 4 spoke. The facelift got rid of the line on the trunk and imo really kicked off the newer BMW styling that you see everywhere now

You can change radio presets from the steering wheel buttons, as well as the d-keys on the head unit. You don't have to press to confirm mode selections unless you start from the menu, and after a software update even that was selectable by pressing and holding the knob down in the menu mode. Also, in decades of owning multiple of these cars, I have NEVER EVER had to use climate screen, except for curiosity, and once per season to adjust the "feel" temperature, as the "auto" mode is perfect, and "Max AC" and "Defrost" buttons took care of the excessively hot and cold days. Additionally, for people who don't like going through menus - the car has a perfectly fine voice control system that works. Also, the bangle butt being ugly is a matter of opinion, even if the majority think it's ugly - there is plenty of people who liked it, and to me it looked good from day one, and still looks good. This car and its technologies is still giving most of TODAY'S cars a run for it's money, especially with how cheaply you can purchase one of these now. The infotainment system still sounds better than 99% of what you buy today, and once you retrofit Bluetooth - has all the functions that you'd use anyway in the 2021 model cars... This car was good, still is good, and I still own one, thoroughly enjoy it, and don't plan to get rid of it.

The E38 actually had adaptive cruise as well, it was a very rare option.

My parents bought one when they were new and my mom made my dad return it and get another 5 series because it was too complicated for her. She kept putting it into reverse on accident because of the weird column shifter. It wasn't just a column shifter, you had to push it up to go into drive and down to go into reverse, so if you've ever used a column shifter in any other car you think pull down a few clicks to go into drive but pulling down makes you go backwards. I absolutely loved it though, I was 16 at the time and I think I drove it more in the week or two we had it than my parents did lol

I've always admired the E65/E66 with the V12 from afar. I used to have visions of purchasing this car with personalized plates that read: 76er

We had this car for 12 years. Here's one of the things i want to mention: The iDrive, in my experience, was not horrible. You got used to changing the stations with the knob and going to your presets. The screen always started with the FM screen, it wasnt a big issue. About the venting. You didnt mention there are buttons on side to change where the air blows. Never dealt to go in iDrive and change it, always used the buttons. The Auto mode worked perfectly on it and, when needed, we just changed it to blw on front window. Thats it. IT WAS NOT HORRIBLE as you say it now.

Why is NOBODY calling Doug out for NOT SHOWING US THE DAMN EXHAUST SOUND ????

I actually love this 7 Series ONLY. When I was a baby I watched Jimmy Fallon and Queen Latifah in TAXI (2004) and seeing that red getaway 760Li running on those shiny Lowenhart 22''s rims made me fall in love with this car. It's the only 7 series I liked

We got the BMW E65, and that’s where our love for bimmers started. Nine bimmers later, and we still love them, even after owning a few Mercedes, and many other car/suvs/trucks makes and models.

Doug: "I'm going to review your car before we list it on Cars and Bids" Owmer: "Awesome!" Doug's summary includes the phrase "fatal flaws" Owner: "Wait a minute..."

I’ve had this car, amazing drive, but guzzles gas like a monster and any repairs on this car is just…hectic

i was one of the people that loved these when they came out, working at a dealership in 2014 they were my go to vehicles to drive customers around, pick up other lot guys etc

The 3-series design that followed this 7-series was so popular that on the cover of a car magazine it showed a picture of the 3-series with the title "3-series spared!". At least Mr. Bangle listened to the owners and auto reviews of the time. Good review Doug. 👌

When you will go to I-drive settings and turn on the "sport" you will add to handling at lest 2 points. On steering wheel you have sport for transmission, but sport for steering and suspension were hidden in settings - could be assigned to the star button as I remember. I had 2003 760i couple years ago. And it drives on twisty roads better than e39 wit M-package suspension. It drives faster and sharper. Even when we were comparing with e60 M5 (on the road, not race track), we were driving pretty close together. Climate control for rear seats were available too, as an option, which this car don`t have. But it was - two separate climate zones for rear seats with two climate panels on the innerliner. For rear seats there was in option, an entertainment system with separate screen and own I drive. This car have few other interesting features too. First Dynamic bixenon with lighting direction change with steering wheel. Windshield whippers angle were changing depending on speed and whippers wear. First car with optical fiber for multimedia. V12 had few other features which V8 don`t have. Alcantara inneliner, more wood in interior. Wood trim dedicated only for V12. Leather on dashboard... This was a great car, the best in its class, much farther then all competitors. After that car I bought Mercedes V12 which was a one generation newer (2007). And even after one generation Mercedes wasn't even close to quality, handling, comfort, entertainment and this gorgeous seats.

The irony of Doug talkin about ugly styling is not lost on me.

Have a post-facelift model 750LI. iDrive grew on me (and later models added matching leather). But I'm glad I never had to use it for navigation.

I bought a 745li in 2004. Loved it. Was surprisingly fast and handled extremely well given its size. The seats were amazing. Unfortunately from other videos ive watched, most of these cars had engine issues. The v12 being separate. But the standard v8 suffered from them.

"There's a little button for SMD"

That IDrive System was similar to the Audi MMI System in that all the car’s systems are connected by a fiber optic cable system. It was problematic because the system needed ALL modules to be in good operating condition to “pass along” the fiber optic signal. If one module failed, let’s say the satellite radio module, the ENTIRE system goes down. Then it becomes a PITA for the DIYer to track down the faulty module to troubleshoot the system.

Those shifters are mounted on the column but is now way near American van shifters as you mentioned. It actually the first vehicle with electronic shifters to engage gears. Kinda like a joystick.

Doug saying “this” is like people who say “like” a lot 😂😂

Dougs youtube success is on another level! Regardless of my interest in a given car, ill watch it regardless because Doug did it.

I work as a mechanic and one of my loyal customers has one of these. It’s really high mileage. It has around 186,000. Apart from leaking oil all the time all the electronics actually still work. I owned a more modern 335i at this car had more much more fuses.

I own the 2006 Version of this (BMW 760 i) Its Black on Black. It does turn heads when driven.It has been very challenging to maintain & repair as a European Automotive Technician.

@25:16 that effortless acceleration to speed. Looks so smooth, like it advanced rather than accelerated

Chris Bangle didn’t survive his designs… the tech problems didn’t help… btw, you can pick’em up cheap cause the tech/repairs were hella expensive… on top of it being expensive anyway.

the amount of times doug said “radical” is terrifying

I remember a clients grandparent had one of these new the day it came out in black and they came to pick him up in it, I was struck by how strange the rear end was, it was such a departure from their previous design language! I couldn't help but stare! lol

Hi some corrections to this video 1. The radio change channel down with 1 button on the stering wheel and 1 for changing up. 2. The phone as you say with a ugly panel our car has a 2 system phone system 1 front and one back and both systems has a cordless phone in thr front its under the radio/cd press the button and it slide out and in the back it is in the mittle consol where our fridge also is installed. + you can talk to the car about who you want to call and you also can get in the clima control simply to say it soooo easier it dosnt get. We aldo have electric adjustable seats in the front and ALSO IN THE BACK + AIR suspension and no hanging back then it pump it up. 3. Also the key is never put into the car it is just for having a place to put the key my key never leave my pocket and each of the 2 keys remember all settings from last drive so when i unlock eith my key it positions my seat and passenger seat and radio station and Vol. And the same when wifey does drive. Soo 2 memory possitions for each key. I did have the E38 before and it was the prettiest but the E65 is another world of luxus driving. My is from 2003 and live in denmark where all cars rust but there is 0% rust in ours so what they did it really worked 18 years and drive like it was new no bad sounds like in a 5 year car normaly have sooo i ❤ it 100%

As a technician that works at a German vehicle specialty shop this is probably the first E66 I've seen where all the electronics are still working. Talk about an electrical nightmare to work on.

This car has probably the most comfortable seats I have ever had the pleasure of sitting in as a passenger. You literally set it up to perfect comfort.

I have a 2004 645 convertible. I love the Bangle styling, and the controls are much more straight forward than the 7 series which seems to be one of the most complicated cars to operate ever made.

This is one of the funniest and interesting reviews seen Doug do lol

In Australia, we called these Bangle Butt BMWs “taxis” because at the time, many taxis had these raised boots so that they could put an ad on their back.

Doug - "This weird, ugly, unreliable car is available to buy on CarsAndBids" Owner - "err.. thanks Doug..."

The second I saw the taillights I was like "That's the oracle from gta!"

I just discovered this channel. This man must have some Italian roots, I've seen Italians hand gesturing less than Doug has