IT WOULD be fair to suggest that the days of the high-tech uber-saloon are drawing to an end, thanks to the propagation of high-riding, high-dollar SUVs that are here now, not to mention the ones on the horizon.

In fact, the range-topping sedan, particularly in long-wheelbase form, is more popular than ever, especially in markets like China, the United States and the Middle East.

Luxury, space and technology play side by side with prestige in these territories, and BMW’s new 7 Series has taken direct aim at them with a combination of ground-breaking construction techniques and a level of interior trickery that the company hopes will take the big sedan back to the top of the upper large segment.

Locally, the sector is still worth a thousand sales a year when you consider the eight press cars on the Australian launch add up to a retail cost of around $2 million, it’s a segment where money talks, and Mercedes-Benz is currently shouting loudest with its S-Class.

BMW is, however, confident that the new 7 Series, code-named the G11, can put its fiercest rival back in its place.

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