The new BMW 7 Series was revealed this week and the internet has been divided in much the same way as the new 7's headlights have. There are those who have compared its divisive styling to that of the 'Dame Edna' designs of the Chris Bangle era, and to a degree, they aren't wrong. The new 7, and its electric i7 sibling, are more about the surfaces than the lines between them. While this may not be appealing to some, to others, it's quite the masterpiece. We at CarBuzz don't exactly hate the design. But, and it's a big one, it looks like someone at BMW approved the design when it was about 90% finished, and we've taken it upon ourselves to make some small tweaks that finish off the design and drastically improve the end product.

One of the biggest issues we had with the design was unresolved shut lines in places they didn't need to be. BMW already had a strong crease on the front fenders leading into the LED DRLs, so why place the hood shut line on top of the hood area? By moving the hood shut line down on the sides, and in turn, moving the front edge to right above the top of the large kidney grilles, a clamshell hood transforms the front end of the 7 Series and reduces clutter. It also allowed us to strengthen the character lines down the center of the hood as they flank the BMW roundel.

Likewise, the DRLs themselves seemed at odds with a very smooth design, appearing as bitty and unrefined. We know they're meant to be sparkly and all that, but solid DRLs, and ones with a bar that flows into the grille surround, suit the minimalistic design used everywhere else.

These small changes already make a big difference, but there was one other aspect we thought could have a big impact. BMW touts the 7 Series' design as monolithic, and the angles, creases, and large slab-like surfaces all feed into that. But when everything is sharp and angular, the round wheel arches look very out of place. Channeling our inner Marcello Gandini, oblique cut-offs for the wheel arches a-la Lamborghini Countach (and borrowed from the X6 M) just seem to fit in with the design in a far more cohesive manner.

We've said on several occasions that BMW seems to half-bake cars early in their lifecycles, releasing flawed M cars and perfecting them with the CS versions. And it seems the German marque has done the same once more with the 7 Series. It's clear that even slight tweaks can have a big difference on the overall presentation of the 7 Series. It's not a bad design, it's just a little unfinished.