► Welcoming the BMW 7-series to the fleet
► Tech-tastic BMW ups the game against rivals
► 3.0-litre turbodiesel packs a torquey punch
Radical futurism and defiant traditionalism are surely opposing philosophical schools, but which does the new BMW 7-series subscribe to? A conventional three-box saloon, it swaggers into the SUV party like Antonio Fargas at the GQ awards, wildly out of fashion but holding the room on sheer force of personality.
But in its pocket the 7-series carries an array of technology so staggering it not only shames many would-be trendsetting rivals, it also threatens to shade the mantra on which Munich built its reputation: ultimate driving machine. With that in mind please, at some point over the coming months, do remind me to talk about what it’s like to drive.
Meantime, let’s look at what we have. This is the 730d with M Sport trimmings, which is number three in the 14-strong UK model range, with a base price of £68,180, which includes the slightly twinkly ‘Black Sapphire’ paint and black Nappa leather massage chairs. That’s a bullish tag for this much car, but once we’d been left alone with the options list for a few moments we ended up poorer to the tune of £84,465.
Blame technology – we coughed £2466 on Driving Assistant Plus (lane departure warning, speed limit recognition, active cruise, stop/go, steering assist), two grand on laser lights, another two on Executive Drive Pro (active chassis control – we’ll get to that) and £1500 on Night Vision (spots pedestrians and animals in the dark). Spending another thousand on something as old-school as wheels – 20in double-spoke alloys – seemed almost dirty in comparison.
Speaking of dirty, here is the oily news: under the pool-table-sized bonnet there’s a 3.0-litre inline six-cylinder twin-turbodiesel which makes up for in torque (457lb ft) what it certainly lacks in power (261bhp). It drives the rear wheels (sounds obvious, but you can get the Seven in xDrive spec too) via an eight-speed ‘Steptronic Sport’ ’box, allied to hardly needed shift paddles and a not-needed-at-all launch-control function.
If you’re thinking the engine seems modest for such a big, heavy car, consider this: the 730d ain’t heavy. It’s 130kg lighter than before (now at 1755kg), thanks to the purloining of construction methods from the ‘i’ project – so-called ‘carbon core’ technology. The Seven uses carbonfibre-reinforced polymer bonded to a structure made of both steel and aluminium – the latter accounting for the doors, bootlid, and much of the suspension, which in turn does wonders for ride quality.
Refinement, in fact, is what limo buyers crave most of all, and here’s where this BMW really grabs you by the lapels. Kudos to the aforementioned Executive Drive Pro, which embellishes BMW’s variable dampers and the Seven’s air suspension with electromechanical anti-roll bars, resulting in simply fabulous ride quality.
You can select your preferred setting – Comfort Plus is up there with cousin Rolls-Royce – but in Adaptive mode the car takes readings from your driving style, the onboard cameras and the sat-nav to constantly tweak the settings. ‘Quite clever’ in the same way Attila the Hun was ‘quite naughty’.
Of course, the tech headlines are never grabbed by oily or structural matters. No pub-visiting 730d owner will open with electromechanical roll stabilisation – he’ll always start with gesture control. This nascent marvel allows you to control functions on BMW’s first ever touchscreen without, ironically, touching it. Waft a finger or two in the desired pattern and a 3D sensor in the rear-view mirror assembly recognises it and acts on it, turning the volume down, for instance, or rejecting an incoming call. So far it’s proving temperamental; the analogue volume knob taunts me!
Our pub bloke will next mention the removable Samsung tablet located in the rear armrest – which can control the car’s systems as well as controlling your stock portfolio and Angry Birds portfolio – and he’ll seal his mates’ amazement by whipping out the smart key, which is basically a mobile phone that doesn’t make calls, but which can park the car for you or switch the heater on five minutes before you leave the house.
There’s so much to talk about – knowing where to start is the hardest part. No mention of that in the manual.
The specs
Camera angle
The surround view pack is a £333.33 option and gives top view, rear view, panorama view, the lot. You can ‘watch’ yourself from the rear three-quarter positon, and guide yourself in
M Sport specs
Stealthy look includes high-gloss exterior trim (the chrome ‘hockey stick’ side detail is now black), anthracite headlining, black wood trim and fake alloy M Sport kick-plates
Cool seats
Comfort seats offer eight types of massage (not easy to find, even in Bangkok) each with three intensity levels. Anticipating getting hot, we paid £820 for seat ventilation
The light stuff
If there’s any natural light it streams through the £995 electric sunroof, if not you can fiddle with the atmos to your heart’s content with ambient lighting ranging from Studio 54 to Amsterdam window
Multi-multi-functional
12.3in screen is BMW’s first touchscreen – odd, since with gesture control, steering wheel buttons and standard knob it makes a total of four ways to change the volume
Logbook: BMW 730d M Sport
Engine: 2993cc 24v inline six, 261bhp @ 4000rpm, 457lb ft @ 2000-2500rpm
Gearbox: 8-speed auto, rear-wheel drive
Stats: 6.1sec 0-62mph, 155mph, 129g/km CO2
Price: £68,180
As tested: £84,465
Miles this month: 1598
Total miles: 4709
Our mpg: 44.2
Official mpg: 60.1
Fuel cost: £265.30
Extra costs: £0
Read more from the March 2016 issue of CAR magazine