BMW 750i
Unabashedly Aiming To Dethrone The Mercedes S-class As The Worlds Best Car, The
BMW 750i Has A Tough Task On Its Hands. Andy Enright Assesses Its Chances
Think back to your school days. Was the cleverest kid in the class ever the most popular? No. The best looking or the sportiest kids always had real charisma and a decently sized retinue of starry-eyed hangers on, but the straight-A student? They tended to be treated with curiosity. The BMW 750i is that kid.
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It generates closet admiration and occasionally a sense that its operating on another plane to the rest, but it doesnt get buyers weak at the knees the way other models in the
BMW line up tend to. Perhaps its just misunderstood.
Theres no getting around the fact that its not classically elegant, thanks in no small part to that odd rabbit hatch bootlid. Still, when we think of some of the cars that we considered radical but soon got swallowed by the mainstream, BMWs high-rise bootlid may not be the big but we all thought it was. On the current models, that bootlid and some of the other unorthodox styling features have been toned down. Itll take a keen eye to spot the latest exterior changes.
They conform to the usual checklist of targets for mid-life facelifts, with the front grille and bumper being subtly altered as well as the headlamps. BMW claim that the enhancement of the bonnets power dome gives the car a more powerful face, and the more boldly contoured bonnet does look a good deal more like the 5 Series, which can only be good. Previously, the front of the 7 was a rather character-free zone, the broad, low mouth resembling a filter-feeding shark. The back of the car has also been changed.
The visual effect of the tacked-on boot has been lessened by a series of incremental changes that give the impression of narrowing the car. Modified tail lamps and bumper assembly are the main changes but theres also a chrome detail strip running the width of the bootlid. At the sides, there are more pronounced side sills to give the car a more contoured and planted look.
"When it comes to engine technology, the £59,705 BMW 750i certainly isnt found wanting."
Many headlines have focused on BMWs iDrive system, a system that dispenses with most of the previous cars 117 separate switches, levers and buttons in favour of a rotary dial that accesses a menu-based system that flashes up on an LCD screen. At first its desperately frustrating finding yourself adjusting the front/rear balance of the stereo when all you wanted was to demist the windscreen. In the latest 7-Series, however, the iDrive is less all encompassing with some key controls finding their way out of the computer and back onto the dash. Its a definite improvement for the technologically challenged but far from the only one made to todays 7.
When it comes to engine technology, the £59,705 BMW 750i certainly isnt found wanting. The 745i was BMWs big 7-Series seller and its hoped that the 750i will takeover where that model left off. It certainly has the raw power to do so with 362bhp and 490Nm of torque at 3,400rpm. Itll rocket to 60mph in under 6 seconds but fuel consumption remains a manageable 24.
8mpg. BMWs innovative Valvetronic system is responsible for much of the engines excellence; a design that does away with conventional throttles, the valves themselves dictating how much air reaches the combustion chamber. This means a cleaner and more efficient powerplant entirely without the somewhat odd hollow throttle response of the smaller Valvetronic engines. Factor in such high-tech features as the worlds first fully variable inlet manifold and variable timing on all four camshafts and you have a very high tech powerplant.
As youd expect from BMW, the driving characteristics are predictably superb. Dynamic Drive Control is an electro-hydraulic system that does clever things to the anti-roll bars of the 7 Series, artificially dictating the amount of body roll none at low speed and a few degrees off kilter during more enthusiastic cornering to remind you where the electronics give way to sheer physics. The latest models also feature an updated chassis for better steering precision and ride quality while the suspension track is 14mm wider for greater stability. Drive hard and youll appreciate the Sports suspension setting.
At first youll be disappointed, the syrupy ride quality making the car seem a trifle bloated, but as soon as you encounter a corner the dampers up their game, keeping everything taut and resolved with just enough information flowing up the steering column and through the chassis to keep you appraised of what the tyres are up to. Switch into Comfort mode and youll breeze effortlessly over the sort of scabby surfaces that constitute the British road network. That the BMW 750i is a technological tour de force is not up for debate. It ratchets the executive car building art forward a good few notches but rewards patience and time like no other luxury car.
Persevere with it and youll end up with the finest luxury saloon out there.
FACTS AT A GLANCE
CAR: BMW 750i
PRICE: £59,705 - £63,335 - on the road
INSURANCE GROUP: 19
CO2 EMISSIONS: 263g/km
PERFORMANCE: 0-60mph 5.9secs/ 155mph
FUEL CONSUMPTION: (combined) 24.8mpg
STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: twin front and side airbags, DTC traction control, DSC stability control
WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: length/width/height mm 5029/2132/1492
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