Driving from the German autobahns to the hills of Austria, we discovered that the new BMW 7 Series comes with more style and luxury along with its hallmark performance
Here I was at the BMW facility in Garching, being greeted by a fleet of luxury saloons parked painstakingly in perfect symmetry. Yes, this was Munich, Germany, and soon I got used to the compulsive perfect ways of the country, which clearly reflect in the cars they make.
I was there to drive the 2013 BMW 7 Series, which is due for launch in India soon. The flagship saloon gets a fresh dose of design treatment to cope with its mid-life woes and since it’s not a completely re-designed car, it did appear quite familiar. There’s more detailing now, with some styling tweaks, while the great proportions give this imposing saloon a sleek silhouette.
There’s more to like about the new Seven, like the sharper front fascia with a long, horizontal lower intake that runs across the nose of the vehicle. The kidney grille appears airy with fewer slats and the surfaces around it have been made more curvy. Inclusion of some chrome accents like the long strip across the rear bumper and the new LED headlights give it the right flavour to suit the Indian palate.
As I got inside the luxurious car to begin my drive to the beautiful city of Salzburg in Austria at the northern boundary of Alps, I found the front seats to be slimmer, albeit comfortable. While in the back one can choose a standard bench or the optional bucket-type individual seats, with adjustable backrest angle and seat position. There is generous head and shoulder room, entry to and exit from the back seat is definitely easier, while the four-zone climate control system ensures adequate cooling for all.
The sober cockpit design comes without clutter of switches and meets the mark of luxury, with delicate use of leather, rich wood trim and ceramic-finished knobs. While getting used to the all-new version of iDrive with revised menu felt easier and a new 3D display navigation system offers a great experience; but the head-up display is as distracting as it is helpful.
You can pick the rear-seat entertainment package with an iDrive controller and two ‘floating’ 9.2-inch screens. Enhancing the listening experience is a new Bang & Olufsen Surround Sound system with 16 speakers and the all-aluminium speakers look cool too. Small changes like the new ambient lighting, better sound insulated cabin make the 7 Series a more comfortable and engaging place to travel in.
There wasn’t much work for the suspension on the flat European roads, but with the optimised chassis, with self-levelling air suspension at the rear axle, the new Seven did feel more plush. However, the real test will be on our roads. The standard air suspension along with dynamic damping allows the driver to fine-tune the ride and handling responsiveness, according to the road conditions or mood. The set-up is more inclined towards comfort, so the suspension is softer and the steering has become lighter than in the older BMWs. All the electronics work in co-ordination and help to broaden the Seven’s driving feel and even in ‘Normal’ mode the relatively long and heavy BMW felt surprisingly nimble. It’s impressive how planted and stable the saloon was on the very fast German Autobahn or on the twisty roads of Austrian hills.
Standard features include air-bags in front, side, side-curtain; rear-seat side and knee. Along with ABS, traction and stability control, rear-view camera and parking sensors. The Driver Assistance Package comes with blind-spot detection, a lane departure warning system and automatic high-beam headlights. There’s an overload of technology and we are definitely not complaining.
Internationally, there are four engine options being offered: the flagship BMW 760i with TwinPower Turbo12-cylinder petrol engine, the 740i powered by a new TwinPower Turbo six-cylinder in-line petrol engine, the 750i with a revised TwinPower Turbo eight-cylinder petrol engine, which might be on its way to India soon. In diesel there is the six-cylinder engine in the BMW 740d, offering a combination of performance and low fuel consumption, which also powers the India-bound long-wheelbase 730Ld.
BMW claim V6 diesel to be the most economical and cleanest diesel variant in the luxury segment, emitting just 148 g/km CO2. The peak output of the three-litre oil-burner has increased by 13.5 PS to 261.5 PS. Although it’s not the most powerful, widespread 560 Nm of torque comes into play between 1,500 and 3,000 revs, making the drive luxurious and reasonably fast. The highlight of this car is efficiency, the favourite word of most car-buyers of India, and, according to the company, the the 730Ld returns about 17.85 km/l in the EU test cycle. Across the entire model range, the 7 Series gets auto start-stop, brake energy regeneration, and ECO PRO mode, which work for the common goal of improving the efficiency. Like all the other variants, the 730Ld is also mated to a new and more efficient eight-speed automatic transmission. I found intelligent gearbox to be quick to sense spirited driving or comfort cruising and it adapted accordingly.
I also got to drive the smooth 4.4-litre V8 petrol motor on the 750Li, which offered a staggering performance, making full use of the 455.22 PS maximum power and strong 650 Nm of torque. The tweaked V8 raises its performance potential, reduces emission and claims a higher fuel efficiency figure of 8.4 km/l. It sprints from 0 to 100 km/h in just 4.8 seconds, shaving off a second-and-a-half from the 730Ld’s figure. On the parts where the motorway didn’t have a speed limit, it comfortably surpassed the 200 km/h mark, electronically limited to 250 km/h.
The very interesting xDrive all-wheel drive is available as an option across the range internationally and for the first time now is offered in six-cylinder models. The system sends 20 per cent of the power to BMW’s front wheels for better traction. We hope this option is also available in India.
Currently, the outgoing BMW 7 Series’ price begins at Rs 106.50 lakh (OTR, Pune) and we guess that the new 7 would be priced similarly when launched in India. Bundled with cutting-edge technology, the 2013 BMW 7 Series is more luxurious, stylish and capable than its predecessor. Luxury seeking BMW aficionados won’t have to look elsewhere now.
There’s more to like about the new Seven, like the sharper front fascia with a long, horizontal lower intake that runs across the nose of the vehicle
Story and Photography: Sarmad Kadiri
