Facts and figures
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WhatCar? road test
07.11.2008 |
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In the leather-lined arena that is the luxury car battleground, Mercedes-Benz and BMW have been slugging it out at the top for years – and it’s an ego thing whenever either of them launches a new model. It has to be the most luxurious, most advanced car in the world, delivering hitherto-undreamed-of benefits.
What's it like inside?
The interior exudes common sense and logic compared with the previous model’s. The iDrive central control system, initially almost unusable, now gives quick access to simple menus, while things like the seat adjusters and automatic gear shifter are now sited where you want them.
If you like your cars gadget-ised to the hilt, the new 7 Series is for you. Variable damping, a stability and traction control system with every card in the pack and iDrive with satellite-navigation and Bluetooth head a lengthy list of standard tech goodies; V8 versions warn you if you swap lanes unintentionally, and recognise and display speed limits; long-wheelbase models have air-sprung self-levelling rear suspension. You can add cornering roll stabilisation (£1610); four-wheel steering (£1195); a windscreen display of information, including sat-nav instructions (£915); and night vision assistance (£1500). That’s all just for starters. Speccing your car could take days.
The Germans love their technik, so most of this stuff was on the cars we drove – a 730d, currently only available with the shorter wheelbase, and the 140mm-longer V8-engined 750 Li.
What's it like to drive?
The new 730d is powered by BMW’s latest 245bhp six-cylinder 3.0-litre diesel engine, and it’s just lovely. It purrs at low speed, growls when you extend it and has the mid-range wallop to breeze past slower traffic in no time. Best of all, it’s 10% more fuel-efficient than the old engine, and its CO2 emissions of 192g/km make the new 7 Series the cleanest luxury car on sale. It’s linked to a six-speed auto gearbox that alters its shift patterns according to the damper setting. In sport, for example, it lets the engine rev higher before upshifting, and the accelerator also responds more urgently.
The ride is more or less imperious, whatever the suspension set-up. We put it in comfort for Dresden’s cobbles, normal on the autobahn and sport on country roads, and can’t think of a bad word to say about it.
All three are less thirsty than their counterparts in the old 7 Series. Regardless of engine or body length, agility is impressive for a car that weighs at least 1860kg (55kg down on the previous model) and stretches beyond five metres. The optional active four-wheel steering helps the car into tighter turns and stabilises it in faster ones, leaving you confident that it will simply stick to the road anywhere.
Classy it certainly is. The choice of materials, textures and colours, the layout and usability of the controls, the comfort and space and the aura of luxury are bang-on, and we’ve no doubt the 7 Series will out-drive the S-Class, although time will tell.
BMW 7 Series
PRICE £54,160–£69,400
ON SALE November
