If you’re in the market for a luxury limousine, really, there are only four options. The Audi A8, Jaguar XJ, the Mercedes-Benz S-Class or this teutonic beautybeast. This here is the facelifted BMW 7 Series and it hopes to steal you away from the rest of the pack. But does it have what it takes to do that? Let’s find out.
Exterior
There’s no two ways about this, this is a beast of a car, and there’s no hiding it. It’s 17 feet long — longer than most living rooms in Mumbai! For the facelift though, BMW has decided to go the subtle way rather than the revolutionary way. So, up front, you have a new headlight design. The halo rings around the headlights are now oval, halogen lighting has been replaced with a full LED headlight system and there’s a couple of new elements in there that double up as the daytime running lights and indicators as well. It goes without saying that the bumper design has seen a few tweaks as well, and this time, the trademark BMW kidney grille is also tweaked a little. Moving to the rear, there are new bumpers, a slightly different roofline and taillamps with a smoked effect to round it all off.
Interior
This, of course, is the flagship of the BMW line-up, the one everyone aspires to be seen in, so it’s natural that everything you come in contact with is coated either in the most supple of leather, metal or wood trim. The front seats are all-new in this model, offering both better comfort for the passengers as well as offering a better view for the people seated behind. The rear seats are unchanged, but then again, nothing needed changing there. The rear seat passengers get their own iDrive controllers to control just about everything from the radio station to the throttle mapping settings, so you know who is the boss. Apart from that, there are new gauges which change with the driving mode and a couple of extra chrome trim pieces.
Engine performance
Under the hood of our 730Ld test car sits a 2993cc inline-six turbo-diesel engine which makes 255 bhp of peak power and a healthy 560 NM of peak twisting force. While there’s nothing new there again, a new 8-speed transmission now takes care of sending power to the wheels. Thanks to this transmission, the car is nearly a second quicker to the 100 kmph mark compared with the outgoing model and you can also cruise at higher speeds with significantly lower rpm than the last model, too.
You’ve got driving modes like Eco Pro, Comfort, Sport and Sport+ which control throttle mapping and shift points, so depending on your mood, you can change the entire character of the car. In Eco Pro, things like the air conditioner compressor are given less priority and there’s even regenerative braking on-board to make sure you save as much fuel as you can. Switch it over to Sport+ and you see what this behemoth is really made of. Superfast gear-shifts and immense range of torque means whenever you stomp your foot down, the car charges ahead with enthusiasm.
In fact, you tend to forget you’re in a luxury barge when you step into the driver’s seat. If there are passengers in the back, though, it’s best driven in Eco Pro or Comfort mode. In these modes, gearshifts are seamless and the throttle is dulled down a bit, so all movements are fluid and natural. There’s no way the Sethji will complain about spilling his drink in comfort mode though.
Ride and handling
Put the car in Sport+ mode, and you’ll be surprised how well it corners. Ride does suffer in this mode a wee, but then again, you can’t have something this large corner so well and still expect it to pamper you. That’s when the Comfort mode comes in. It softens the suspension so much, you won’t feel the roads — the difference is startling. The noise insulation is so wonderful, you feel isolated from the world outside. BMWs have always bragged about a near 50:50 weight distribution front to rear, and this one’s no different.
This perfectly balanced chassis allows you to have more fun than you’d imagine in the corners. Plus, Sport+ mode also turns off all driver aids like traction control, so given an empty stretch of twisty road, this is the only time you’ll ever experience going sideways in a living room!
Verdict
BMW has strategically introduced the souped up 7 Series into the market — at a time when its main rivals are due for replacements. The car’s not assembled in India, so they’ve also got better pricing this time. Mind you, this is only a facelift, and a full revamp coming only sometime in 2015. Be that as it may, this remains a great, great limo, one that’s worth buying any time of the day or night. Or at least till the new Mercedes-Benz S-Class comes around next year.
SPEC SHEET
BMW 730 Ld
Price (ex-Delhi): Rs 92.9 Lakh
Kitna deti hai?
9 kmpl in our test
Fuel tank: 80 litres
Full tank good for: 700 km
Engine: 2993cc, V6, turbodiesel
Power: 255 bhp@4000 rpm
Torque: 560 nm@1500 rpm
Good for family of 5: Oh Yes!
Dimensions in feet: L/W/H
17.12/7.02/4.85
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