2009 BMW 740i Reviews

Ewan Kennedy road tests and reviews the used 1994-2014 BMW 7 Series.

The BMW 7 Series is a large, prestigious German saloon aimed at travelling long distances while pampering its passengers with a smooth ride and near silent interior.

It feels good to be behind the wheel of the new BMW 7-Series. It's a car to drive and enjoy, as well as a technology flagship and styling pacesetter.A lot of what was lost or misplaced in the previous Seven — a brutal battleship on many fronts — has come back and that is good news. The styling, too, has been pulled back from confrontational to make-a-statement bold.“This is the very best of BMW. This embodies the flagship of the business,” BMW global sales and marketing chief Ian Robertson says.That means it is packed with technology and engineering, from the first double-wishbone front suspension in a Seven to a user-friendly upgrade of the lacklustre iDrive system, and new safety systems including one that can read speed signs and update the driver.It is also a little lighter yet is just as big and quick. Updated petrol and diesel engines range from an in-line diesel six, which should become the Australian favourite next year, to the twin-turbo V8 that is already a hit in the X6.The best news for top-end shoppers is that the focus has returned to the driver's seat, after an experiment with a car that was more enjoyable as a chauffeured ride.The dash is now wrapped around the driver and the gear selector is back in the centre console.All the changes reflect a return to the basics that made the Seven so good from the late 1970s, even if there is no admission of any mistakes with the previous car.“The predecessor was not without controversy. Nevertheless, it made a statement,” Robertson says.And you cannot call it a failure because it sold in record numbers.But a lot of people will welcome the new Seven, which will arrive in Australia in March with a starting price a little below $200,000. It will be available for the first time with short and long-wheelbase bodies from the start, and an 240kW in-line six for the 740 and 300kW V8 for the 750.Final specifications are still being set, but it is fair to expect the usual combination of airconditioning and premium sound and alloys in the short-wheelbase car, and electric rear seats and a DVD entertainment package in the iL cars.But no one knows yet about the availability of the new four-wheel steering system for the Seven, or the infra-red night vision, or the lane-departure warning or . . .Mechanically, BMW makes the usual claims for a new car — more power and torque for less fuel and emissions. But it has its commitment to Efficient Dynamics and the results are impressive.“The 7-Series has always been a technological spearhead with ultimate comfort and elegance,” chief engineer Johann Kistler says.The 740's six has 6.7 per cent more power with an 11.6 per cent cut in fuel consumption, down to 9.9 litres for 100km, and CO2 is cut 13.1 per cent to 232g/km.The V8 in the 750 has 11 per cent more power, isbmw 7-series peice line-ball on economy and is down a little on C02, to 266g/km.THE BMW 7-Series is a good drive. No, it's better than that. It's a terrific drive.It is a big car, even as a short-wheelbase 730i, yet it shrinks around you and allows you to cover long distances with minimal fuss. It has sporty performance, with loads of luxury, yet is not demanding or nasty.Best of all, after the previous Seven, it is a welcoming car that is easy and rewarding to drive.I was not a fan of the previous Seven, partly because of its nasty iDrive and a cabin which was confrontational and hard to learn, but the failure for me was that it was not a driver's car.Previous Sevens were built to drive, but the last one was a back-seat special loaded like a Harvey Norman showroom.Not now. The new 7-Series has more technology than any car I have driven but it is easy to use and adds to the experience.The rear-steer system makes the long-wheelbase iL easy to turn in a narrow street, the safety gear is all unobtrusive and useful — including the speed-limit camera — and it is good to know the engines are so lean and efficient.Still, visibility can be a problem, there was some wind noise on one of the German test cars, and some people complain that getting into the low-seat rear seats can be a problem. But those are minor niggles.BMW only had the short-wheelbase 730d diesel and the long-wheelbase 750iL to assess on global press preview at Dresden in the former East Germany, and all the cars were loaded.But the basics show how good the car is for 2009 and beyond and reflect a return to the traditional values of the Seven.The cars are crisp and responsive and there is absolutely no indication that the 730d has a diesel six under the hood. The V8 in the 750 is a cracker and easily took the car to its 250km/h top speed on an unrestricted autobahn.They have traditional rear-wheel drive with six-speed autos that slur through the ratios but respond well to a touch on the tiptronic lever. Something else back in the Seven . . .There is a lot to like in the new 7-Series. Best of all, it proves BMW is prepared to step back to go forwards — even if no one admits there was anything wrong with the previous car. 

These images, released this morning in Europe, reveal a less confronting design than the previous model. That edition of the 7 Series was the first to bear the mark of style-meister Chris Bangle, whose design gambits appear to be present mainly about the car's rear. The latest generation appears to have acquired a more streamlined shape, if not quite so “sporty” as some pundits had forecast.This is crucial in reducing drag _ a central tenet in BMW's much-touted efficient dynamics philosophy, which in the past decade has seen the German marque reduce emissions and fuel consumption by up to 20 per cent across its passenger vehicle line-up.Most important is the latest range of engines, of which the bi-turbo 4.4-litre V8 is the star with its 300kW and 600Nm.Yet for all its output, BMW claim consumption in combined conditions of 11.4litres of premium unleaded petrol per 100km and emission of 266 grams of CO2 per kilometre _ figures that compare favourably with locally-produced six-cylinder family cars and make an Aussie bent eight seem Jurassic.The sedan version of the 7 Series accelerates from 0-100km/h in a claimed 5.2 seconds and the bigger limo wouldn't be far behind.The other engine available from launch is an enhanced version of the award-winning bi-turbo 3.0-litre inline six, boosted to 240kW and 450Nm. This engine moves the 740i from 0-100km/h in 5.9 seconds, uses 9.9L/100km on the European combined cycle while emitting 232g/km of CO2.All engines are Euro V compliant - appreciably greener than any Australian government requirements. The others in the 7 Series are designated 740i and 750i, with the 140mm longer wheelbase versions called 740Li and 750Li.All models have a six-speed automatic transmission with an electronic gear selector and power going through the rear wheels. Lately BMW's steering, with and without active steering, has been criticised. The integral active steering system makes its debut as an option on the hydraulic rack-and-pinion set-up of the 7 Series.BMW says that this applies active steering on the front axle and speed-related rear-wheel steering. Dynamic damping control and dynamic driving control are standard. The dampers, gearshift dynamics, as well as the throttle and steering assistance map, are varied by the dynamic driving control button on the centre console. This offers comfort, normal and sports settings. A special traction mode and sports+ setting with reduced or deactivated DSC control is available for owners and chaffeurs who fancy pushing on a bit.The 7 Series is the most driver orientated car in its class and the newcomer is likely to continue in this vein, despite the continued handicap of run-flat tyres. Against the harsh riding boots there is an updated air suspension system.BMW makes much of the weight-saving measures. The roof, doors, bonnet and side panels are made of aluminium, while aluminium pressure-cast suspension supports at the front, and a final drive with an aluminium housing, work towards keeping overall weight as low as possible. The engines are also aluminium.The Bavarians have persisted with the iDrive multimedia system, known even to the more polite critics as “bloody iDrive”. The mildly revised system is here given a larger display with high-resolution graphics and a better menu structure. Like more recent Bimmers it gets direct selection buttons.The latest 7 Series makes its international debut later this year and arrives locally in 2009. Further pricing, specification and information for Australia will follow closer to launch, although prices should start from about $185,000.