2000 BMW 750li Reviews

Peter Barnwell road tests and reviews the BMW 750i and 750Li with specs, fuel consumption and verdict at its Australian launch.

Malcolm Flynn road tests and reviews the G11 and G12 BMW 730d, 740i, 740Li, 750i and 750Li, with specs, fuel consumption and verdict at the 750i and 750Li’s Australian launch.

Ewan Kennedy road tests and reviews the BMW 7 Series with specs, fuel consumption and verdict at its Australian launch.

Paul Gover road tests and reviews the new BMW 7 Series, with specs, fuel consumption and verdict at its international launch.

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. 

Were it not left-hand drive, there'd be little to mark this BMW as remarkable as it courses along the byways of Melbourne. Looks like a 7 Series sedan, sounds just about like a 7 Series.This is one of only 100 examples of BMW's Hydrogen 7, a car which we first met 14 months ago in Berlin. Three were brought here last week (along with a specially imported mobile fuelling station) on the on-going international publicity tour.Hydrogen 7s have been handed out to a selection of such eco-hip superstars as Brad Pitt, Jay Leno and, er, Will Ferrell. Roger Federer has been a bit busy over the past few days, but will accept delivery of one in Switzerland.It combines a petrol engine, alongside an 8kg liquid hydrogen storage tank, giving this six-litre V12 — good for 191kW/390Nm — a range of more than 700km, including 200km solely by means of hydrogen. The driver switches between fuel sources at the press of a button.In Germany, with hydrogen filling stations in several major cities (and fuelling from a hydrogen bowser is an almost alarmingly mundane affair), it's possible to get around the country without recourse to petrol. So it is to some extent in California.In Australia, where even diesel is still considered somewhat exotic in passenger cars, such a journey is still the stuff of science fiction — as is the notion of travelling at the comfortable 170km/h Carsguide drove the Hydrogen 7 on the autobahns of its home country. Yet even in a state whose government's insatiable greed for speed-infringement revenue makes NSW's enforcement regime seem permissive, we get enough out of the Hydrogen 7 to appreciate BMW's launch claim that the driving experience is “spectacularly unspectacular”.But then the circumstances would have to be straitened indeed not to appreciate the fact that you're punting along a 2.45-tonne sedan powered not by some crude oil derivative or contrived hybrid technology but the most common element in the universe. It's one that as long ago as 1874, the author and visionary Jules Verne called an “inexhaustible source of heat and light”.Now, with fossil fuels within perhaps 50 years of exhaustion, BMW is adamant that the hydrogen research program it began in 1978 is now at the half-way point towards a fruition that will see hydrogen- powered vehicles become the planet's dominant form of transport. In insisting that hydrogen must be married to combustion engines, though, BMW are talking as much about a sustained standard of living as sustainable mobility.Critics and proponents of rival technologies have been vitriolic — not least those in Germany. Indeed, on the Hydrogen 7's unveiling, the popular news magazine Der Spiegel declaimed: “BMW has created an energy-guzzling engine that only seems to be environmentally friendly — a farcical ecomobile whose only true merit is that of illustrating the cardinal dilemma of a possible hydrogen-based economy.”A major cause of disquiet is the production of hydrogen requires significant amounts of energy, while climate-friendly mass production of liquid hydrogen requires a vast supply of electricity.Jochen Schmallotz, the man running BMW's international hydrogen roadshow, is ready for that one.“In the next 10 to 20 years we will be able to mass manufacture hydrogen with renewable technology,” he says, pointing to developments that will utilise natural elements in the process.“Imagine what that means for Australia, a country that has to import most of its oil from the Arabian Gulf.“You're surrounded by water and you've got plenty of sun.“You could be self-sufficient in producing hydrogen.”Other companies, notably Mazda, advocate fuel cells, which transform hydrogen into electricity via a chemical process.The electricity generated then drives the vehicle. This method promises far greater efficiency, but currently yields modest driving performance — which is the chief reason BMW aren't taken with it, according to Hydrogen 7 project manger Dr Willibald Prestl.“Advocates of fuel cells say that internal combustion engines have twice the consumption,” he says.“We definitely do not believe that, not with the engine technology being introduced. Even in the last year we reached reductions (in BMW's existing fleet) of up to 20 per cent.“We can say a fuel cell has better efficiency and a wider range of use, sure. But there are so many problems not solved: durability, cooling, weight and lifetime.“We watch this technology very closely but, if there is a breakthrough, it will be in lower-powered cars, not the cars for which BMW is famous.”Although BMW stands to make not a euro from sales, Prestl says the next step is to produce a smaller capacity bio-fuel car, in 3 Series or 5 Series size.Ideally, though, he would like to build a car around the still cumbersome and space-eating hydrogen tank, rather than fit one into existing architecture.For now it's impossible not to be impressed by this marriage of three decades of research to BMW's flagship car.This mightn't be the marque's quickest car, but it is some way ahead of the field. SNAPSHOTBMW HYDROGEN 7Price: not for saleEngine: 6L V12, bio fuelRange: 200km on hydrogen, 500km on petrolEmissions: zero C02 per kilometre on hydrogenPerformance: reaches 100km/h in 9.4 sec 

But if you're not fazed by these factors, read on because BMW's huge 750Li is a Lear jet waiting for a pair of wings.The V8-powered, long wheel base version of BMW's flagship 7 Series will set you back a whisker under $230,000 - that's before options and on-road costs.For those not familiar with the car, it is a favourite with hire car operators, bigger and more powerful than a Holden Statesman but more than three times the price.The sheer size of the car becomes apparent when parked shoulder to shoulder with something like the Statesman which we just happened to have at the same time.The long wheel base version is a shade under 5.2m, designed to seat five at a pinch and gets 138mm more leg room in the back.It is targeted at the chauffeur driven set, although truth be known most Aussies prefer to drive themselves.The 750 series was offered previously only with a 6.0-litre V12 engine.But this is now restricted to the top of the range 760Li.The previous 4.4-litre V8 has been sup-planted by a 4.8-litre unit that powers the 750Li.It delivers 270kW of power at 6300rpm and 490Nm of torque at 3400rpm, an 10 per cent increase in power and nine per cent increase in torque.For a big car, weighing in at just under two tonnes, it certainly gets mobile quickly.The 750Li is able to spring from 0-100km/ h in six seconds flat and on to an electronically governed top speed of 250km/h.Impressive figures, but not nearly as impressive as the fuel consumption which is a claimed 11.4L/100km.We clocked up more than 900km behind the wheel at a rate of just 12.8L/100km, which is simply outstanding for a car this size.Power is fed through a six-speed sequential automatic transmission to the rear wheels.We're not big fans of the steering wheel mounted shift lever either.You get change buttons on the steering wheel, but they do not lend themselves to enthusiastic driving.A separate button is used to change between auto, sport and manual modes, but you can't switch transparently between modes just by hitting the gear change buttons.The 7 Series copped a lot of flak when it was launched a few years back, most of it directed at the raised boot lid section and tail light design.The raised section became known as the Bangle Bustle after designer Chris Bangle.Thankfully, this has been scaled back with the current model and in our view is no longer an issue.The "iDrive" computer system which can now be found in other models has also been a sore point.With this system, a large, round joystick-like knob, mounted prominently in the centre console, is used to access and control various functions of the car.These range from the sound system, to the phone and on-board data like fuel usage.While iDrive has been refined, it's still way too complicated for the average person in our humble opinion.Apart from the switch to a large V8, the new 7 Series benefits from improvements to the all- aluminium suspension which sees a 14mm increase in rear track.The 750Li features adaptive, self-levelling suspension to reduce body roll in corners, with fully variable front and rear anti-roll bars.The luxury equipment list is a long one, suffice to say rear seat passengers get their own fold out monitor on which they can watch movies or digital TV, in addition to the dash mounted screen.

While it seems a little numb at first tramp of the throttle, the reality is there is a lot of metal to cart around.With a couple of average-sized occupants and a few kilos of luggage, the 750i sport cracks two tonne on the scales.It is porky but is definitely no loafer.After gaining a mid-life spruce up, the 7-series has grown from 4.4 to 4.8 litres, a rise of 25kW after the previous E65 and a jump in newton metres of 40 to 490.The chassis and suspension have been enhanced with the Adaptive Drive suspension now combing the Dynamic Drive with the continuously adjustable damper system.Pushed hard through the twisty bit of road leading to the notorious Mineshaft stage used in the Rally of Canberra, the 7-series protested.It squirmed and became a bit floaty in the rear through mid-corner bumps.But, hey, how many people are going to be driving BMW's finest saloon as if they are going for a stunt driving job in the Ronin sequel?You're right, no one.So getting back to reality and the changes made for this model upgrade, there are a few but not a lot of them are visible.The rear track has been widened by 14mm and axle control has been enhanced.The 7-series is supreme in its environment which provides luxury for the diplomat or managing director where it remains blissfully quiet and offers a silken ride.It is effortless to drive around town and offers the levels of comfort you would expect from a $200,000-plus limo (as tested the 750i with the sport package is $209,400).Changes also have been made to the nose with new double kidney grille, headlamps and modified bumper.Other cosmetic changes include a light contour in the side sills, new indicator lights, new taillight cluster, boot lid and rear bumpers.These changes make little difference to a casual observer in what originally was a confronting design.What defines the upgrade is the software.This car is now online.Available across the range is ConnectedDrive which uses TeleAssist and Online concepts.The car is now connected to the Net through a bespoke BMW portal.Limited text e-mails can be received or sent and you can track share prices or tap into news, sport and weather briefs via an AAP-based service.The TeleAssist function links up occupants via the onboard telephone with a dedicated call centre that can be used for emergency situations and to request directions or details of a particular service.Data including a destination address can be transmitted to the car where it is identified by the satellite navigation system.The SatNav instantly plots a route once the driver selects the address as the destination.When testing these systems at the launch recently some software bugs surfaced affecting data and route guidance.The TeleAssist operator was unable to transmit a requested address to the car and a separate previously plotted route sent a couple of cars several kilometres off course.

Controversy over driver distraction by the car's email system has overshadowed some subtle yet impressive tweaking to the Bavarian luxury bus.The 7 Series is no stranger to public outcry and has been one of the most talked about, and often unfairly, reviled members of the BMW stable. It was used to carry Chris Bangle's radical design language into the public forum almost five years ago and opinion remains split on whether it is beast or beauty.Refinements of the styling, aided by familiarity, have made subsequent versions on the 3, 5, 6 Series and Z4 less affronting and given a sense of purpose to Bangle's original plan. The fresh styling changes to the 7 Series have taken the car to a new level of acceptance and wound back some of the more "unusual" design elements.Surgery around the nose with a wider and higher-set grille and a bonnet "powerdome" induce a less confronting and more sporting look. The flat, high-set bootline, originally criticised as looking like a taxi advertising board, has also been softened and an integrated spoiler added. There is also a larger range of technological changes for the two V8 engines – the 4.0-litre and the 4.8-litre – the suspension, interior trim and iDrive.The makeover for the 7 Series is timely considering there is an all-new Mercedes-Benz S-class due later this year and Audi's A8 is making a strong impression.Capacity, output and performance have all been increased in the V8s with a marginal improvement in fuel consumption. The electronic throttle is precise, to the point of taking a little getting used to before being able to launch the big car smoothly. On the move, however, the seamless power delivery from both engines is impressive.The six-speed automatic with steptronic (manual) function is smooth and the ratios well-sorted.At the heart of the suspension is the melded Adaptive Drive technology. The program brings together dynamic drive (active roll stabilisation) with EDC-C (continuously variable electronic damping). The two technologies work in milliseconds to retain a flat, plush ride for the body of the car despite the most enthusiastic movements of the chassis. It can feel a little detached from the driver's seat but while it has the agility to be pushed hard, the 7 Series is best enjoyed as a refined tourer.At the top of the engine range for Australia is the 327kW 6.0-litre V12, unchanged from the current model.Adding polish to the interior of one of the most polished of models was always going to be incremental. Two new three-spoke steering wheels are the visual clue but the most useful change has been a refining of the iDrive.The most welcome change is taking some of the more basic and commonly used controls back and returning them to a button operation. As is expected from BMW – and any $200,000-plus car for that matter – occupant safety is well catered for. There are dual front airbags, front and rear curtain bags as well as front and rear side bags.The array of electronic minders within the vehicle is impressive. That includes ABS with dynamic brake control, automatic stability and traction control, dynamic stability control and adaptive drive (750Li and 760Li).