BMW 7 Series Review: 2009 Model | 7 Series | Car Buyers Guide

It will be three months before BMW's all-new 7-Series is launched to the press and a further two months before we see one in Ireland but we've nonetheless been whisked off to the south of France for a very early preview of the company's important new luxury car because there are simply too many features to cover in the usual two-day press trip. This sneak-preview event is being held in Miramas, BMW's top-secret proving grounds, where cameras are banned and we even have to put a sticker over the lenses of our camera phones before we're allowed in. We've been promised a disc of on-location shots taken by BMW's own snapper, though, but that means you may see these pictures elsewhere. If you do, we apologise – we didn't have much choice in the matter.

Just about everyone great and good in BMW has been dragged to France for the event, including the project managers; the team leader for each feature of the car; the guys who penned the interior and exterior of the car and the company's two star designers, Adrian Van Hooydonk (see Interview) and Chris Bangle. BMW is clearly proud of every aspect of its new flagship, from the handling to the styling to the cabin redesign, and is keen to get the message across. I'm surprised the guy who sweeps up the shop floor hasn't been wheeled in to explain how reduced dust particulates makes the workers happier, healthier and more efficient resulting in a higher quality 7-Series for all. Horray!

The prototypes are lightly disguised (for no real reason – photos of the car have already been released) but apart from the odd dodgy interior panel it's pretty much showroom specification, which means this is more like a pre-launch than a preview event. Plenty of seat-time is promised around Mirimas's various test circuits, in between workshop sessions presented by BMW's engineers, although no road driving is allowed and there's a strict embargo on publishing driving impressions. We can't even mention what it was like sitting in the back of the long-wheelbase versions (which have rear air suspension as standard) during our 'passenger experience' stint, an important part of the 7-Series appeal of course. Fortunately, by the time this magazine hits shelves, the embargo is lifted and I can report on how unnaturally comfy the ride quality is for visiting dignitaries.

Despite the black tape 'disguise', we can really get a feel for what the new 7-Series looks like and it's a quantum design leap over the outgoing car. The previous 7-Series was so avant-garde and radical when it was new that it took a good year to get used to seeing it on the streets, but it hasn't aged well and it now looks dumpy and drab compared to the elegant new car. The new 7's front end looks superb in the metal – the big kidney grilles work in the context of the overall size of the car, while the trademark double headlamps are perfectly placed and sized, too, while also exuding typical sophistication and modernity.

The rear looks even better; the skillful use of strategic design elements makes the 7's sharply tapered backside seem tight and pert, like it should belong to a 5-Series. Note the uncharacteristically soft tail-lamp shapes, which are cradled by delicate, upturned creases in the bumper, as well as the masterful use of horizontal chrome strips, swage lines and rectangular tailpipes protruding from the bumper (Lexus-style), all of which are orchestrated to reduce the car's visual bulk and simply look good from any angle.

In profile the 7-Series is a little disappointing, though. While I admire the short front overhang and long bonnet, both of which remind me of the Maserati Quattroporte, the surfacing is surprisingly mute and conservative, with delicate reflections and minimal surface drama. That means your eye is drawn to the car's overall shape, which isn't anything special – even the glasshouse, with its traditional 'Hoffmeister Kink', has a familiar, seen-it-all-before appearance. Don't get me wrong; it's considerably more muscular and attractive than the older model. However, it lacks the punch of the smaller cars in the range and is a tad dull when compared to the inelegant but much more distinctive Mercedes S-Class. Fortunately for BMW, we rarely see a car side-on in the real world so all-in-all the 7-Series works well visually, pleasing many and upsetting those few who are concerned that BMW is perhaps lapsing back into its conservative comfort zone too readily.

Inside, it's the same story. Out goes the radical and in comes the customer clinic. The steering wheel, for example, is a pretty new three-spoke design with no ungainly gearshift buttons (shift paddles will be available in time), while the cruise control stalk is replaced by new clusters of ergonomic buttons on the left spoke of the wheel. In left-hand-drive models, all driving-related buttons are positioned to the left of the wheel, while the LCD display beneath the left dial (the speedometer) flashes up driving-related information such as cruise control speed and navigation information. It's all very organised. The right-spoke cluster controls infotainment and, again, this is reflected in the fact that the stereo and iDrive controller are to the right, and the LCD display under the right rev counter contains radio station or music track details. Sadly, this all goes out the window for right-hand-drive models but we're used to reaching way over to the left to pull up the handbrake, adjust the stereo volume or open the bonnet, so we'll get over it.

BMW's much-maligned iDrive system is also completely reworked. For a start, the screen is a massive 10.2-inch high-definition item with a surprisingly Windows-like interface. The iDrive controller remains as before, but it's now surrounded by a number of shortcut buttons, such as 'Navigation', 'Radio', 'CD' etc, with a hugely useful 'Back' button to undo mistaken inputs quickly and an 'Option' button, which the engineers described as the equivalent to a right-click on a Windows mouse. In many respects it's pretty similar to Audi's MMI system, although when I mention this, they berate the size of Audi's screen and scoff at its old-fashioned menu system. That's not the point, though, is it? BMW might have pioneered the on-screen menu system but Audi made it accessible to normal humans. And we haven't seen MMI Mark II yet, remember.

 

The closer I look, the more Ingolstadt I see, in fact, most notably in the roller controls on the steering wheel and the rotary on-screen dial used for inputting addresses in the navigation system, both of which are identical to Audi's. Not that I'm complaining, of course. This hybrid of iDrive and MMI is a delight to use – easy to navigate, intuitive, fast, beautiful to look at and safe. There's no more staring and shouting at a screen for ten minutes trying to adjust the heater controls – with everyday items re-allocated proper dashboard buttons, the iDrive system is put to better use taking care of the more complex occasional adjustments, as well as navigation and audio functions.

Mechanically, the 7 is all new, too. Although the V12 760i will return in 2009, for now the flagship motor is the 407hp, 600Nm, direct-injection twin-turbo 4.4-litre V8, which can propel the 750i to 100km/h in a hot-hatch spanking 5.2 seconds and on to a top speed limited to 250km/h. Fuel economy is pegged at 11.4 L/100km and its CO2 output is a very respectable 266g/km, although it's still not exactly what one would call green. This is the only engine we are allowed to sample at the pre-launch and it feels every bit as lively as the figures suggest, although the car's incredible refinement means you don't really get to enjoy the whirr of its silken V8. The 3.0-litre, twin-turbo, straight-six engine from the 335i powers the 740i and with 326hp and 450Nm of torque it's no slouch either. 0-100km/h takes 5.9 seconds, not far off the pace of the 750i (and as fast as the old 750i) and top speed is again limited to 250km/h. Its average fuel consumption of 9.9L/100km and CO2 output of 232g/km are impressive, almost good enough to see the 7-Series dip into VRT Band F. When comparing model for model, the improvements in CO2 output don't seem that impressive but when you consider that the new 740i offers the same performance as the old 750i, which pumped out 271g/km of CO2, you being to understand just how far BMW has advanced the 7's emissions game.

 

The 730d is powered by the familiar 3.0-litre straight-six, variable-turbine turbo-diesel engine, which produces 245hp and a stout 540Nm of torque. 0-100km/h is dispatched in just 7.2 seconds and top speed is 245km/h, and with an average consumption of 7.2 L/100km it's the most sensible 7-Series of them all. Sadly, its impressive CO2 output of 192g/km is still 2g/km shy of dipping into VRT Band E, which would have made it €600 a year to tax, the same as a 520i in the old engine-capacity based tax system. All have six-speed automatic transmissions; however, with seven speeds available from Mercedes and eight from Lexus, one has to wonder whether BMW is working on more cogs for its flagship or if it deems them unnecessary or out of sync with the brand's sporting appeal. I'll have to ask that question at the launch in October.

As impressive as the engines are, much of the credit for the 7-Series's performance and emissions improvements has to go to the high-tensile steel used in the 7's monocoque and the extensive use of aluminium in the construction of the doors, roof, wings, suspension and engines, both of which have a dramatic effect on the car's weight. BMW doesn't offer an overall figure as yet, but it does specify that the aluminium roof alone is 7kg lighter than the old car's steel one and the four aluminium doors shed 22kg from the car's overall weight. With less metal to bully left and right, the new 7-Series feels more wieldy, although with so many other chassis enhancement it's hard to know where to direct credit for its amazing agility. There's new double-wishbone front suspension and multi-link rear setup, which are combined with adaptive dampers, variable-ratio steering and speed-sensitive rear steering for a truly amazing driving experience. After BMW's recent dip in the handling stakes it's good to see the Bavarian company back doing what it does best: making cars that are worthy of its hackneyed advertising tag line. While the 1-Series Coupé showed that BMW was getting its chassis-tweaking mojo back, the 7-Series announces its return to form in shagadellic style.

When fitted with rear-wheel steering and active steering (both must-have options), not to mention its standard adaptive damping, turning the steering wheel results in an instantaneous change of direction, executed with the minimum amount of drama imaginable. The steering is sharp but linear, the body roll is present but carefully controlled and it corners with disarming vigour and composure. There's some feel and weight up through the rim too, surprisingly, and the brakes are just as sharp and well weighted, although you have to switch the Dynamic Driving Control button to ‘Sport +’ mode to get the right level of responsiveness from the transmission and throttle. Even in ‘Normal’ or ‘Comfort’ mode, the 7-Series is still a lively and nimble thing for its size, but with everything in hyper mode it is a fast and engaging car in its own right. At the same time, it will also be beloved of professional drivers and chauffeurs because at low speeds its rear wheels steer in the opposite direction to the front wheels, allowing it to perform U-turns as if pivoting on an invisible axis. As with all brilliantly simple ideas, you have to wonder why no company has offered this in its luxury cars before.

I won't crown it ‘King of the Luxury Cars’ until I drive it on the road, though, because the test track is such an unnatural environment for a car like this. Around Miramas, there's no real sense of just how fast we're driving but I have a funny feeling that once the massive 7-Series hits Irish back roads I'll be far less inclined to throw it around quite so aggressively. The other issue I have with the 7-Series is that when you finally reach its limits there's not much advanced warning and you really can't do much to catch it. On one occasion, I completely overcooked it into a chicane and went thundering into the wilderness but I had been lulled into such a false sense of how nimble the car really is that I wasn't expecting to run out of ideas and understeer off the track as readily as it did. After that, I was acutely aware that, despite the trick chassis, the 7-Series is still a two-tonne cruise liner and drove accordingly. Well, at least until the test driver came over the radio and told us that we could, if we wanted, turn off the ESC and slide the 7-Series around as sideways as we wanted on BMW's wet handling track. A minute later, we're looking at the road ahead through the side windows as if behind the wheel of an M3. This car boggles the mind.

As you'd expect, the 7-Series is bursting with new gizmology, including the usual stuff such as DCC; adaptive cruise that works in stop/start traffic; xenon headlamps that can point up and down hills, as well as around corners; a lane departure warning system; head-up display; a hard-drive music and navigation system and blind-spot warning systems. It boasts an intelligent speed limit warning system that can read road signs and cross-reference with the satellite navigation system to remind you of the speed limit; a heat-sensitive ‘Night Vision’ display that can spot people and animals in the darkness and flash a warning on to the windscreen in front of you, not to mention cameras mounted in the front bumper for pulling out of blind intersections. And that's before we even mention those rear massage chairs and the option of being able to surf the Internet via the seat-back mounted, hi-res displays. Apart from mobile web browsing, though, none of it is actually new. BMW is simply playing catch-up in terms of gimmickry and golf-club bragging rights.

Technology for the sake of technology isn't really BMW's thing, though, is it? The 7-Series has always relied on its elegant looks, stout performance and incredible chassis to woo potential buyers, which is why the last model was such a shocker for the conservative brand. The new car restores the visual elegance but raises the proverbial bar in terms of handling prowess, environmental consciousness and cabin execution, which is a fairly irresistible list of attributes. We'll reserve final judgement until we drive the finished product later in the year but our first impression seems to be that BMW's latest 7-Series could be the worthiest flagship in the company's history, embodying everything that BMW is about in a package that really shouldn't look, go or handle anything as well as it does.

 

Info
BMW 750i
	Engine	4,398cc twin-turbo V8
	Output	407hp, 600Nm
	Transmission	6-speed automatic
	Acceleration	0-100km/h 5.2 seconds
	Top Speed	250 km/h*
	Economy	11.4 Litres/100km
	CO2 Emissions	266g/km
	CO2 Tax Band	G €2,000 p.a.
	Weight	1,900kg (est)
	Boot Capacity	N/A Litres
	Base Price	€150,000 (est)
	For	Handling, Looks, Cabin,
	Against	740i almost as quick
	Rating	9/10

 

 

Info
BMW 740i
	Engine	2,979cc twin-turbo straight 6
	Output	326hp, 450Nm
	Transmission	6-speed automatic
	Acceleration	0-100km/h 5.9 seconds
	Top Speed	250 km/h*
	Economy	9.9 Litres/100km
	CO2 Emissions	232g/km
	CO2 Tax Band	G €2,000 p.a.
	Weight	1,850kg (est)
	Boot Capacity	N/A Litres
	Base Price	€135,000 (est)
	For	Handling, Looks, Cabin
	Against	We haven’t driven it yet!
	Rating	9/10 (est)

 

Info
BMW 730d
	Engine	2,993cc twin-turbo, straight 6 diesel
	Output	245hp, 540Nm
	Transmission	6-speed automatic
	Acceleration	0-100km/h 7.2 seconds
	Top Speed	245 km/h
	Economy	7.2 Litres/100km
	CO2 Emissions	192g/km
	CO2 Tax Band	F €1,000 p.a.
	Weight	1,950kg (est)
	Boot Capacity	N/A Litres
	Base Price	€115,000 (est)
	For	Handling, Looks, Cabin, Economy
	Against	We haven’t driven it yet!
	Rating	10/10 (est)