Auto Test BMW 740i

Plain old petrol? Why not!

Sometimes only the best is good enough. For instance when your best friends marry and you are the best man. “Sure, leave the wedding car up to me!” I reply when asked if I can take on this weighty responsibility. For Heike and Maik it cannot be anything less than a top of the range automobile. A 7-Series BMW seems a fitting choice. But the 740i model, with the basic petrol engine, is for me as a horsepower-addicted motoring journalist, surely something of a compromise. But Heike and Maik seem happy enough and in the course of time even I shall come to terms with this ‘downsizing’ which turns out to have real advantages. But, all in good time

No passenger will complain of cramped accommodation. Certainly not our happy couple who, in spite of having long legs, find plenty of space between their knees and the back of the front seats.

Spacious in the back

First and foremost on this day of days the bridal pair need to be transported through the township and nearby countryside in comfort and style. And having enough room is certainly a priority. And in this regard no passenger will complain of cramped accommodation. Certainly not our happy couple who, in spite of having long legs, find plenty of space between their knees and the back of the front seats. Then there’s the fluffy carpeting, the soft leather and the well formed rear seats themselves: It is certainly no hardship to take the back seat in a car like this as not only bridal pairs but also exhausted executives, nouveau riche gangsta rappers or VIPs on their way to the red carpet will testify.

In terms of styling and choice of materials BMW have returned to a standard of excellent taste. Everything speaks of nobility without being flashy, as functional as required, but as pleasing to the eye as possible.

As functional as required, as pretty as possible

Naturally it fell to me to play the role of chauffeur. And even in the front seat the luxury automobile made in the Munich factories offers a pleasurable ride. The steering wheel is relatively small and has the typical BMW thumb hollow but it feels good in the driver’s hands. This holds true also for all the knobs, buttons and surfaces. The instrumentation is well laid out with classic round dials and the iDrive which has now matured and is intuitive in use. In terms of design and the materials employed BMW have returned to a standard of excellent taste. Everything speaks of nobility without being flashy, as functional as required, but as pleasing to the eye as possible. This is an automobile in which one is happy to linger.

To the left of the steering wheel are the controls for the ‘driver assist’ systems. In practice these worked perfectly.

Driving assistants aplenty

While the happy couple were the centre of attention at the wedding reception the 740i also got its share of admiration, possibly partly explained by the sumptuous floral decorations on the car. Many of the guests would happily have driven the car home after the festivities. But that privilege was mine, for a trip in terrible weather back to my home-town for a class reunion. The A9 Autobahn was awash and populated by over-cautious drivers creeping along in the pouring rain. “There’ll be no record times set today,” I thought to myself. But it did give me the opportunity to thoroughly test all the ‘driver assistant’ systems which come for a surcharge of 6,650 Euros as the BMW Innovation Package. In particular the cruise control and vehicle interval radar worked well, even with the torrential rain and flying spray. And although the weather failed to improve I reached home and the class reunion fit and relaxed. And at the reunion there were many of my former class-mates who were fascinated by the automobile in which I had rolled up. Of course, I had to admit that it was a test car, not my own.In the typical game of bragging– ‘my house, my car, my wife’ – I was obviously disqualified.

‘740i’ is what it says. But there is no longer a 4 litre V8 under the hood but and bi-turbo boosted in-line six with 3 litres capacity.

The advantages of downsizing

The drive back to Munich was on a dry highway. Now the 740i could be unleashed. With a newly married couple in the rear seats I had hesitated to test the car’s limits and with the foul weather the previous day such exploits had been out of the question. But now the conclusion could be drawn: even with the basic petrol fuelled motor the current 7-Series is the perfect Autobahn cruiser, poised and confident as it eats up the kilometres. There are 326 horsepower on call, maximum torque of 450 Newton metres and usable revs on tap from 1,500 to 4,500, all of which deals well with the two ton flagship of the BMW range. Then there is the six-gear automatic transmission, which offers not the fastest shifting but certainly a smooth uptake of the power. There are moments when one could wish for just a bit more push but then, to be honest, that’s probably just the horsepower-addict in me. The six-cylinder bi-turbo can reach 7,000 RPM, and begins to snarly a bit but not in an unpleasant manner. At low revs the motor can hardly be heard at all. The hundred kilometres an hour mark is reached in 5.9 seconds, the maximum speed is 250 – shouldn’t that be more than enough? And speaking of ‘enough’: While the average fuel consumption turned out to be 12.4 litres and thus well above the maker’s claim (9.9) for an automobile of this calibre it must be seen as acceptable. And at the service station I had reason to be glad that BMW had not given me the 750i or even the 760i. 12.4 litres?Certainly modest in comparison with the thirst of the V8 or V12 models.

There are 326 horsepower on call, maximum torque of 450 Newton metres and usable revs on tap from 1,500 to 4,500, all of which deals well with the two ton flagship of the BMW range, the 740i. Photo by Christian Edler.

Winding roads and smooth cruising – the 7-Series handles both

And what if the driver wants to do a speedy tour on winding country roads? Okay, he will be obliged to let a 1-Series coupé pass. He’ll be overtaken, too, by 3-Series and 5-Series models so long as he has the straight-six with 306 horsepower under the hood. Here the size of the car and the weight of its high-tech features come into play and the driver is made aware of the two tons of weight involved. And by BMW standards the steering is just a touch too light and indirect. But the overall package is just fine, and in ‘Sport’ mode hitting the curves begins to be fun. The 740i displays an entirely different personality when driven in ‘Comfort’ mode. It becomes the perfect long-haul cruiser, allowing uneven road surface or the occasional bump to go unremarked. However run-flat tyres are fitted as standard and there is a price to pay in terms of both driving dynamics and comfort. I am convinced that with conventional tyres the 7-Series would have less tendency to under-steer and would run even more smoothly. But these are really just minor complaints

The performance data: The hundred kilometres an hour mark is reached in 5.9 seconds, the maximum speed is 250 – shouldn’t that be more than enough? Photo by Christian Edler.

‘Basic’ describes neither motor nor price

The 7-Series has taken theplace it deserves in the upper segment of the automobile market. In spite of its over-sized double grill it is the most elegant entrant in its class, the designers having judged the fine difference between commanding presence and discreet understatement – in the interior as well. The power plant harmonizes so well with suspension and running gear that the term ‘basic’ is here hardly appropriate. And the price is far from ‘basic’. For 79,000 Euros the entry level model of the BMW 740i is as good as naked. Just the most obvious extras (four-zone climate control, parking assistance, navigation unit, 19 inch rims and metallic paint finish) will set the owner back another 9,210 Euros. And getting the car ‘fully furnished’ with all the available extras can invest almost half the basic price again. BMW and their ‘extras’ policy – nothing new about that.

Lilac ribbons on the door handles: The BMW 740i was well dressed for the wedding. Photo by Christian Edler.

A hot tip for any wedding planner

But for Heike and Maik there is no need for worries of this sort. They were able to enjoy chauffeured luxury for the day they will long remember. And when I hear that couples (possibly mostly the grooms, to be honest) say with unrestrained joy that the 7-Series made the day even more special, I smile. Wedding planners, best men, bridal couples take note! If you haven’t yet found the right car for that big day, give the BMW 740i serious thought.