BMW 7-SERIES

SEVEN is a SEVEN

Chauffeur-driven owners may now find the fifth-gen 7-series a more appealing place to relax in, but the focus of the car still remains on the driving experience

One of the biggest controversies emerging from the BMW stable in recent years has got to do with looks of its cars. The 7-series, which revolutionised the brand into the 21st century, triggered a debate to the extent that loyalists were literally petitioning for a new design chief.

But despite the furore over the new radical design language, the men in Germany have claimed success around the world. Was it because the market had started to get used to the "Bangled" design exercise?

You could say so, but one thing's for sure. There has been a consensus within BMW to tone down the extravagant philosophy of design maestro Chris Bangle.

When the fourth-generation E65/E66 7-series was facelifted three years ago, BMW had ensured that its flagship saloon would look more predictable and restrained in appearance.

And if you think that hasn't been the case, the all-new replacement - that made its world debut in Paris yesterday - is a good proof.

No, the fifth generation 7-series isn't totally erased of the radicalism of the outgoing model. The bloated appearance remains, but the one thing that had always been lacking can now be found in the new Seven: dynamic appearance.

Bi-xenon headlights are now standard.	iDrive has been simplified.

It practically took just one stroke to cure the malaise: the accentuated waistline on both sides of the car effectively gives it that wide, road-hugging appearance usually found in wide-tracked sports cars.

Special thanks must also go to the wheels which are wider at the rear, although this is pitifully only part of BMW's Individual package: standard are equal rim widths.

In fact, it now takes just an instant to appreciate the looks of the new 7-series. It's purposefully athletic as a BMW should properly be, and it now has more presence due to massively enlarged kidney grilles and curvy tail lights.

But the longer you stare at the 7-series - now known as F01, and F02 for the long wheelbase version - the more you'll note just how evolutionary the changes are. So, it could only be a case of love at first sight.

Other concepts of the 7-series have also been fine-tuned to win back the hearts of old fans. The interior dashboard, for instance, now makes a welcome return by inclining towards the driver.

As well, several functions have been drawn out from the controversial iDrive and can now be operated via conventional buttons. The electronic gear lever also returns to its conventional place from the steering column in the form of a joystick, as used in the 5-series, X5 and X6.

Which makes life easier for the driver on the move, although you can't escape the fact that the console is now more littered with those switches and has a less tidy appearance than in the E55/E66.

750Li to come as an image-building import.	Internet access is one of new gimmicks.

Aesthetically, it looks better inside with a new steering wheel, clear-to-read fonts on the panel dials and quality trimmings. The 7-series maintains that same level of solid build quality to stay on par with Mercedes-Benz S-class, its archrival.

Ever since the previous 7-series, BMW has acknowledged that it needs to pamper rear occupants, should it want more market share from the S-class, and it has done its homework well.

The 7-series now sits on a 3.0m-long wheelbase for F01 and 3.2m for F02 to effectively make it the most spacious car in its class. And like the Lexus LS, there are a wide number of gimmicks inside to keep passengers happy like children, the latest and most unique innovation being unrestricted access to the internet which is surprisingly easy to use, if not fast.

While rear occupants will be able to adjust the bolsters to their liking, the seats aren't that cushy against those of the S-class and LS for daily ride. Of course, harder cushions pay off for long trips, but customers in this part of the world may prefer otherwise.

But the ride is still excellent. The latest 7-series gets a string of dynamic developments to maintain excellent level of grip, body control and relatively flat ride.

Despite the gimmicky four-step setting for the driver to choose from, the 7-series still displays remarkable finesse at high speeds even in the softest mode.

The only thing that is more pronounced than in its competition is the knobbly ride over road imperfections, although that is also due to the low-profiled tyres fitted to the 19-inch rims which are commendably quiet, though.

750Li has rectangular exhaust pipes.	Bi-turbo V8 gives rapid performance.

The car's presentation took place in Germany where roads are usually well-paved and Motoring reckons that smaller and thicker tyres would be more suited to Thai roads for those needing a more cosseting ride, especially when the 7-series' two key opponents are doing a better job in suppressing underbody vibrations.

But if you can overlook this aspect, the 7-series still seems to be a class act in dynamic terms. What's better and has notably improved, is the steering that is now direct at low speeds and turns in more incisively with the chassis during cornering.

Special thanks go to the new four-wheel steering system which really helps out on low-speed agility and offsets that big-car feel, especially with the expansive sheet of metal on the bonnet from behind the wheel while driving.

And in order to give the 7-series's chassis a proper tug, BMW has overhauled the engine range with new units that give more effortless performance, cleaner emissions and lower fuel consumption.

The three motors available initially all have turbochargers, so none of these have any problem in delivering the expected performance, such as big body like the 7-series needs to cope with.

There wasn't even once an occasion that any of these motors felt sluggish, even on unrestricted parts of the autobahn which saw the 750Li effortlessly reach its governed top-end speed of 250kph in just a matter of seconds when the road ahead cleared.

The top-end rush of the V8 bi-turbo is so impressive that it almost seems redundant for BMW to revive sales of the V12-powered 760i. However, sources say this flagship Seven is still crucial for markets like the Middle East, and it's likely to be added to the range in the future.

We didn't get the chance to sample the 740Li which gets the brilliant twin-turbo V6 already used in the 3-series and X6. As you'll note in the graphic about the engine range, this motor seems to be more balanced than the 750Li's.

In addition, the 750Li somehow has that inevitable nose-heavy front end which is something the 740Li shouldn't have. And considering that Thailand has more restricted roads than in Europe, it should sound the sounder choice of the two.

Motoring understands that the 740Li and 750Li will be imported to Thailand early next year at well over B10m and locally assembly starts at the year-end with the 740Li first, presumably at some B9m to outprice both the S500 and LS460.

What hasn't been finalised yet is the entry-level 7-series. But judging from our experience with the 730d updated with an inline-six turbo-diesel with third-generation common-rail fuel injection, this should be the one.

This oil-burner only felt fractionally slower than the 750Li due to its huge amount of diesel grunt that is also nearly as refined. Hopefully, BMW Thailand will consider this engine to rival the S320 CDI and not resort to a non-turbo 3.0-litre inline-six petrol engine (N54) which isn't as sensible as the diesel.

Strange, but true: Mercedes still finds a market for the petrol S300 which comes with a rather under-powered 219hp 3.0-litre V6 specially suited for the Thai market and some other selected countries.

Cabin sees a welcome return of driver-oriented dashboard that looks better than before.	There’s plenty of space behind, although seats aren’t that cushy.

Now that BMW has tasted diesel success in the 3- and 5-series, as well as the X3, the 7-series is ideally suited to become the next candidate to promote diesel benefits in cars sold in Thailand, not only for economy and emission reasons but also for driving usability (read torque).

Will the new 7-series be able to lessen Mercedes's dominating presence in the luxury saloon market in Thailand? Image reasons may suggest otherwise.

But from a pure product point of view, the 7-series emphasises its position even more than before: it's still the best car to drive in. And it now looks more handsome to make up for true driving appeal.

But when buyers in this country seem to be more concerned of image and the rear seats instead of the captain's chair, the 7-series may just prove another alternative that would still play second fiddle to the S-class.

It has always been a tough sector here where emotions of buyers are still difficult to change. But change is not always a bad thing, even though the next most important thing in a luxury car is a pampering place to sit in.

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