BMW 7-Series (2009) Driven

September 08,2009

Whoever said it was lonely at the top must have forgotten to tell BMW. With one radical idea after another, the erstwhile niche car maker from Germany has stormed to the top of the worldwide market in luxury cars, expanding its brand from every kind of vehicle from subcompact to sports car to SUV. What is equally remarkable is that it hasn’t taken its eye of its main market of a special kind of luxury sedan. These are four-doors that cater to the person behind the wheel just as much as the passengers in the back seat. That unique proposition of driver involvement has endeared it to a particularly youthful (in spirit, if not in actual years) segment of affluent owners.

The 7 Series has played a special role in BMW’s lineup, as the burly and athletic full-size sibling which doesn’t break into a sweat even when the roads turn tight and twisty. The first three generations were marked by admirably discreet styling, but then came the brash and bold fourth generation. Bearing huge eyes and eyebrows, with a distinctly bulky appearance and with a large hump on its trunk (henceforth known as the Bangle Butt), the 7 Series challenged convention as to what a top-line sedan should look like. The gamble apparently paid off, as the ugly duckling went on to become the best-selling 7 ever, particularly in markets such as China and America. But the design was far from a future classic and when the time came to change to a new model, surely a more palatable appearance was in store.

We were energized with anticipation as we traveled to Dresden, Germany as the Philippine representative for the world press launch of the 7 Series. Dresden may not be the first place in mind when launching a new car but it turns out to be a very appropriate venue. First, Dresden was destroyed near the end of World War II in a fire bombing by the Allied forces. The center of the town was rebuilt into something resembling its former glory. (Kurt Vonnegut Jr., a Dresden bombing survivor, famously wrote about this in Slaughterhouse Five; see also recent movies like The Bombing of Dresden.) As the world economy is also recovering from the ashes, so to speak, one of the world’s foremost luxury sedans is also hitting the roads. Second, the picturesque surroundings of “Florence on the Elbe River” should make for good driving and great photos.

In a whitewashed warehouse on the outskirts of Dresden, the new sedan was revealed to a murmur of appreciation from the assembled reporters. This new 7 retains the aggressive profile of its predecessor but smoothens some of the rough edges. The overall effect is on the positive side, with the more harmonious styling and detailing outweighing the lack of stand-out-interesting details. The teardrop-shaped headlamps flank a huge twin-kidney grille. The headlamps, with LED turn signals, bear a script reading BMW Active Xenon—the first branding we’ve seen on a car’s headlamps. Aligning the door handles with the side crease may seem like a trivial detail, but it greatly adds to the sleekness of the car. The rear is the blandest side of the car. The taillights are uninteresting and look similar to the previous Toyota Camry (which in turn mimicked the 3 Series’ taillights). When lit, three LED strips within each taillamp make it look more distinctive.

As can be expected, under the hood of the 7 Series is a choice of superb powerplants. There’s a 3.0 straight-six turbodiesel that delivers 540 Nm and 245 hp, good for a 0-100 km/h acceleration in 7.2 seconds while still capable of double-digit km/liter figures. (The car is rated using the EU standard cycle13.8 km/liter.)

For gasoline models, the names now follow a “displacement-equivalent” naming scheme. Thus, the 740i is actually a 3.0 liter inline-6, while the 750i sports a 4.4 liter V8. Thanks to twin turbochargers, both of them produce a stupendous amount of power for their displacements. The 3.0 six delivers 326 hp and 450 Nm, enough for a 6-second 0-100 km/h time.

Opening the hood of the 750i, we were treated to an engine that looked like it came from the planet Cybertron. The 4.4 V8 dishes out more power than the previous 5.4-liter V12 engine: there’s 407 hp and a whopping 600 Nm from 1750 rpm. (If even that’s not enough, the 760i has a twin-turbo V12 good for 552 hp.)

The upside of the smaller engines includes lighter weight, reduced fuel consumption and reduced emissions. The 750i’s twin-turbo V8 is a superb thriller. It rockets the two-ton car from rest to 100km/h in 5.2 seconds, quicker than a Porsche Cayman. The sheer quantity of acceleration is also astounding; the twin turbos ensure plenty of acceleration on tap, even when cruising at 230 km/h. On a clear section of unlimited-speed autobahn, it effortlessly reached its electronic speed limit: 250 km/h. (We thought we were the fastest vehicle around until a company X5 heading to 300 km/h and beyond—with a full load of crew and supplies—whisked by.)

With this amount of sheer power, the chassis has to be something special to rein it all in.

Underneath the new skin is a new chassis with rear-wheel steering and air suspension for the higher models. The rear wheels steer a few degrees in the same direction as the front wheels for greater stability in high-speed running. At parking lot speeds, they twist in the opposite direction as the fronts’ to reduce the turning circle. The setup handles slow, twisty sections of two-lane town roads just as well as high-speed touring. At low speeds, the steering provides the best feedback of any large sedan, a steady feed of light tingling to our fingertips. Steering effort is just right, responsive without being overboosted. Cobblestones, railroad tracks, buttery smooth autobahn are all served up to a frothy smoothness worthy of any experienced barista. This is remarkable given that all 7 Series roll on run-flat tires. Fine tuning is possible with a twist of the electronic suspension controls, with settings for Comfort to Sport+, which quickens the steering and stiffens the suspension. The chassis shows off its capability on high-speed runs. At 250 km/h, the cabin was quiet and serene, where a 3 Series would already be showing some signs of nervousness.

The equation may be biased for the driver, but the rear passengers are also treated to the highest degree of luxury. There’s plenty of stretch-out room thanks to the enormous wheelbase, leather and wood surfaces, and even optional ceramic switchgear. The rear passengers can view DVDs or surf the Internet (at least in Germany) on 234mm (9.2-inch) video monitors. Boredom is highly improbable when riding in a 7.

The driver also has a high-resolution screen, tied up to a state-of-the-art navigation system. Routes and guidance are quickly accessed by the hard-disk drive system, and some cities can even be rendered in a 3D view to make landmarks and buildings easily identifiable. The guidance can be projected on the windshield via a heads-up display system. The display can also show infrared images during nighttime driving. Speed and even road signs are also displayed, to help make driving safer. If the driver begins drifting off-course, detectable by cameras that monitor lane markings, the steering wheel begins to vibrate to help alert the driver.

The previous 7 is the car responsible for launching the infamous iDrive system; as frustrating as it could sometimes be, the wheel-based menu soon became a standard feature on German luxury cars. This latest iDrive is much easier to navigate, with a more logical turn and click system of navigation, and dedicated buttons to access key functions.

Appropriately for these trying times, the 7 Series is delivering more with less. Less flash, less fuel consumption and emissions equals more confident styling and more fun behind the wheel. The superb engines deliver sumptuous power, while the cabin keeps everything calm and serene. BMW’s ultimate touring sedan is back on top, with a vengeance.

By Jason K. Ang | Photos By Jason K. Ang

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