BALANCING ACT
Although comfor t has never been a core asset of BMW, the 7-series must now go up against the Merc S-class
Making compromises in life is sometimes essential because not everyone sees the world the same. The business of making cars is no different.
Take BMW as an example. Many of their cars uphold virtues of great handling and fluid performance. In other words, the entire driving experience must be fun and entertaining without needing to really be comfortable.
The best way to showcase such a mission is in flagship models like the 7-series luxury saloon which, for all generations, have clearly defined what the best driving machine is.
But it’s this particular corner of the luxury market that doesn’t require cars to be exceptional to drive, especially in markets like those in Asia that call for high levels of comfort on the move.
For many years, it’s already a given that any carmaker wishing to succeed in the luxury saloon class must offer a long wheelbase body to satisfy well-heeled owners who spend more time in the rear seats rather than behind the steering wheel.
That’s why the Mercedes-Benz S-class has been so successful in Thailand, although its rich brand credential has also played an important role in helping it capture a big chunk of the cake.
Lexus knows this very well and has since developed its LS saloon with outright driving and ride comfort. But sales aren’t big, probably because the brand image isn’t lofty enough and the availability of engines no less than eight cylinders translates into starting prices of 10 million baht.
Yes, the 7-series was always in a better position than Lexus to genuinely threaten the S-class, thanks to a wider engine variance to compete and, arguably, a higher brand pedigree.
Possibly the two major downsides in the fifth-generation model, codenamed F02 in stretched wheelbase form, were rear seats and ride quality a tad stiff. For the G12 successor, which is aimed for launch in Thailand in November this year, BMW hopes to turn the tables around by clearly communicating to the market that comfort is now on top of the agenda for the sixthgen 7-series.
So the first thing we did during the G12’s international driving trails in Portugal this month was jump into the rear seats. Like in the S-class and LS, the chairs now have cushier support for your head and back, although those for your buttocks and thighs are only marginally softer than before and aren’t necessarily as pampering to sit in as in those two aforementioned rivals.
But BMW hasn’t missed out on gimmicks deemed crucial for the discerning buyer in this part of the world. There’s everything to match the class’ best like seats with cool air ventilation and massage function.
For the first time, the 7-series is now a step ahead of the rest by offering a removable tablet for rear occupants to manage various functions in the car (not related to driving, of course). Yes, it’s a convenient feature, even if some may find it more as a toy.
Speaking of this, the fascia up front is now practically a digital world. Like in the S-class, there’s a virtual instrument display behind the steering wheel whose form can mutate depending on the selected driving mode.
Once again, the 7-series moves the game ahead by integrating functions that can be swiped via the tip of your finger (like climate temperature) or enlarged like in a smartphone (when operating the sat-nav on the central monitor, as such).
Topping off the list of gizmos is remote control for parking in tight spaces by simply using the key, as you stand outside the car. Don’t be surprised if one day you’ll be able to remotely drive the car from the back seat, like how 007 once did in a James Bond movie.
Since the days of fully autonomous driving cars have yet to come, you still need to take the steering wheel in the 7-series. The most novel hardware in the driving cockpit is the three-spoke steering that feels and looks better than the S-class’s two-spoke variation.
The first you note when driving off is the extra lightness of the steering. It feels quite un-BMW and very Merc-like, which isn’t a bad thing because it helps conceal the bulky package.
It’s good to see that BMW has maintained the wheelbase length of the 7-series as before because space has never been an issue for any occupant. Other dimensions are more or less the same as before, if not exactly the same.
Driving around city roads in Porto also reveals a new facet the 7-series needs to match both the S-class and LS — ride comfort. In its most comfortable setting, the 7-series irons out road imperfections and bumps in a manner its predecessor could hardly, if ever, match.
The good thing is that such a silky ride hasn’t come at the expense of compromised handling or high-speed stability. Out on the near-empty motorways, the 7-series displayed exceptional levels of body control — arguably a whiff better than in the Merc and loads more of it than in the boatlike Lexie. The same goes for the steering that progressively loads up in weight as speed increases.
You’d hardly bother with the firmer driving characteristics the 7-series has to offer in the next two steps upwards. But if you do so, this is where the 7-series feels more like a true BMW.
BMW has hardly had any issues with performance, but that hasn’t stopped them from fitting the 7-series with a new 3.0-litre inline-six diesel-turbo known by the code B47 superseding the N47 unit.
The positive attributes of BMW’s diesel remains firmly intact in the B47 of the 265hp 730d: sumptuous performance at whatever speeds the car is capable of, all-round refinement and economy levels exceeding 20kpl for the first time when driven gently.
A BMW engineer has hinted to us that a four-cylinder diesel is in the pipeline. But this new option will matter more for price-positioning rather than excise tax reasons in Thailand when a new CO2-based system comes into effect next year; the 730d is already clean enough to attract the lowest 30% rate for conventional engines without E85-compatiblity.
As ever, there are turbocharged sixand eight-cylinder petrol engines for the 740i and 750i, the latter coming with twin turbos and xDrive all-wheel-drive. There’s no doubting the 750i’s driving performance: utterly rapid at all times with all those 450 ponies under the bonnet and surefooted handling.
For many, the 750i may be too excessive, both in power and price terms. And rather than settling for the lesser 326hp 740i, it’s worth looking at the new 740e which combines four-cylinder petrol power and plugin electric motors.
Although the hybrid principle is similar to that of the X5 40e, the basic combustion engine in the 740e is a new development in the guise of the B48. In fact, this updated hybrid will also appear in the 330e and the next-generation 5-series in 2017.
We didn’t get the chance to drive the 740e. But given that the older N20 already does a fine job in the X5 40e, it’s safe to say that the 740e is a new alternative for petrol-lovers who might also cherish the car’s 40km all-electric driving ability.
Of course, the cost of technology is still high, but the 740e’s price in Thailand can be compensated with the lowest 10% excise tax next year for hybrid-powered cars. Even so, expect the 730d to be the core-seller in the 7 million baht price bracket.
While the improved drivetrains and the combination of good driving ability and ride comfort are key selling points in the new 7-series, its styling is also worth mentioning.
Despite being evolutionary and a little bland in appearance, the appeal of the 7-series should be boosted by the heavier accents of chrome on the front, rear and sides of the car. Less conservative palates should also be glad to know that BMW is now offering an M Sport design package in the 7-series.
Ultimately, can the new 7-series now be a match for the S-class? Initial impressions tell us that BMW has virtually closed the gap now, for it manages to combine ingredients of technology and driving and ride comfort quite well. Actually, there’s not much of a compromise in the way the flagship has been tailored. BMW has simply managed to successfully add another dimension to the 7-series.