IT’S SO FANCY
BMW’s opulent new 7 Series takes it up several notches.
• The upcoming 2016 7 Series, the sixth-generation of BMW’s flagship, has been reworked to make it lighter, sportier and, ultimately, much smarter. It all comes together nicely based on the sneak preview. It also brings more road presence — the availability of laser and LED lighting up front creates a handsome facade and works wonders for night visibility. Simply, laser casts its light twice as far down the road as the current crop of LED headlights.
When it lands in Canada in October, it will arrive as the 750i xDrive in both regular and long (L) wheelbase models. In the second quarter of 2016, it will be joined by the 740Li xDrive. This car is the largest sedan BMW has ever built — the regular 7 is 5,098 millimetres long, 1,902 mm wide and 1,478 mm tall. The stretched L model is 5,238 mm long and puts an extra 140 mm into the wheelbase, which equates to acres of rear seat space. Remarkably, and in spite of the expanded dimensions, the new car is up to 130 kilograms lighter than the car it replaces. That is no mean feat given the increase in safety features and standard amenities.
The mass reduction boils down to the car’s “carbon core.”
In this case, carbon fibre is used to increase the rigidity and strength without upping the weight. Carbon-fibre reinforced plastic (CFRP) is 30 per cent lighter than aluminum and roughly 50 per cent lighter than steel. It is used atop the centre tunnel, in the B- and C-pillars, the windshield header, rear parcel shelf and, more importantly, inside the side roof rails. The side sills also benefit from CFRP reinforcement. The rest of the car is comprised of aluminum (front fenders, roof, doors, deck lid and other key forgings) and steel.
There are a number of firsts for the new 7 Series. To begin with, iDrive has been overhauled extensively — it now features a touch-sensitive screen and it recognizes hand gestures using a 3D camera. Twirling one’s fingers in an anti-clockwise direction ahead of the centre stack reduces the audio volume; the opposite increases it. The driver can also accept or reject incoming phone calls with swipe gestures. There is also a customizable gesture — pointing a “V” sign at the dash operates the function of choice.
It proved to be very easy to use and remarkably accurate given it was the first time I had wagged a finger in its direction. For the diehard traditionalist, iDrive still arrives with its convoluted controller.
The other interior features are just too long to list. However, I did like the Touch Command system and the removable seven-inch Android tablet that sits in the rear armrest — part of the Executive Lounge option. It gives the rear rider access to seat adjustment, climate control, rear entertainment system, and more.
The second party trick is found in the 7’s ability to park itself. Yes, a lot of cars do that now, but not one allows the driver to get out, trigger the system and let the car park all by itself. The system is activated through the new “display key.”
Mechanically, the inline six and V8 engines have been reworked to improve efficiency and power. The 740’s 3.0-litre turbocharged six puts 326 horsepower and 332 pound-feet of torque at 1,380 rpm, which brings a run to 100 kilometres an hour in 5.6 seconds while delivering a claimed average economy of 7.0 litres per 100 kilometres. The up-level 750 adopts a twin-turbocharged 4.4L V8 that’s good for 450 hp and 479 lb.-ft. at 1,800 rpm. Now, that’s enough to waft the leatherlined opulence to 100 km/h in 4.5 seconds while sipping an average of 8.5 L/100 km. In both cases, the economy numbers are based on European testing.
At this point, there is no word on a diesel, but if it comes it will likely be the powertrain of choice — the 3.0L turbodiesel twists out 265 hp and 457 lb.-ft. at 2,000 rpm while consuming an average of 4.9 L/100 km in the process.
All engine variants are teamed with a reworked eightspeed automatic transmission and BMW’s xDrive all-wheeldrive system.
The intriguing model (no word on its arrival in Canada at this point) is the 740e plugin hybrid. It blends a 2.0L turbocharged four-cylinder with an electric motor and a lithium-ion battery. In the end, it delivers a peak system output of 326 hp, a run to 100 km/h in 5.6 seconds, as well as an electric-only range of 40 kilometres. Remarkably, it manages this while returning a claimed average of 2.1 L/100 km.
Canadian pricing for the new 7 Series has not been announced. However, in the U.S. the 750i xDrive will command $97,400 when launched in October.