The next 7-Series was to be radically different, he said, signalling a new design direction
eventually to be taken by all the models in the BMW stable. But the new Seven, when it arrived, amazed even BMW devotees. Its looks were controversial, to say the least. And the car bristled with technical innovations, including new systems that totally changed the approach to driving.
Styling is, of course, a matter of personal opinion. But the subject of the new 7-Series’s quirky lines has become such a cause celébre among the motoring public that our first test of the newcomer has to devote a few paragraphs to the issue. Few cars have been given such
a unanimous thumbs-down in the looks
department by the CAR test team. The main centre of criticism is the car’s ungainly rear-end and clamshell bootlid, where there is such a convergence of shapes that the shutlines
appear, from certain angles, to vary hugely in width, a phenomenon that jars with our
perception of quality. The headlights, with their unusual “eyebrow” indicator units, also came in for criticism from some team members.
That said, most people do admit that the lines become less ugly with familiarity, bearing out the theory of Bruno Sacco, retired chief
designer for BMW’s arch-rival, Mercedes-Benz, who once told us that styling had to contain controversial elements when a car was
unveiled, or it would not last the distance of the model run. And the widespread acceptance of the new Seven, which has full order books in markets as diverse as the US, Britain and South Africa, suggests many buyers do find the new BMW style pleasing.
The radical looks also prepare the punter for what lies beneath. Even the BMW board
members, used to their marque being a technology leader, must have held their breath
for a few moments when presented with the engineering team’s proposals for their new E65. For starters, there was enough electrickery to confuse the best of sparkies – and stress the most reliable of charging systems.
A record number of electric motors, fans, microchips and computers were going to be required to run all the innovative
systems. On the mechanical side, everything had been
redesigned from scratch, with virtually no
discernible carryovers from the previous
generation Seven. And the new engines, transmissions, suspension designs and control
systems were to feature a string of world firsts.
Bravely they gave the go-ahead…
Although the two alloy V8 engines have nominally similar configurations to the out-
going versions, there are radical differences. Both the 3 600 cm3 unit in the 735i and the
4 398 cm3 version in the 745i feature Valvetronic, BMW’s innovative fully adjustable intake valve lift system, which does away with the throttle butterfly. They are also equipped with BiVanos variable valve timing, which operates on both the intake and exhaust camshafts, and variable-length induction systems, all of which help to increase power and torque
dramatically, while also improving fuel
efficiency. Quoted outputs for the new 735i, the subject of this test, are 200 kW at 6 200 r/min and 360 N.m at 3 700, a considerable improvement on the figures of 175 kW at 5 800 r/min and 345 N.m at 3 800 posted by the old E38 735i. And BMW claims fuel-efficiency has been improved by 13 per cent.
Transmitting power to the rear wheels is an all-new gearbox, the world’s first six-speed auto. Built by ZF, it is 11 per cent lighter than the old five-speed, mainly due to the adoption of the patented Lepelletier geartrain system, which reduces the number of gear wheels. It also incorporates a mechanism that automatically decouples the torque converter during standstill. This, a lock-up clutch, and the increased stepping provided by the six ratios (which ZF says equates to that of many CVT systems), are claimed to contribute to lower fuel consumption.
There’s more dramatic innovation in the E65’s suspension system, which makes
extensive use of aluminium alloy to reduce weight.
Front springing is by an alloy double-jointed spring-strut set-up, featuring both anti-dive and compensation for transverse forces. The rear multi-link system is also in alloy, with anti-squat and anti-dive compensation. Both front and rear systems feature EDC (Electronic Damper Control), which offers a choice between comfort and sport settings. Pneumatic suspension with self-levelling is an option. Also optional on the 735i (but standard equipment on the 745i) is Dynamic Drive, or DD, an hydraulic system that effectively works like an anti-roll bar, in conjunction with EDC.
Brakes are inner-ventilated discs with alloy callipers, and the parking brake is electronic, being engaged at the touch of a button on the facia. It can also be programmed to engage
automatically every time the car comes to a halt.
Stability control systems are the very latest, automatically braking individual wheels, or cutting back on engine power to keep the car on the straight and narrow. But, in usual BMW fashion, the system can be completely deactivated by the driver.
The combination of controversial aesthetics and technological wizardry continues inside, where, thanks to the
revolutionary iDrive control
system, the number of switches on the facia has been cut
down dramatically. The basic functions most significant for driving and traffic safety are in the immediate vicinity of the driver, with all driving functions around or on the steering wheel. Other functions requiring frequent, quick adjustment, such as the light switch, or
variations in air-con fan-strength or temperature, are on the facia. This results in a very un-BMW-like cockpit, which one commentator described as “Scandinavian-looking”.
The leather-clad seats are sumptuous and supportive, as one would expect in a car of the 735i’s status. But the electric
adjusters for the front chairs are different from what has become the norm, located on the insides of the central console, and
extremely fiddly to operate.
Alongside them are (optional) temperature controls for the seats, which contain heating
elements and tiny fans to achieve the right levels of comfort for the posterior. Though most were happy with the range of seat adjustment, one of our testers, who has always praised the ability of BMW seats to provide the peculiarly flat squab angle he prefers, bemoaned the fact that the new Seven was unable to do so…
The rear compartment is also comfortable and roomy, offering accommodation to suit the most patrician of back-seat
passengers. And the boot is
acceptably roomy.
As in the Mercedes-Benz S-Class, the test car’s lid was electrically raised and lowered. But, unlike that of the Mercedes, it would not remain fully open on a steep slope, falling down and theatening the unwary with a crack on the head after the motor had switched off. A little slip in the homework department?
But, back to the command post up front.
Positioned on the centre console, the iDrive
controller (much like a computer mouse) works in conjunction with a control display (screen) mounted high up in the centre of the facia to access
700 different functions, mainly comfort and information items – including navigation (which recently became available for Cape Town and Durban as well as Gauteng), the radio and CD systems, hands-free telephone, climate control, and various other driving settings, such as automatic engagement of the parking brake, and the desired mode for the electronically
controlled dampers. It is also linked to a voice-control system activated by a button on the steering wheel: once pre-programmed, you can call up a destination on the sat-nav, make a ‘phone call, find a radio station or play your favourite CD by giving voice commands.
The set-up works logically,
particularly for things like navigation, and, as one becomes more familiar with it, speed of operation improves. Even so, programming all the settings for a trip can be time-consuming, and we are of the view that the drawback of complication outweighs the advantages.
Even owners of other BMWs will require time to familiarise themselves with the other
controls, which follow a new format. For example, four
satellite stalks arranged around the steering column control the transmission, wipers, indicators/high-low beam and cruise control. To engage Park, one
depresses a button on the end of the transmission stalk, and the electric handbrake is
activated and deactivated by a touch-sensitive switch on the dash. (But don’t get caught out with a flat battery, or that brake, as well as an array of other electrically-powered
gizmos, is simply not going to respond!)
The light switch is in the familiar position to the right of the steering, but there’s no
conventional starter switch. To fire up the engine, one has to plug the car’s rectangular remote control unit (which also unlocks the doors, opens the boot, and opens and closes the electric sunroof) into a slot on the dash (at which the electrically-adjusted steering wheel surges forward into your
chosen position), make sure the Park button is depressed, keep your foot on the brake and hit the starter button to the left of the steering column…
The 200 kW V8 whirrs into life, you pull the slightly awkward gear-selecter stalk down into Drive, and you’re on your way. (You can leave things that way, or do the shifting with up-down buttons on the wheel). With the test car, pull-offs brought the first jarring note, the drive-by-wire accelerator pedal tending to creep, resulting in a jerky reaction from the
engine.
The problem was
accentuated by what seemed to be the clunky mechanical re-
engagement of the torque converter, which is automatically disconnected at standstill. The six-speed gearbox also suffered from noticeable slip-shock, and tended to change down several ratios in response to a slight dab on the accelerator.
It was an unacceptable performance in a car costing R600 000, and we can only surmise that adjustments were required.
Out on the road, the 735i surges rather than leaps forward, the engine doing an
impressive job of propelling a car that weighs in at two tons. Nevertheless, the test vehicle recorded a worthy 8,3-second time for the zero to 100 km/h sprint, going on to complete the kilometre in just over 29 seconds, and reaching a terminal speed of 247 km/h without nudging the usual 250 km/h speed-limiter.
Considering the BM’s weight, braking was also impressive, the ABS-modulated system stopping up the car over and
over in just on three seconds
in our standard 100-to-zero emergency braking test.
Out on the twisties, on its standard settings, the 735i has a compliant ride, with good body control, and a measure of understeer at the cornering limit. Delve into iDrive and change the damper settings to Sport, and you have a firmer ride, and more neutral handling. The rack-and-pinion steering, with assistance varied according to road speed, is precise, and has good feedback but, psychologically, the 7-Series always feels a big car, unlike the Mercedes-Benz S-Class, which seems to “shrink” around the driver,
facilitating placement in traffic and on the road.
One of our testers theorises that this is
because the cabin is more compact in relation to the outer extremities of the car than that of its Mercedes-Benz rival.
According to EC figures, the 735i is very economical, with
a composite consumption
figure (urban and extra-urban combined) of 10,7 litres per
100 km. In real life, however, the test car averaged 15,37 litres per 100 km in a combination of urban and rapid extra-urban motoring, equating to a range of 572 km on an 88-litre tankful of 95-octane unleaded.