BMW 730Ld First Drive Review

BMW’s new 7 Series, being their flagship model, is an important car for the brand. It is expected to serve intense amounts of luxury while offering loads of technological advancements. It is aimed to cater to those who want the best when it comes to comfort and luxury. Though the Mercedes-Benz S-Class has defined the benchmark in this category, the market is eager to know if BMW has taken the game ahead.

Externally, BMW has done a good job in shaving off the boxy lines and imparting this version with smoother curves and a sharper character. There’s quite a bit of chrome thrown in on all sides and it helps highlighting the overall design elements. Without doubt, this feels like the most extravagantly constructed 7 till date. The M Sport variant we’ve driven here gets the M Sport package which we’ve detailed at a later point. So, let’s find out what the latest 7 has in store for us..

Move into the 7 Series and the all new interiors reveal fresh design lines, dual tone shades along with silver inserts, and wood trim that considerably enhance the cabin ambience. While the partially analog instrument panel depicts data flawlessly, driving modes show up attractively in colour coordinated themes. A 10.25-inch touch screen takes prime position on the dash and also doubles up for the 360 degree camera. This one alerts and impressively showcases obstacles in a manner that inspires immaculate confidence, especially when you factor the dimensions of this car.

Some bits that caught our attention are the iDrive gestures, touch slides below the air-con vents to choose the overall temperature of the airflow, and pristine metal buttons used lavishly on the dash and steering. As the better part of owners are going to be seated in the rear, it needs to be noted that the rear seats are exceedingly comfy. They’re equipped to electrically recline, and also offer exquisite massages for the occupants while displaying the functions on the screens behind the front seats.

Another point of attraction on the 7 series is the tablet that comes off the rear centre armrest. This tablet can be used to remotely actuate features such as the massage function, seat recline, infotainment and the air-con settings, to name a few. The rear sunroof combined with the various colours of ambient lighting throughout the cabin really elevates the mood. Furthermore, the main display key (charged via USB cable) shows the vehicle status, range, and adjust the air-con, to name a few. A quick peep at the over-500 litre boot assured us that it can swallow a reasonable amount of baggage.

Features that find their way into the 7 Series are auto air-con with four-zone air-con control, BMW gesture control, electric rear seats with electric headrests, eight massage programmes, panorama glass roof with LED light graphics, roller sun-blinds for the rear and a Harman Kardon surround sound system. There’s also a navigation system with 3D maps, ABS, cornering brake control, dynamic stability control and an M Sport package. This includes an M logo on the panels, M specific exhausts, M illuminated door sills, M specific key and designer brake calipers. There’s also more chrome, and the BMW laser light with adaptive function.

Under the hood of the 730Ld is the 3.0-litre six cylinder diesel motor that now displaces 265bhp at 4000rpm, and 620Nm of torque between 2000 and 2500rpm. Despite just an increase of 7bhp and 60Nm over the outgoing model, the performance benefit suggests otherwise. Though this is partly due to quick shifts governed by a slick eight-speed sport auto transmission with paddle shifts, it’s also due to the weight reduction of 130kg. BMW now uses carbon fibre-reinforced plastic (CFRP) along with aluminium and steel in the 7’s body.

Our VBox recorded the 0-100kmph run in 6.29sec, while the 20-80kmph and 40-100kmph sprints took 3.78sec and 4.45sec. It’s not bad at all considering the 7’s real genes belong to a luxury limousine. Also, it gets three modes called Eco Pro, Comfort and Sport that revise suspension, steering, engine and gearbox settings. While Eco Pro mode results in feeble reactions from the motor, it suits those who will be chauffeur driven, especially when frugality should be optimum here. Sport mode serves those who want to use the performance to the maximum, and the gears always shift at the red line. Finally, Comfort mode evens it out with a nice balance of performance and comfort.

Endowed with an adaptive air suspension setup, the 7 does a nice job of picking a ride setting to the driving style displayed. Else one can manually choose from the appropriate modes (ideally Comfort). Though it does a brilliant job of silently soaking up imperfections, it does tend to make the occupants feel unsettled as an endless amount of motion can be sensed. On the other hand, Sport mode gets the suspension tuned for a spirited drive but the stiffness leads to a comparatively bumpy ride. Furthermore, the light steering helped turn this luxury limo with relative ease while displaying decent accuracy in its line around corners. The xDrive offers traction and also works favourably with the lowered weight to offer optimum handling. That said, it is the mildly tighter bends that portrays the true bulk of the car.

BMW has done a fine job of upgrading its 7 Series to provide a number of attributes. These include increased comfort, a quality cabin and loads of features. It looks much better than before, is nice to drive and also to be chauffeured around in. It may sound confusing but the product line-up consists of the 730Ld in both CKD and CBU form, and the 750Li in the CBU form only. Though the 730Ld (CKD) is available in Design Pure Excellence, and M Sport variants (Rs 1.14 and Rs 1.24 crore), the 730Ld (CBU) is only offered in the DPE version (Rs 1.42 crore). With the 750Li, it is only as a CBU in DPE and M Sport trims (Rs 1.53 and Rs 1.58 crore). As the CKD versions benefit from a lower sticker price, it helps BMW make it more accessible to buyers.

BMW’s 730Ld competes with the likes of the Audi A8 50TDI, Jaguar XJ and the Mercedes-Benz S350 CDI.

Pictures by Kapil Angane

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