Since its introduction in 1978, the BMW 7 Series luxury sedan has remained true to its original character. It is BMW’s top of the line, super sedan. A full-size, rear-wheel-drive executive that represents the pinnacle of technology and luxury in the German automaker’s lineup. Also referred to as the Pride of Bavaria, the 7 series competes with the likes of Mercedes’s S class, A8, just to name a couple.
BMW Malaysia today unveils the 740Li and the 730Li. 2 brilliant variants of the sixth generation 7 series for the Malaysian market. Both variants are built on the new carbon core structure. The L indicates that both the 7s are longer wheel base variants. However, it is the 730Li that is most interesting of the 2 here and for the first time in history, marks the smallest engine ever put in a luxury executive. A turbocharged 2.0 liter 4 cylinder engine that powers BMW’s smaller cousin, the MINI Cooper S. Wow. We’ll get to this one in a moment.
First Lets talk about the 740Li. Physically, this new one hasn’t deviate much from its predecessor. It is more evolutionary than revolutionary design if you noticed. Bavarian Motor Works’ engineers have done an incredible job on the new 7’s chassis and structure. They have solved their previous iteration’s biggest drawback, it’s immense weight. By blending carbon-fiber composite sections with steel, aluminum, magnesium, and plastic, they have now shed close to 200kg. Yes, BMW had just thrown in Supercar equivalent elements into their ultimate luxury lineup.
Technologically, BMW has taken the game to the next level. The front grille of the new 7 series is not a plain and simple grille. This signature part incorporates high tech stuff where the kidney grille as they call it, now act as veins to channel in fresh air for engine cooling and also as an aero centric device for reducing drag. According to BMW, it’s terminology for the said feature is, ‘The all new Air Breather and Active Kidney Grille”
This is the era of portability, and remote access. With that, BMW pioneered a modern day magic wand. They call it the Display Key. With this display key, the all new 7 series can automatically pull in and out of a garage, even within a narrow parking space, all from the palm of your hand, remotely.
The interior of the new 7 series is nothing short of a masterpiece. The back seat has always been the real perk for all top of the line luxury cars. The back seats feature the option of a recline feature, and they come paired with a console-mounted tablet that offers full control over entertainment, climate control, and lighting. LED lighting is of course also on display throughout the interior, and the quality of the leather upholstery on the seats and door panels, as well as the preponderance of chrome, wood, and aluminum trim, have all been improved for the new BMW 7 Series. In order to accommodate extra leg room the front seat can be pushed tight to the dash. The new Bimmer 7 series even boasts a removable 7inch Tablet to control several aspects of the car.
The new 7 series packs an elegant, multi functional, and informative Heads-Up Display as driving assistance feature. So far none known rivals of the 7 series offer a feature such as this.
Like the Mercedes S Class, the 7 series upped their game in the gadget department. The 7 series comes with on board wireless charging , wifi hot spot, and many other cool stuffs. There’s a new iDrive system, version 5.0, which utilizes touchscreen inputs as well as Gesture Control.
So, the next question what propels the new 740i? Under the hood it has got an inline 6 cylinder 3.0 liter gasoline engine that cranks out 320 hp.
Next is the 730i, BMW already added the 730i to their line up in Turkey and China. The 730i shares the same characteristics as the 740i in both exterior and interior. 730i is said to be the entry-model in the 7 series line up because of its engine. It is bolted with a 4 cylinder 2.0 liter turbo charged gasoline motor generating 258 horsepower which is expected to be highly efficient. This is the same unit that powers BMW 225i Active Tourer, the facelifted 330i and the MINI Cooper John Cooper Works.
Both the 740i and 730i engines are accompanied by an 8 speed automatic transmission delivering the power to the rear wheels. All 7ers will come with a standard two-axle air suspension that automatically adjusts body height – with a lower ride in sport mode, Dynamic Damper Control, while for the first time, it will combine four-wheel steering (BMW calls it Integral Active Steering or “X Steer”) with four-wheel drive (on models fitted with the xDrive system).
Both the 730Li and 740Li are available in Black Sapphire, Cashmere Silver, Mineral White and Sophisto Grey. Those who opt for the 730Li could also opt for Jatoba, while Imperial Blue is available exclusively for the 740Li. The new BMW 7-Series will hit the Malaysian showrooms at RM 698,800 for the 730Li and RM 888,800 for the 740Li.
The zerotohundred for the 740i is clocked at 5.5sec and 6.3sec for the 730Li.
