D
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Congrats luw, this is a very special occasion indeed.
Reviews BMW 7-Series for 72hour. Ask me anything
- Thread starter Centurion
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Centurion
Apex Apex Predator
2016 BMW 730Ld M-Sport G12 Review
TLDR(Too Long Didn't Read)If you can’t afford a private jet but want the closest experience, this near fully-equipped 730Ld could be it. BMW have excelled at decorating the interior the cabin with technology that’s so easy to use that you don’t want to leave the backseat. It’s a handsome car that’s iterative in refining everything there is to love about the current generation of BMWs. While the car drives over rough roads in a calm and settled manner that few other cars can achieve, it could be more distinguished on smoother roads and to some extent visually.
Design: M-Sport suits the car very well
The 730Ld, as the L denotes, is long. In fact, you have to roll your eyes from the front fender to the tail lights a few times to take in the sheer size of it. On UK parking spaces which are small for anything larger than a VW Jetta, the entire rear overhang protrudes.
Thankfully you don’t need Mini Coopers as tug boats at supermarket parking lots because the surround view cameras gives you god-like abilities in manoeuvring it with centimetre precision.
In Magellan grey with M-package the 730Ld blends in with the plentifully leased 5-series and sporty 1-series on the roads. It lacks the chrome garnish you would expect on a super luxurious car and surprisingly you don’t miss it. Without bling, the eyes can appreciate the handsome details that matter such as the stately proportions and well executed lights. Although it’s not the most obvious colour choice, the lack of depth or reflections in this shade of grey gives the 7-Series ominous presence. It is understated luxury done right. Driving it you feel like a captain steering Sea Shadow (IX-529) stealth ship: A grey monolith with potential unknown to bystanders.
The design is great too – modern but not emotionless, elegant but not baroque. It is impressive although conforming, but not boring. Anyone who doesn’t like the ostentatiousness of a frame-grill that says “I am worth taking a note of” will love this BMW. It’s the best designed 7-Series since the E38 launched over 20 years ago.
Interior: Its got the wow factor
While the exterior is approving but conformist, the interior is what makes you take note. The reveal that comes with opening the unusually long passenger doors is absolute theatre. It’s not your backseat but your living room, office, or hotel lounge. With £13,000 of optional equipment, this car can play the role of all three, making you feel a strong sense of indulgence.
Leather across the cabin is as soft as a handbag unlike the tough leather common in entry level “luxury” cars. The touch of material that mimics the softness of well moisturised woman is calming. Throughout the interior there is no shortness of silver trim. @martinbo Some of it is metal, other bits such as buttons on the doors are plastic, and some are harder to decipher. It’s like being in a patisserie where fresh bread gives the impression that everything including the cakes are freshly made, which is rarely the case. But does it matter if it tastes good? All surfaces of the 730Ld look good and feel great - including the transmission tunnel.
How it drives: Potholes to muted thuds
Relaxation starts in the neck and shoulders. As soon as you put your bottom down you exhale in relief about the astonishingly comfortable seats. In the 730Ld they give a taster of the driving experience ahead – a very relaxing one.
The air suspension eats potholes like an icebreaker crushes ice. Roads in the UK can be terrible and in combination with low profile tyres journey can be jarring. In the 7-series this does not apply. You don’t need to swerve for potholes but can mow them over in confidence that the air suspension will reduce them to a muted knock. On bad roads where I would typically brace myself for jiggly ride, the 730Ld travels with grace.
Body control across sporty and comfort driving is good. The car is very level throughout twisty corners, roundabouts and roads with changing camber. Owing to the air suspension the car rarely succumbs to its size or gets out of shape. Never does it feel spooky to drive either. It was devoid of rear wheel steering, torque vectoring and other wizardry that can make big cars feel smaller. The 730Ld is big and drives big. It makes you feel good and assured that there is distance between you and other drivers. When you want have a bit of fun the sporty characteristics are in waiting. Jab the throttle exiting a turn and the rear wheels will spin in a predictable fashion. Don’t mistake it for a sporty luxury car though as it predominantly drives like a luxobarge than an overgrown 3-series.
At motorway speeds the cabin is near dead silent as tyre noise is way less than in other BMWs. Other cars are only audible if you listen carefully. Tyre noise is low enough for piano jazz to be enjoyed at ambient volumes while discussing Brexit and whether Bordeaux is a better wine region than Burgundy. Despite a soothing ride there is a lack of magic. While the suspension excels at dampening bad roads, there is lack of refinement in erasing smaller road bumps and imperfections. Driving the car, you never feel removed from the road nor feel like you are cruising on a magic carpet. I would love to test the car with 18 inch non-runflat tyres to find out whether the low profile 20 inch rims spoils the ride quality.
Gadgets: Usability is high
@hoffmeister_fan Gesture control is exclusive to this car, and will grow to become very useful. Within 5 minutes of driving a car I rejected a call by swiping my hand to the left. You can also assign a two finger gesture to a function. Turning the volume with it is a bit of a gimmick as there’s room to improve the accuracy. Consider this early adopter technology which will improve very quickly over coming model years. @shonguiz I also welcome the temperature slider under the air vents. It’s there in place of a wheel, is responsive and more effective than a wheel.
The rest of the tech from the font seats is very familiar. Occasionally a bit too familiar as the iDrive and switch gear have near identical layout to a £10,000 116d. This is why Porsches, Range Rovers and Maseratis have the pulling power to win over buyers who don’t want their £90,000 car to remind them of a rental car. As familiar as the interior is, it’s hard to hate the 7-Series for it because it’s dead easy to use. The temperature controls are a knobs not touch pads and iDrive 5 is near dumb proof. Few infotainment systems are as good or put simplicity before coolness.
In the back this car has everything but a fax-machine. Whatever your plan for the day is, the back can help you nap, catchup on BBC news, watch a blu-ray, mirror your phone or input navigation routes for the driver. The number of screens can initially overwhelm and pull the eyes a part, but their purpose is very logical. The arm rest screen controls ambient light, blinds and the seats while a black remote with a scroll wheel can individually control both screens in front. It’s a wonderful place that’s more comfortable than most living rooms.
@Monster This car was equipped with BMW iconic LED light which are the most visually striking elements of the car. The low beam cast a strong light very wide, to the point that you can, with great clarity, focus your eyes on individual strands of grass to the side of the road – while driving at 50mph. If you drive on dark mountain or country roads this peripheral illumination and clarity is exceptional. In high beam the individual clarity of objects is still there but is directed upwards. Everything in front and ahead is well lit without being glare.
Last of the gadgets is the display key. It’s handy for reversing the car out of a tight garage if it’s equipped with Parking Assist. If not, the key is as useless as it is cool. Anxiety of needing to charge it regularly overshadow the ability to read the current range or whether oil level is ok or not. Not to mention the sheer size of it. It has the footprint of a business card, can’t be attached to a key ring and only has a fraction of features available in the BMW Remote App. This “key” is an inconvenience that should be optional unless the car has Parking assist.
Verdict
@LaArtist At the end of my 72 hours the only questions that mattered was “Is this the most comfortable car money can buy?” You can’t miss what you’ve never had and therefore I’m not yearning S-Class, A8, Flying Spur and even the Rolls Royce Phantom which I have never driven. However, I couldn’t help feeling there must be something even better – or better yet, perfect. At this price range you are entitled to nit-pick and feel deserving of perfection. Despite possessing BMW driving qualities, it doesn’t score a perfect ten in ride quality and similarly the interior quality impresses but the design lacks surprise. It’s a bit too politically correct and evolutionary.
Putting aside those shortcomings, the 7-series is a brilliant car that rarely makes you feel lacking in luxury. It’s packed with technology that's slick both in the front and back. Personally if I was to buy it, I would keep the M-package but reduce the rims to 19 inch and opt for the 740i for less diesel rumble.
SPECIFICATIONS
OPTIONAL EQUIPMENT
TLDR(Too Long Didn't Read)If you can’t afford a private jet but want the closest experience, this near fully-equipped 730Ld could be it. BMW have excelled at decorating the interior the cabin with technology that’s so easy to use that you don’t want to leave the backseat. It’s a handsome car that’s iterative in refining everything there is to love about the current generation of BMWs. While the car drives over rough roads in a calm and settled manner that few other cars can achieve, it could be more distinguished on smoother roads and to some extent visually.
Design: M-Sport suits the car very well
The 730Ld, as the L denotes, is long. In fact, you have to roll your eyes from the front fender to the tail lights a few times to take in the sheer size of it. On UK parking spaces which are small for anything larger than a VW Jetta, the entire rear overhang protrudes.
Thankfully you don’t need Mini Coopers as tug boats at supermarket parking lots because the surround view cameras gives you god-like abilities in manoeuvring it with centimetre precision.
In Magellan grey with M-package the 730Ld blends in with the plentifully leased 5-series and sporty 1-series on the roads. It lacks the chrome garnish you would expect on a super luxurious car and surprisingly you don’t miss it. Without bling, the eyes can appreciate the handsome details that matter such as the stately proportions and well executed lights. Although it’s not the most obvious colour choice, the lack of depth or reflections in this shade of grey gives the 7-Series ominous presence. It is understated luxury done right. Driving it you feel like a captain steering Sea Shadow (IX-529) stealth ship: A grey monolith with potential unknown to bystanders.
The design is great too – modern but not emotionless, elegant but not baroque. It is impressive although conforming, but not boring. Anyone who doesn’t like the ostentatiousness of a frame-grill that says “I am worth taking a note of” will love this BMW. It’s the best designed 7-Series since the E38 launched over 20 years ago.
Interior: Its got the wow factor
While the exterior is approving but conformist, the interior is what makes you take note. The reveal that comes with opening the unusually long passenger doors is absolute theatre. It’s not your backseat but your living room, office, or hotel lounge. With £13,000 of optional equipment, this car can play the role of all three, making you feel a strong sense of indulgence.
Leather across the cabin is as soft as a handbag unlike the tough leather common in entry level “luxury” cars. The touch of material that mimics the softness of well moisturised woman is calming. Throughout the interior there is no shortness of silver trim. @martinbo Some of it is metal, other bits such as buttons on the doors are plastic, and some are harder to decipher. It’s like being in a patisserie where fresh bread gives the impression that everything including the cakes are freshly made, which is rarely the case. But does it matter if it tastes good? All surfaces of the 730Ld look good and feel great - including the transmission tunnel.
How it drives: Potholes to muted thuds
Relaxation starts in the neck and shoulders. As soon as you put your bottom down you exhale in relief about the astonishingly comfortable seats. In the 730Ld they give a taster of the driving experience ahead – a very relaxing one.
The air suspension eats potholes like an icebreaker crushes ice. Roads in the UK can be terrible and in combination with low profile tyres journey can be jarring. In the 7-series this does not apply. You don’t need to swerve for potholes but can mow them over in confidence that the air suspension will reduce them to a muted knock. On bad roads where I would typically brace myself for jiggly ride, the 730Ld travels with grace.
Body control across sporty and comfort driving is good. The car is very level throughout twisty corners, roundabouts and roads with changing camber. Owing to the air suspension the car rarely succumbs to its size or gets out of shape. Never does it feel spooky to drive either. It was devoid of rear wheel steering, torque vectoring and other wizardry that can make big cars feel smaller. The 730Ld is big and drives big. It makes you feel good and assured that there is distance between you and other drivers. When you want have a bit of fun the sporty characteristics are in waiting. Jab the throttle exiting a turn and the rear wheels will spin in a predictable fashion. Don’t mistake it for a sporty luxury car though as it predominantly drives like a luxobarge than an overgrown 3-series.
At motorway speeds the cabin is near dead silent as tyre noise is way less than in other BMWs. Other cars are only audible if you listen carefully. Tyre noise is low enough for piano jazz to be enjoyed at ambient volumes while discussing Brexit and whether Bordeaux is a better wine region than Burgundy. Despite a soothing ride there is a lack of magic. While the suspension excels at dampening bad roads, there is lack of refinement in erasing smaller road bumps and imperfections. Driving the car, you never feel removed from the road nor feel like you are cruising on a magic carpet. I would love to test the car with 18 inch non-runflat tyres to find out whether the low profile 20 inch rims spoils the ride quality.
Gadgets: Usability is high
@hoffmeister_fan Gesture control is exclusive to this car, and will grow to become very useful. Within 5 minutes of driving a car I rejected a call by swiping my hand to the left. You can also assign a two finger gesture to a function. Turning the volume with it is a bit of a gimmick as there’s room to improve the accuracy. Consider this early adopter technology which will improve very quickly over coming model years. @shonguiz I also welcome the temperature slider under the air vents. It’s there in place of a wheel, is responsive and more effective than a wheel.
The rest of the tech from the font seats is very familiar. Occasionally a bit too familiar as the iDrive and switch gear have near identical layout to a £10,000 116d. This is why Porsches, Range Rovers and Maseratis have the pulling power to win over buyers who don’t want their £90,000 car to remind them of a rental car. As familiar as the interior is, it’s hard to hate the 7-Series for it because it’s dead easy to use. The temperature controls are a knobs not touch pads and iDrive 5 is near dumb proof. Few infotainment systems are as good or put simplicity before coolness.
In the back this car has everything but a fax-machine. Whatever your plan for the day is, the back can help you nap, catchup on BBC news, watch a blu-ray, mirror your phone or input navigation routes for the driver. The number of screens can initially overwhelm and pull the eyes a part, but their purpose is very logical. The arm rest screen controls ambient light, blinds and the seats while a black remote with a scroll wheel can individually control both screens in front. It’s a wonderful place that’s more comfortable than most living rooms.
@Monster This car was equipped with BMW iconic LED light which are the most visually striking elements of the car. The low beam cast a strong light very wide, to the point that you can, with great clarity, focus your eyes on individual strands of grass to the side of the road – while driving at 50mph. If you drive on dark mountain or country roads this peripheral illumination and clarity is exceptional. In high beam the individual clarity of objects is still there but is directed upwards. Everything in front and ahead is well lit without being glare.
Last of the gadgets is the display key. It’s handy for reversing the car out of a tight garage if it’s equipped with Parking Assist. If not, the key is as useless as it is cool. Anxiety of needing to charge it regularly overshadow the ability to read the current range or whether oil level is ok or not. Not to mention the sheer size of it. It has the footprint of a business card, can’t be attached to a key ring and only has a fraction of features available in the BMW Remote App. This “key” is an inconvenience that should be optional unless the car has Parking assist.
Verdict
@LaArtist At the end of my 72 hours the only questions that mattered was “Is this the most comfortable car money can buy?” You can’t miss what you’ve never had and therefore I’m not yearning S-Class, A8, Flying Spur and even the Rolls Royce Phantom which I have never driven. However, I couldn’t help feeling there must be something even better – or better yet, perfect. At this price range you are entitled to nit-pick and feel deserving of perfection. Despite possessing BMW driving qualities, it doesn’t score a perfect ten in ride quality and similarly the interior quality impresses but the design lacks surprise. It’s a bit too politically correct and evolutionary.
Putting aside those shortcomings, the 7-series is a brilliant car that rarely makes you feel lacking in luxury. It’s packed with technology that's slick both in the front and back. Personally if I was to buy it, I would keep the M-package but reduce the rims to 19 inch and opt for the 740i for less diesel rumble.
SPECIFICATIONS
- 2016 730Ld M-Sport G12 Long Wheelbase
- £88,800 as tested
- Magellan Grey
- 20 inch rims
OPTIONAL EQUIPMENT
- Unblinds side and rear windows
- Headlining, Anthracite Alcantara
- Ambient Air package
- Massage front and back
- Sky Lounge panoramic glass sunroof
- BMW Touch Command
- Harman/kardon surround sound
- BMW Iconic LED Lights
- Online Entertainment
- TV function
- Ambient Air package
- BMW Icon adaptive LED headlights
- Driving Assistant Plus
- Surround-view
- Head-up Display
Mick Briesgau
Tire Trailblazer
Ave @Centurion good write up and pleasure to read. What did you think of the Harman Kardon soundsystem?
Centurion
Apex Apex Predator
Thanks! Standard sound systems in BMWs are paltry. The lows and highs are muddled together. HK is a good sound system that makes vocals and instruments more pronounced thanks to better mid-drivers and separate tweeters.
Mick Briesgau
Tire Trailblazer
Some time ago I drove the G11 also equiped with HK and I found the system somewhat shallow, without depth and I was a bit dissapointed. Any interested buyer who likes to hear music I'd recommand the B&W system.
Centurion
Apex Apex Predator
Absolutely. The HK system is just good compared with the standard but as you said is by no means a great system.
SKY
Kraftwagen König
Woah, this was worth reading, fantastic review of the car mate, I do appreciate the "serious" tone of the review. I can only speak about the details, but that 7er you have tested would have been even better looking in SWB and in a touch darker grey IMO. Your veredict seems to be quite reasonable as well.
So great review and great car. Hope you have enjoyed it.
So great review and great car. Hope you have enjoyed it.
domleo999
Premium
martinbo
Staff member
Splendid write-up @Centurion and thank you for the terrific feedback. That 7er is some car.
hoffmeister_fan
Kraftwagen König
@Centurion, finally sat down with some coffee to relax and have a thorough read-through.
1) the new-gen 7er sounds like a great place to be in, especially in the spec you had. How intrusive is the diesel rumble in idle, normal acceleration and a more provoked acceleration?
2) Again, Luw, your write-up was thorough and thoroughly delighful. As @SKY pointed out it was informative without any wasted words. I particularly liked that patisserie metaphor as it gets the point across. I look forward to more of your write-ups.
3) Also great pics!
1) the new-gen 7er sounds like a great place to be in, especially in the spec you had. How intrusive is the diesel rumble in idle, normal acceleration and a more provoked acceleration?
2) Again, Luw, your write-up was thorough and thoroughly delighful. As @SKY pointed out it was informative without any wasted words. I particularly liked that patisserie metaphor as it gets the point across. I look forward to more of your write-ups.
3) Also great pics!
Centurion
Apex Apex Predator
Thanks. I agree. If it was SWB a darker shade would be better but Magellan grey, which looks like concrete, is very well suited to LWB. However it's a very incognito and possibly depressing colour for some.
Cheers! As I mentioned earlier, the sound insulation is head and shoulders above that of my X3 or even the F30 I owned previously - tyre noise inside the cabin is minimal. At idle the the gurgle is faint but the vibrations are noticeable eventhough they are not too distracting. Floor the car and you will hear a muted growl that's add a bit of BMW excitement without making the car seem ungraceful.
Only when you open a window or step out of the car that you are hit with an unromantic diesel sound. Understandably this engine needs to exist for entry level customers and fleet managers. It was my first experience with the B58 and boy is it much more linear than the N20! Is it my first step to becoming a 6 cylinder BMW snob? Yes
@Centurion, really enjoyed your posts, thank you for taking the time to write such a detailed review with great photos and answered everyone's questions. You should submit this review to BMW UK as well.
klier
Premium
Agreed. Some pics almost look professionally taken. Very, very nice. The pic with the gearlever looks amazing, as my friend @domleo999 pointed out.
Beemer B773ER
Tire Trailblazer
Absolutely LOVE this photo Luw!!!!
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