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Kraftwagen König
We’ve just returned from a day of hurling BMW’s new twin-turbo 740d around the Scottish Highlands, and also found the time for a test of the revised 730d as well as chatting to some of the company’s high-up engineers. An early start and a late finish, but everything in between was very good.
Tell me about this new BMW 740d then…
This is BMW’s third-generation twin-turbo unit, and it is, in a word, brilliant. The 3.0-litre follows the same little-and-large turbo layout as before – the smaller and more responsive blower kicking in low down the rev range, with the bigger unit taking over in the mid-range to red line for a seamless flow of torque.
As well as the all-alloy engine’s fuel injection layout featuring a higher 2000 bar pressure rate, the smaller turbo now features variable vane technology for prompter low-rev response. Which explains why peak torque of 443lb ft kicks in at a very low 1500rpm. Other highlights include BMW’s vaunted Efficient Dynamics to recoup lost energy during braking – it also disengages the alternator, climate controls and other energy sappers when they’re not needed or during hard acceleration.
Get out of the already brisk 730d and into the 740d and while the more powerful car doesn’t feel cor-blimey quicker than the 730d, it does feel far more responsive and alert. Twitch your right foot and there’s instant acceleration in any gear and at any revs. It’s a stupendously quick and effortless car, lunging forward on a hugely addictive surge of acceleration that has the speedo on fast forward and the revcounter on slow-mo.
Pointed down a winding road with the Dynamic Drive set to Sport, the 740d feels like a much smaller and lighter car – along the ribboning roads around Inverness, the 740d felt lithe and agile, far more so than its size and weight would have you believe.
Dynamically, it’s mighty impressive. And it annihilates roads with an almost haughty insouciance. The engine emits a barely audible background rumble at low to medium speeds and a lovely crisp redline growl. The chassis feels taut and unflappable, the steering clear and direct. Lovely.
It’s a fair bit dearer than the 730d…
Ah yes. A £6500 premium – the price of a decent scrappage-ready supermini – might seem a bit steep for the single digit step from 730d to 740d, but given the extra dimension of athleticism and responsiveness it adds to an already exceptional package, BMW expect 15% of 7-series buyers to tick the 740d box. And bear in mind, opting for the bi-turbo engine means little in the way of economy or emissions penalty – it returns barely believable 40.9mpg and 181g/km economy and CO2 figures.……
BMW 740d (2009): new CAR review | Road Testing Reviews | Car Magazine Online
