BMW 730d 2013 Review

Price Guide (recommended price before statutory & delivery charges): $205,100?
Options fitted to test car (not included in above price): Nappa leather trim ($6900), Surround View ($1300).
Crash rating: N/A?
Fuel: Diesel
?Claimed fuel economy (L/100km): 5.6?
CO2 emissions (g/km): 148
?Also consider: Audi A8 3.0 TDI quattro (from $188,000); Jaguar XJ 3.0D Premium Luxury (from $198,800); Mercedes-Benz S350 CDI (from $213,428)

It’s hard sometimes to take a $205,100 car seriously. Well, does a BMW 730d do anything six times better than a $35,000 Ford Falcon XT or Holden Commodore Evoke?

No, you can’t honestly say it drives six times better, has a six times better resale value or six times more equipment (although it does have a lot more). But there is one thing it does inestimably better… it makes money for its manufacturer so it isn’t threatened with extinction.

And the moral of the story is? I dunno, life sucks? Unless of course you have the sort of income that justifies spending 200 Large on a 5.1m long three-box sedan, then life probably doesn’t suck at all. Or at least someone is paid to do the sucking for you.

The only thing you might be a bit miffed about is you are only driving the base model in BMW’s flagship range -- a lineup that progresses from this turbo-diesel six-cylinder through various six- and eight-cylinder petrol variations (including a petrol-electric hybrid available in short or long wheelbase), all the way to a turbocharged V12 that will set you back more than $400,000 by the time it’s gobbling up bitumen.

But no need for high dudgeon, because there’s still plenty of nice things fitted to this mid-life update of the 730d, including ZF’s eight-speed automatic transmission, self-levelling rear suspension, electro-mechanical power steering, a boost in power and torque, a reduction in fuel consumption and better acceleration.

There are LED active headlights, new Comfort front seats (that do everything but eject), extra sound deadening to make progress even quieter, a new wide-screen monitor, faster computer processing and better 3D graphics. Even a powered rear sunblind has been added.

There’s also a few styling changes including a swap from 12 to nine slats in the signature kidney grille that does little to alleviate the stretched 5 Series look.

All that’s on top of a heap of already standard kit including driver adjustable chassis and powertrain modes, 18-inch alloys, an electric sunroof, metallic paint (yep, standard), a head-up display, soft-close doors and boot, interior ambient lighting, four-zone climate control, wood trim, sat-nav (including TV tuner and 20GB hard drive), six disc DVD stacker, 12 speaker audio, leather trim, park distance sensors and a reversing camera.

You can’t have everything of course; there’s a long list of options including iPhone integration (although Bluetooth streaming is standard) and the excellent Surround View parking aid. Completely unavailable are rear side airbags (curtains will have to suffice), front knee airbags and such storage niceties as a flip-out door pockets and a split-fold rear seat simply don’t exist.

This is all a bit annoying considering the money that is being spent. Also annoying was a persistent buzz from behind the dashboard that contradicted the otherwise uniform perception of understated quality that surrounds the passengers in the 730d.

Otherwise you won’t be complaining about space (unless you get the compromised middle rear pew), nor the quietness, speed or comfort of progress. This is a very well executed car that belies its size and 1900kg kerb weight.

You can twiddle from Comfort to Sport Plus modes in the push-button Driving Experience Control modifying dampers, steering, throttle, engine and transmission mapping in the process. But the fundamental solidity of the rear-wheel drive package remains unaffected. Yes, as you go sportier so the bodyroll diminishes, the ride tautens and the steering heavies, but the change in emphasis is more about dusk to darkness than night to day.

What remains is a car that is capable of cruising quietly on a freeway, yet also hustling quite quickly with some talent on twistier back roads. A trip into the Otway Ranges during our time with the 730d underlined just that; a haul down the freeway past Geelong despatched with ease with the (non-active) cruise control engaged, followed by the conquering of some wriggling roads without drama.

The drivetrain is absolutely complicit in this achievement. For this update, the power of the 3.0-litre inline six-cylinder climbs 10kW to 190kw, torque 20Nm to 560Nm, fuel consumption dips 18 per cent to 5.6L/100km and 0-100km/h acceleration improves from 7.2 to 6.1 seconds.

Those are impressive numbers, but they don’t do justice to the seamless all-encompassing rush this engine provides. Really, apart from a little bit of soundtrack coarseness, this is an engine that makes V8s redundant, especially as our real world fuel consumption average spat out at an excellent 6.4L/100km.

No doubt the ZF helped with that figure, as well as the gathering of force. The addition of other new fuel-saving features including the aforementioned EPS and idle stop-start help too, along with an Eco-Pro mode in the Driving Experience Control that BMW claims lowers fuel consumption as much as 20 per cent by retarding (BMW calls it modifying) the powertrain, heating, air-conditioning, heated seats and exterior mirror heating.

The 7 Series now also has the ability to coast, or decouple the engine, when over-running between 50 and 160km/h, saving more fuel. That’s in addition to the existing brake energy regeneration feature that capture kinetic energy as electricity anytime you brake or lift your foot off the accelerator.

It really is an impressive achievement that a vehicle this big and heavy can be so light on fuel and light on its feet. It’s only in tighter urban situations that you really start to feel worried about how much real estate it occupies and how quickly it could be creased. But if you can afford the car you can probably afford the repair bills.

Which make the 730d a car for an exclusive few who really want the refinement it offers and can justify the exorbitant price it commands.

Images shown is not the 7 Series model tested

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