BMW 7 Series 2002 Review

BMW claims the new 7 Series sedan is the "world's most advanced production car," combining state of the art safety features, high-tech mechanical components and an innovative approach to interior design and layout that will "define the future of motoring".

The German luxury car maker claims no less than "75 technical features never before seen on a production car," and "an industry benchmark in its balance of performance, dynamism, safety, luxurious comfort, and all-round economy."

Bold stuff indeed, but no more than you'd expect from one of the world's leading luxury carmakers. And the 7 Series is not just a car, but an unabashed statement of what the German manufacturer can accomplish - the pinnacle of BMW motoring.

So, a technological tour de force no less, not unlike the Mercedes-Benz S-class launched in 1999, and acknowledged with that year's coveted Wheels' Car of the Year award.

The E65 BMW 7 Series was launched to the world in November, 2001, and took just three months to arrive in Australia. Initially we will be offered two models, the 735i and the 745i. Long wheelbase versions will arrive around July 2002, while a range-topping 6.0 litre V12 will be added in 2003.

The BMW 735i is powered by a 3.6-litre V8 engine, while the 745i gets its motivation from the bigger 4.4-litre V8, also found in the smaller 540i sedan. Prices at launch are $174,500 and $207,600 respectively. The differences between the two models go deeper than just engines, but we'll get to that later.

The new 7 Series is bigger than the car it replaces - 45mm longer, 40mm wider and 83mm taller - though you'd be hard pressed to pick it by just looking. BMW, like Mercedes-Benz with the S-class, has mastered the art of making large, imposing vehicles appear smaller, more lithe and more agile. That said, the 7 Series now sits more substantially on the road, its strong front and rear sculptured styling making this a car you won't easily dismiss.

From the aggressive 'animal eyes' headlights, down the sleek, smooth flanks to the high, strongly accented rear, the BMW 7 Series stamps its presence on the road. A presence the road surely cannot ignore, reverberating beneath massive 19-inch wheels and tyres - the biggest ever fitted standard to a new car in Australia. BMW tells us there's an optional 20-inch package for those who want it…

There's been some talk about the controversial bootlid styling, with its high decklid and bold cutlines. BMW's Ralph Kaiser believes it's about making a statement. "The bootlid lines are about building a character for the rear of the car, which is perhaps as equally important in the overall look of the car as the front."

"It is also important to the way the car glides through the air, which in turn impacts performance and fuel economy. The 7 Series has a drag coefficient of just 0.288, and a high bootlid is part of the reason we were able to achieve this with such a physically large car."

One of the first things you'll notice when driving the new 7 Series, is the lack of conventional metal key and ignition barrel. In the style of the Honda S2000 roadster, the BMW uses a starter button to fire its engine into life. The keyfob with remote controls is still inserted into the dash before the engine will start, but that will be replaced by a keyless system called Comfort Access in mid-2002.

Fire the V8 into life and the cabin noise - or lack of it - is immediately apparent. That subtle V8 burble is audible, but only just, adding a sporty vibe to the stately interior. Bury the throttle and the car lunges from standstill with an eagerness that belies its massive 1935kg bulk. The smaller engined 735i, with just 200kiloWatts of power and 360Newton-metres of torque will reach 100km/h in just 7.5 seconds. The bigger engined 745i, weighing just 10kg more, takes full advantage of an extra 45kW and 90Nm to knock a full 1.2 seconds off that time. Both vehicles are speed limited to 250km/h.

Fuel economy has not been adversely affected by the 7 Series' increase in weight and power. The new generation of BMW V8 engines, with BMW's patended VANOS valve control system, are actually around 12 percent more fuel efficient than the previous version, and are rated at a combined fuel cycle rating of less than 11.0 litre/100km/h.

BMW's 7 Series combines Dynamic Drive active suspension with Electronic Damper Control (EDC) to keep the car on the black top and at the same time isolate the cabin from road irregularities. Dynamic Drive eliminates body roll when cornering at less than 0.3g, effectively reducing body sway on longer gradual corners and slow speed city driving. EDC adjusts the damping effect based on the type of driving you're doing - sporty or stately - and the road conditions, to give the best performance for both worlds.

 The revolution continues inside the 2002 7 Series. Consider for a moment, a car without a gearlever in the normal central position. Consider also, a vehicle with no lever operated handbrake. Not necessarily groundbreaking in themselves, but nonetheless a clear pointer to the thought process behind designing this car.

School teachers, trying hard to spark curiosity in 12-year old kids, often say we should never accept anything as "the way it's always been done". We should question everything, no matter how insignificant it may seem. It's that approach BMW has taken with the new 7 Series.

All controls that have anything to do with driving the car are grouped on or around the steering wheel, immediately in front of, and easily accessed by, the driver. All controls that are more to do with comfort and convenience are grouped in the centre console. BMW calls this system iDrive.

So, we have a steering column-mounted gearshifter with PRND. Individual gears in the new ZF-supplied six-speed automatic gearbox, standard on all models, are available via tiptronic-style buttons mounted on the wheel. The handbrake is activated by clicking a button on the tip of the stalk, deactivation is via a dashboard mounted button.

This frees up a massive amount of space between the front seats - a space now occupied by a solitary silver dial similar in size to an orange juicer. With this one dial occupants can control eight major functions, including air conditioning, CD stereo, satellite navigation, telephone, trip computer and television.

Initially confusing, the system becomes intuitive and easy to navigate within hours. For those more often used features like stereo volume adjustment and air conditioning, the BMW retains a set of knobs on the dashboard for quick access.

BMW's iDrive system on the 7 Series also includes voice recognition and activation, allowing the driver access to more than 270 different functions with command words - everything from changing radio frequencies to dialling phone numbers and selecting destinations for the satnav system.

To go into the raft of other features BMW has included on the new 7 Series would be to write a book of War and Peace proportions.

Entire chapters could be devoted to intelligent windscreen wipers that move themselves if left stationary for more than four days - to stop blade warping; self-closing doors which suck themselves into position silently and securely; a boot which can not only open itself fully, allowing you to store up to four golf bags, but also close itself when you're done; seats which contain no less than nine fans to improve occupant comfort and airflow; these same seats can pump water into and out of a lumbar bag to exercise your back on long journeys. Need we go on?

Suffice to say the new E65 7 Series luxury sedan from BMW is a truly innovative vehicle pioneering a truckload of new - and useful - technologies that will slowly, but surely, filter down to more affordable cars in the next 10-20 years. The same way the airbag did, and antilock brakes, and cruise control…

And we reckon the future is going to be an exciting time indeed. But for some lucky, wealthy few, that future is already in reach.