BMW's frugal flagship flops fours

BMW is talking up the fuel economy of its latest local turbodiesel release -- the 730d limo.

Launched this week Down Under, the frugal flagship variant returns a combined fuel economy figure of 7.2L/100km. BMW says this means buyers of the full-size luxury sedan "will benefit from fuel consumption that is identical to many small four-cylinder sedans and hatchbacks".

BMW points out that the 730d outperforms Lexus LS series hybrid in terms of CO2 emissions. Says BMW Australia: "The 730d also becomes the first, and only, car in the upper luxury sedan segment that emits less than 200 grams of CO2 per kilometre (192 g/km)."

The 730d's official combined fuel usage is 7.2L/100km. This compares to 7.7L/100km for the Mercedes-Benz S 320 CDI and 8.4L/100km for Audi's A8 3.0 TDI. The big Lexus hybrid, the petrol-engined LS600hL returns 9.3 for the combined cycle.

The 730d is the first time BMW has offered a diesel powertrain in its range-topping model. It is powered by a 180kW version of BMW's latest twin-turbo inline six-cylinder direct-injection diesel.

On sale from $198,800, the vehicle boasts the same standard equipment levels as the recently released, and more expensive 740i ($203,000). These include Head Up Display, rear view camera, metallic paint, 18-inch light-alloy wheels, Dynamic Driving Control, adaptive headlights, heated and ventilated front seats, sunroof, automatic boot  and soft close doors as well as television tuner, voice recognition, and six-stack DVD player.

Look out for our local launch drive of the new 730d later this week.

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