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By Glen Waddington
13 March 2008 12:59
Big sports saloon or limo? Actually, the long-wheelbase BMW 7-series aims towards the genuine limo class. And it's huge. Huge enough to make you wonder if a 3.0-litre turbodiesel could ever be enough to shift you in VIP-style haste.
From the driving seat you'll soon forget the 'L' on the boot badge. It's all standard 7-series up-front, and that means supportive seats, a great driving position and the expectation that you're going to enjoy yourself. Get in the back, however, and you’re treated to more legroom than a basketball player could reasonably need.
Problem is, the 7-series is getting on a bit now. An all-new car – that will also spawn a baby Rolls-Royce – will be launched at the 2008 Paris show this autumn. That means we've all had long enough to get used to the way this cars looks (it was the first Bangle Beemer to be launched) and, while you wouldn't say it's dated outside, the dashboard is feeling its age.
Ergonomically it's a mess. The i-Drive system is cumbersome. The arrangement of column stalks is confusing, so much so that you're bound to try and turn the wipers on with the transmission selector and the indicators with the cruise control. And the slot for the cartridge key with its accompanying Start button looks like the tacky afterthought it is.
Material quality ain't so hot either, with some distinctly ordinary plastic surfaces to be found surrounding the glossy veneers. And the twang when you slam the doors is a surprise, and a detail that the competition from Ingolstadt would never get wrong.
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kubrick says
I guess it's time to say goodbye to the E65 - it won't be missed by too many. Its predecessor, the E38, was a competent, if too conservative car back in its day and the E32, well that's the car that put BMW on the luxury car map and was a stunning design by the great Ercole Spada. The current version was at odds with BMW's idea of always offering the sportiest car in its class, both visually and in terms of performance. And in pre-facelift shape it had some really awkward styling aspects (like the front lights-grille-ratio, among others) and thus allowed the A8 to lure away too many former 7 drivers. And that A8 Mk. 2 was also a very good car, better than the 7 in many respects. So when Merc presented their (also stylistically challenged) current S, which meant a return to quality and technological leadership, it also meant the 7 would fall into oblivion, despite one of the best facelifts BMW has ever made. I'm really looking forward to the new version, hoping it will be less of an E90 irrelevance and more something of an E32 for the noughties.
18 March 2008 18:25
menorca98 says
Long 7 Series
How does this car move the game forward? irrelavent rubbish - a waste of space!
18 March 2008 15:20
JohnnyBimmer says
Lost Boy
BMW, like Audi, seems to get 'lost' in the upper reaches of the car market against the seminal Mercedes S-Class. The 7 has always looked a bit of a Russian barge, confused and outdated in each generation. A stark contrast to the tight, focused bang-on packages of the 3 and 5 Series. C'mon BM, if you're going to produce an Exec limo do it properly and with a bit of panache!
18 March 2008 11:21
matt.yousuf says
BMW Alpina B7
Yep my dad was the same. Had an old shaped 750 and didn't want to replace it with the new one. Well that was until he went into the BMW dealer and saw a BMW Alpina B7! Now that's a different story. That looks stunning and performs like a beast.
16 March 2008 00:15
jim says
missed oppurtunity
are BMW deliberately trying to alienate the customers in this class? everytime i see an old shape 7 series I see a man who boughht a great car and is not going to trade it in for one of the latest efforts from BMW.my dad had a 7 series a while back and loved it, but in the end the lexus dealer got his money as BMW doesn't offer the special feeling anymore.
13 March 2008 18:14
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