Test Car Specifications
Model tested: BMW 730d
Pricing: starts at £64,530
Engine: 3.0-litre turbocharged six-cylinder diesel
Transmission: eight-speed Steptronic automatic, rear-wheel drive
Body style: four-door saloon
CO2 emissions: 119g/km (VED Band C, £0 first year, £30 annually thereafter)
Combined economy: 62.8mpg
Top speed: 155mph (limited)
0-62mph: 6.1 seconds
Power: 265hp at 4,000rpm
Torque: 620Nm at 2,000- to 2,500rpm
What's this?
For want of a much less disingenuous phrase, the 'entry-level' model of the all-new, sixth-generation BMW 7 Series. Despite the backlash in some parts of the world against diesels as a result of their nitrous oxide exhaust emissions, they're still the vehicles that make most financial sense and in the Seven's launch line-up that is otherwise petrol - including the hybrid, which is a petrol-electric - there's just one derv-burner, the 730d. It comes in four different trims: as a regular wheelbase, rear-wheel drive machine as tested here; with the same drivetrain in the long-wheelbase body, in the 730Ld; or as either SWB or LWB variants with xDrive all-wheel drive underpinnings.
Stick your chips down on the plain old 730d, though. It's a fine-looking thing as the new Sevens go and the interior remains spacious and beautifully built, despite the lack of extra rear legroom offered by the Ld. Indeed, our test car didn't have the fancy rear seats or ventilated chairs in the front or a Driver Assistance Package - yet it felt as opulent and generated the same sense of well-being that we experienced in the 750Li xDrive. There's still the beautiful TFT instrument cluster, still the wonderful head-up display, still the benchmark for in-car infotainment control, iDrive 2015 - and plenty of other goodies like a Bowers & Wilkins Diamond surround sound system too. The Mercedes-Benz S-Class has a lot to think about with this latest BMW.
How does it drive?
Better than the petrol all-wheel drive model. There's a lightness of touch to everything the 730d does that makes it feel even more effortless - if it were possible - than the BMW 750Li. Sure, if you absolutely have to have Porsche-pummelling pace in your grand exec, go for that 4.4 V8, but we're sure most will find the alluring combination of a chunky 620Nm dealing with a lithe 1,755kg of Seven more than adequate. The 730d certainly doesn't feel slow, no matter if you try it fresh or jump into it from another 7 Series. The big six up front burrs away with a lovely, baritone tune and shifts the BMW with alacrity. It's also even quieter than the petrol V8, so that when you settle back into a cruise, the best way to describe the 7 Series' acoustics is not so much citing absence of noise, rather more wondering if it's actually generating anti-sound. No one should complain about the exquisite peacefulness of the 730d gliding serenely along a motorway.
It doesn't seem to lose anything in terms of grip, either (in the dry at least), and we'd go so far as to say the steering was marginally preferable in the rear-wheel drive diesel than the xDrive variant; it's still not perfect, though. And while we're grousing, we must come on to economy here. Our 125-mile test route was challenging and resulted in a 33.2mpg figure that, in stark black and white, looks feeble. But there are caveats. For a start, it is unlikely many 7 Series owners will be slicing along sinuous roads threading their way through a mountainous Portuguese forest. Once we hit the main routes heading to Porto and slotted the car into active cruise control, the 730d started returning a steady 50mpg-plus... which is still shy of 62.8mpg, but none too shabby for something five metres long that is capable of 0-62mph in 6.1 seconds. Also, on the right (read: small) wheels, the 730d is in a remarkable Band C for VED - meaning nothing to pay in year one and just £30 annually after that. Superb.
Verdict
'Simple' might seem a strange word to use in connection with a quasi-intelligent machine that can drive semi-autonomously, park itself and perform every task known to man for those lucky people on board. Yet here's why we think the 7 Series has finally surpassed the S-Class to forge a new executive world order: it possesses levels of comfort unparalleled by anything at a vaguely comparable price range; it has a cabin that feels worth a million dollars; its drivetrain is both strong and muscular, and yet also the exemplar of discretion when required; and it's bloody cheap to run for something so luxuriant and capable.
So while much of the technology contained within the 7 Series is complex, BMW has pulled off the incredible trick of hitting each and every one of its design brief targets with the latest generation, which allows the Seven to make things look oh-so-ridiculously-easy. Simple. Therefore, the 730d is a luxobarge masterpiece and the new class leader. It took 38 years to do it, but first impressions suggest that the Mercedes king is finally deposed.
Exterior Design
Interior Ambience
Passenger Space
Luggage Space
Safety
Comfort
Driving Dynamics
Powertrain
