ബിഎംഡബ്യു 7 Series 2015-2019 740Li

From the leading luxury automaker of India, comes the exquisitely carved and brilliantly engineered 7-Series that has been around for more three decades, over which it has witnessed a total of five generations join its royal bloodline, the youngest of which has now been given a fascinating mid-life facelift. With competition in the luxury segment getting fiercer with every passing day and rivals clans fine-tuning their lineups in preparation for the battle, this exciting makeover for the BMW 7-Series should prove very useful for the German car-major. While exterior updates on this new version include some very subtle changes, the interiors get to flaunt a whole bunch of comfort, convenience and technological upgrades. The engine too on the 2013 BMW 7-Series 740Li , which is the bottom-of-the-line variant in the petrol range, gets tweaked so as to return an improved fuel-economy in this latest version. As for the safety package, just like always, BMW leaves no stone unturned in ensuring that their buyers remain absolutely safe and sound on the move.

Exteriors

The 2013 facelifted version of BMW 7-Series introduces a number of subtle yet exquisite modifications and enhancements in the exteriors of the luxurious ride. Starting with the front; keeping its innate sophistication and magnificence intact, the front fascia of the car has been given a revamped bumper that gets adorned with chrome highlights and features a new set of LED fog lamps. The BMW-characteristic kidney grille has also been worked upon, its slats getting reduced from 12 to 9. Flanking this refurbished grille is a pair of beautifully restyled headlamps that now come with the option of adaptive full-LED lights. Moving on to the side profile; besides the redesigned turn indicators that get integrated with the ORVMs, a new set of Star-spoke alloys measuring 18 inches in diameter, with 245/50 R18 tyres mounted on them, is the most striking update that one notices here. As for the rear end, a thick band of chrome has been added here that runs across the bootlid, forming a shimmering bridge between the two newly-restyled tail-lamps, and adds considerably to the rich look of the 2013 BMW 7-Series 740Li. Besides the detailing, the dimensions of this new facelift also help a lot in highlighting its imposing stance. While its large overall dimensions of 5219 x 1902 x 1481 mm (l x w x h), along with the long wheelbase of 3210 mm, speak of the immense seating room that the 7-Series offers its elite riders, the ground clearance of 152 mm that now gets reduced by 8 mm emphasises its majestic nature.

Interiors

Considering that the BMW 7-Series has always been more of a chauffeur-driven ride than a self-drive one, rear seat comfort is the area that has been paid the strictest attention to in this 2013 facelift. Plush and properly-proportioned, the leather seats at the rear end of the 7-Series 740Li provide exceptional comfort , perfect support and immense room for the occupants' legs, heads and shoulders, keeping inconvenience of any kind far away. In order to ensure that every ride in this luxury machine is a 'quality ride', a lot of work has been done on sound insulation, particularly around the B and C pillars, so as to reduce the in-cabin noise as much as possible. Besides all this, the size of the front seats have been reduced a notch so that the rear seat passengers can enjoy a better view forward, which only underscores the emphasis that has been laid by designers on detail. In terms of equipment, the instrument console has been given a makeover, integrating it with the multi-mode feature that makes the console change colour according to the driving mode in action. The iDrive system has also received a new 10.25-inch LCD display and has been loaded with 3D navigation maps. Other than all this, the standard package of the 2013 BMW 7-Series 740Li includes features like automatic air-conditioning with 4-zone control, electrical glass roof, multi-function steering wheel and Leather Dakota and Fine-wood trims.

Engine and Performance

Sitting under the hood of the 2013 BMW 7-Series 740Li is a 2979cc, 6-cylinder, 4-valve, V6 petrol engine that has been borrowed from the preceding generation of the 7-Series but retuned to offer an impressive improvement of 21% in efficiency. Capable of putting out a maximum 320bhp at 5800rpm along with a peak torque of 450Nm over a rev-range of 1300-4500rpm, this power-packed mill can take the car from 0-100kmph in a blink of just 5.7 seconds . To work in synchronisation with this engine, a flawless 8-speed automatic transmission gearbox has been loaded in the 740Li, which replaces the 7-speed transmission system that featured on the previous generation and enables the car to return a fabulous fuel-economy of 12.05kmpl while cutting the CO2 emissions down to as low as 199.62g/km. To boost the efficiency levels of the powermill even further, Automatic Start/Stop function and Brake Energy Regeneration features have also been included in this fascinating car.

Braking and Handling

Powerful disc brakes have been employed to work both at the front as well as the rear end of the 2013 BMW 7-Series 740Li, which, in coordination with hi-tech features like Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS), Cornering Brake Control (CBC) and Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) which also includes Dynamic Traction Control (DTC) , make for a brilliant braking system. As far as handling is concerned, despite being a pretty large vehicle, the 7-Series does not pose any handling difficulties whatsoever for the driver. While the proficient suspension system composed of Independent, double-joint, spring struts for the front and Independent, air suspension for the rear end facilitates an absolutely jolt-free and comfortable ride, the well-weighted steering wheel, which gets heavier in the Sport driving mode, ensures that the driver can maintain complete control over the ride at all times.

Comfort Features

Being the regal ride that BMW 7-Series is known to be, even the very basic 740Li variant of the car comes well-laden with all kinds of comfort and convenience features that are required for a great ride experience each and every time. Be it the automatic operation feature of the tailgate, soft-close function for the doors, automatic air-conditioning, electrically adjustable seats, roller sunblinds for the rear windscreen and rear side windows, audio system with DVD changer for 6 DVDs or rear-seat entertainment Professional with two 23.3cm displays and rear iDrive controller – the 740Li has it all.

Safety Features

The safety mechanism designed for the 2013 BMW 7-Series 740Li is just as sound as those in the other higher variants of the car, with no compromises being made anywhere. In the cockpit area, active headrests for the seats, front, side and head airbags for the driver and front passenger and three point seat belts with pyrotechnic belt tensioners and belt force limiters for both the seats have been included. For the rear seat passengers, in the meantime, head airbags and three point seat belts have been provided. Other than these, the car has also been equipped with Active Protection system including Attentiveness Assistant , Anti-lock Braking System (ABS), Cornering Brake Control (CBC), Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) which also includes Dynamic Traction Control (DTC), electronic vehicle immobiliser and crash sensor, side-impact protection, Runflat tyres with run-flat indicator and warning triangle with first-aid kit.

Pros

Excellent comfort, unmatched safety, outstanding engine performance and efficiency and easy handling.

Cons

Exterior updates are not very pronounced.