30 Jul 08
The differences between Comfort and Normal modes are incremental, however, and under most everyday conditions will be more noticeable to the passenger than the driver.
Comfort leads to a soft, slightly wallowy ride in the rear seats - many BMW 7-Series are bought by the chauffeured classes - and Normal mode, with better body control, is arguably nicer for wafting along.
The lack of rebound over rough surfaces, the absorption of ruts and bumps, and the flatness of cornering in all but Comfort modes is highly impressive, however, for the driver or the driven. Ride is much-improved, even with the fitment of run-flat, low rolling-resistance tyres.
Handling is hardly affected by the long-wheelbase body option either; this gives a little more legroom plus the choice of two individual, reclining and multi-way adjustable, rear armchair-style seats. With separate controls for air conditioning, heating and ventilation, audio, entertainment and communications systems, the back-seat boardroom has never had it so good.
The driver can further personalise the DDC settings via the iDrive controller (now a little more user-friendly in its menu system, though still complex) and other options to augment DDC include specific anti-roll stability control and the new Integral Active Steering.
