BMW 7-Series (2008-) Review

Comfort and Equipment

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Standard spec is adequate but you could spend a fortune on options. A 'bog standard' BMW 7-Series includes 18" alloy wheels, four-zone climate control, the updated iDrive system incorporating navigation, multimedia and Bluetooth, bi-xenon headlights, front and rear parking distance control and leather upholstery.

The options list is exhaustive though. If you want the head-up display - a device that projects dashboard information onto the lower part of the windscreen, you have to pay an extra £915. Then there's the dynamic drive package (£1,160), adaptive headlights (£460), active cruise control (£1,285), a blind spot indicator (£425), lane departure warning (£315), night vision (£1,500), reverse camera assist (£290), side view cameras (£290), multi-adjustable rear seats (£1,455), DVD (£405) and countless other gizmos designed to make your life easier.

But let's start with the iDrive. We spoke to the chief engineer responsible for reworking a system that hasn't had many fans. BMW has spent the past five years trying to get this right and in almost every respect it has. Instead of the four-part north/south/east/west options the new iDrive simply presents a list where you can scroll down and choose the desired function. It is much easier to use and it means you spend less time looking at the display screen and more time looking at the road ahead.

There are short - and long-wheelbase versions and both offer 140mm more space inside. You can stretch out in the back and there's more than enough width and headroom for even the tallest or most portly passengers. The seats are fantastically supple and if you opt for the multi-adjustable comfort seats (£2,160) you'll feel like you are sitting in your front room. There's ample bootspace too - 500 litres of it - which is a comparable to an S-Class which has 560 litres.

The car glides along pretty much everywhere and only the most potted of roads will ruin passengers' chances of nodding off on long journeys. It's quiet too: you can scarcely hear the diesel engine in the 730d. Road noise is nicely suppressed as well, and if you are really looking for a fault it's that there's a marginal amount of wind noise coming from the rear view mirrors when you are driving at motorway speeds.