Category: Large Executive 
Price Range: £53,695 to £68,800
Immense performance; offers superb comfort and refinement as well as driving pleasure
Very few: iDrive control system still fiddly, hard ride with the sports suspension and 19-inch alloy wheels - though that goes with the territory
The controversial styling has been toned down for 2005, but otherwise the Seven remains an uncompromising technological showcase
The fourth-generation 7-Series (E65, launched 2002) was acclaimed as a superb driver's car which did not compromise on comfort or refinement, but there was one major objection: its challenging appearance. Viewed alongside its elegant but conservative predecessor (E38), the aggressively angular E65 polarised opinion - to put it mildly - and there were even calls in the motoring media for the resignation of styling chief Chris Bangle. Three years on, Bangle's vision looks less controversial, especially since the launch of the arguably more resolved new 5-Series, stunning 6-Series and downsized-but-undiluted 1-Series. In short, we've got used to it. However, BMW took fright, and with sales of the E65 getting off to a slow start, it has instigated a subtle watering-down for this mid-term facelift. The startled 'eyebrows' over the headlamps have gone, for a start, and the tail has benefitted from a subtle tweak. Addressing the other main criticism, BMW has also revised the complicated i-Drive control system, adding a simpler menu and more direct access to certain functions. That said, we still find the system less intuitive than Audi's MMI (Multi-Media Interface, as you ask).
Most noteworthy, though, is the revised engine line-up: a modified 4.8-litre (367bhp) V8 in the 750i replaces the 745i unit, an updated 4.0-litre (306bhp) V8 in the 740i replaces the 735i and the all-new ultra-lightweight straight-six (258bhp) is fitted in the 730i and the 730d's 231bhp unit has been updated. The 760i V12 (445bhp) continues unchanged. Minor enhancements have been made to the chassis and suspension, and there are more options for further tweaks: the Adaptive Drive set-up now includes continuously adjustable damper control and Dynamic Drive, as in the 5-Series, to reduce body roll.
UK-specification models are available in 730i, 730d, 740i, 750i and 760i forms, and Li long-wheelbase versions are also offered - including, for the first time, diesel models. The SE and Sport variants continue, and options include the adaptive ride package, active cruise control, adaptive headlights, a rear-seat entertainment pack including TV and a two-seat rear passenger layout aimed at the chauffeur-driven.
Latest Readers' Drives About the BMW 7-Series
wrote on 20 03 2007