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By MURRAY
HUBBARD
6 July 2009
BMW's
new 730d may not only mark a defining line in the sand for the
Bavarian maker, but also for the future of the diesel engine
across all luxury brands. That a car weighing almost two tonnes
can return similar economy to a small four-cylinder petrol car is
a most significant breakthrough.
Despite that amazing economy, the new BMW 730d turbo-diesel puts
out 180 kW and has similar grunt to a lively V8. And its emissions
are less than 200 grams of CO2 per kilometre. The BMW 730d has
fewer exhaust pipe emissions than the Lexus LS600 hybrid...
The bad news is that the 7 Series is BMW's luxury saloon, and
entry to this club is strictly for the rich and richer. At least
the well-heeled can now have their luxury without feeling guilty.
On the performance front there is little compromise: the new BMW
730d hits 100 km/h in just 7.2 seconds. Perhaps the more important
performance target is passing speeds and again the 730d is not
found wanting, as we found in our road test. Luxury buyers require
low-end torque, and the 730d delivers in truck loads.
“The Mercedes-Benz S-Class is one of the conquest cars BMW is
chasing,” said BMW PR manager, Toni Andreevski, “the S-Class
has dominated the segment in recent years. We would like to take
back that crown.”
BMW introduced its first diesel-powered cars to Australia less
than six years ago and, interestingly, is now also working on
hybrid engines. By 2009 more than a third of all BMWs sold here
are diesel-powered. However, these were mainly the X5 and X3 SUVs,
not sedans.
With a recommended retail price of $198,000 the 730d is the
cheapest 7 Series, $4200 under the 740i petrol powered car.
The company is now set to roll out diesel-powered variants in
other models, starting next month when it releases a 330d using
the same engine as the 730d. The 730d comes hot on the heels of
the introduction of 7 Series petrol-powered models in May. BMW
730d comes with identical specifications to its petrol-siblings
and is bristling with the high-tech bling that we have come to
expect from BMW.
Our road test car at the press launch out of Sydney was fitted
with some of BMW's extensive options including side view camera
and lane departure warning. The side-view cameras are fitted in
the front wheel arches and allow the driver to see left and right,
when nosing out of laneways or into traffic from between parked
cars.
The lane warning
system reads the white lines on the side/centre of the road and
causes a vibration in the steering wheel to alert the driver. BMW
used the launch to announce that German engineers will visit
Australia in the next two months to carry out local testing of the
speed limit function. This display ensures drivers always know the
speed limit in the zone in which they are driving. It uses a
camera fitted near the interior rear view mirror that is designed
to read the international speed signs and compare this to data in
the navigation system. It is already `live' in Germany with BMW
now conducting verifications in various world markets.
We drove the BMW 730d out of Sydney and down the M5 to Bowral,
Berry and back to the CBD, a distance of more than 420 kilometres.
It included some city driving, freeways, winding country roads,
and the steep descent and later ascent of the Southern Highlands
plateau. At almost two tonnes the 730d is a significant amount of
car to haul around and after slightly more than 100 kilometres
down the M5 the car's instruments told us we were using only 5.9
litres/100km. After some spirited driving including hills, winding
roads and the descent to Berry, we recorded 6.0 litres/100 km,
although at times we were as `high' as 8.4 litres/100 km.
After more than 400 kilometres we averaged 6.2 litres/100 km, well
below the BMW quoted figure of 7.2 litres/100 km. There's no doubt
the long, flat running on the M5 contributed greatly to this
remarkable economy.
The 730d gives nothing away in handling, braking and comfort
levels. It is surprisingly nimble on corners for such a large,
heavy car and the straight-six diesel, with 540 Nm of torque, has
performance levels in the same ball-park as a normally aspirated
V8. For spirited driving we used the six-speed automatic's `sport'
mode which holds gears longer for the steep descents and ascents
and rapid passing.
BMW 7 Series Pricing*
730d 3.0 litre diesel $198,800
740i 3.0 litre petrol $203,000
740Li 3.0 litre petrol $218,000
750i 4.4 litre V8 $274,200
750Li 4.4 litre V8 $291,200
*Manufacturers
recommended pricing not including government taxes or dealer
charges.
© Copyright
Marque Publishing Company
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