BMW Flagship Brings New Meaning to "Hostile Takeover"
It may difficult to spot the facelift BMW has given the 7-Series for 2006, but exterior revisions give the flagship Bimmer a new grille, headlights, front bumper, hood, rear bumper, trunk lid, taillights, rear valance, side sills and wheels. Slight mods also apply to the spacious cabin wherein one will find dashboard tweaking, iDrive improvements and updated trim
elements. But probably the most influential yet least visible alteration for 2006 is the increased displacement and output of the V8 powerplant that powered last year's 745s, and now powers their replacements, the 750i and 750Li. It's a dream of an engine, but more about that later.
In my mind, the styling revisions for 2006 don't go far enough to eradicate the controversial design cues that have plagued this fourth generation 7-Series since it's unveiling in 2002. Continuing to be particularly objectionable to my eye is the vehicle's boxy trunk lid arrangement that raised many an eyebrow in BMW circles. Yes it's better, and yes I've become more accepting of the big car's styling quirks day-by-day, but the overall package remains far from equaling the clean symmetrical lines I so admire in Audi's A8. Despite my frosty reception, the 7-Series projects a
distinctive, bold muscular stance that suggests this is not a sedan to be trifled with.
Putting credence to the car's powerful image is an up-sized, highly sophisticated, 32-valve V8. Now displacing 4.8 litres (293 cu in), the crème-brule-smooth mill develops a magnificent 360 horsepower twinned by 360 pound-feet of torque. That's 35 more ponies and 30 more pounds of torque than last year's 4.4 litre (268 cu in) V8. Like last year, the V8's output flows through a 6-speed autobox featuring steering-wheel-mounted buttons to control BMW's STEPTRONIC manual-mode shift technology. In addition to manual-mode, the transmission has a sport-mode, which allows it to hold a gear longer and shift gears more quickly. This engine/transmission combo is well suited to each other. Within normal driving parameters the engine never has to do anything more than loaf along, but like a good sentry it is always ready to snap to attention. Although its powerband and torque curve feel resilient and broad, the availability of six cogs keeps the revs within this V8's sweet spot, providing brisk acceleration off-the-line and nothing short of startling highway passing performance.
It may difficult to spot the facelift BMW has given the 7-Series for 2006, but exterior revisions give the flagship Bimmer a new grille, headlights, front bumper, hood, rear bumper, trunk lid, taillights, rear valance, side sills and wheels. Slight mods also apply to the spacious cabin wherein one will find dashboard tweaking, iDrive improvements and updated trim
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| Exterior revisions give the flagship Bimmer a new grille, headlights, front bumper, hood, rear bumper, trunk lid, taillights, rear valance, side sills and wheels. (Photo: Rob Rothwell, Canadian Auto Press) |
In my mind, the styling revisions for 2006 don't go far enough to eradicate the controversial design cues that have plagued this fourth generation 7-Series since it's unveiling in 2002. Continuing to be particularly objectionable to my eye is the vehicle's boxy trunk lid arrangement that raised many an eyebrow in BMW circles. Yes it's better, and yes I've become more accepting of the big car's styling quirks day-by-day, but the overall package remains far from equaling the clean symmetrical lines I so admire in Audi's A8. Despite my frosty reception, the 7-Series projects a
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| Within normal driving parameters the engine never has to do anything more than loaf along, but like a good sentry it is always ready to snap to attention. (Photo: Rob Rothwell, Canadian Auto Press) |
Putting credence to the car's powerful image is an up-sized, highly sophisticated, 32-valve V8. Now displacing 4.8 litres (293 cu in), the crème-brule-smooth mill develops a magnificent 360 horsepower twinned by 360 pound-feet of torque. That's 35 more ponies and 30 more pounds of torque than last year's 4.4 litre (268 cu in) V8. Like last year, the V8's output flows through a 6-speed autobox featuring steering-wheel-mounted buttons to control BMW's STEPTRONIC manual-mode shift technology. In addition to manual-mode, the transmission has a sport-mode, which allows it to hold a gear longer and shift gears more quickly. This engine/transmission combo is well suited to each other. Within normal driving parameters the engine never has to do anything more than loaf along, but like a good sentry it is always ready to snap to attention. Although its powerband and torque curve feel resilient and broad, the availability of six cogs keeps the revs within this V8's sweet spot, providing brisk acceleration off-the-line and nothing short of startling highway passing performance.