|
BMW builds a new full-size flagship sedan with elegant 740i
Bob Plunkett
Date Posted: 5/10/2005
|
Mount Magazine, tallest obstacle between the Rocky Mountains out west and the Alleghenys to the east, rises 2,753 feet above rolling pine forests of western Arkansas. A corkscrew 2-lane blacktop highway, traversing steep slopes and twisting near the summit through stacked granite ramparts, runs across this peak, beginning on the north side in the town of Paris and concluding after 28 miles with a hair-raising downhill romp into the hamlet of Havana, which overlooks the peak's sunlit southern slopes.
This Paris-to-Havana route over a mountain in Arkansas, of all places, became my definitive test track to sample the spirit of an elegant new full-size sport touring sedan from Germany's renowned Bayerische Motoren Werke.
The BMW flagship 740i of 1995 appears evolutionarily akin to its 1994 predecessor, which traces to a 1988 design, although the new version rides on a longer wheelbase, wears smooth new sheetmetal shapes outside and contains a level of sophistication in content for performance, safety, comfort and luxury not seen before in an imported European sedan.
Its hoodline drops decisively to the aerodynamic sweep of a glassed headlamp cluster, with BMW's distinctive kidney grille splashed subtly in chrome and appearing slightly lower and broader to fit the shallow stance of the prow.
The 740i's roof caps lower than before and the rear extends dramatically to a crisp sweep culminating in a spoiler lip of the tail before cascading in a slick wrap below deck which gives not a hint of hidden exhaust pipes.
Beneath the broad hood BMW packs an assertive 4.0-liter V8 engine, all high-tech and high-performance with aluminum block and heads, 4-cam configuration, four valves for each cylinder, direct ignition added plus a sophisticated Bosch engine management system with adaptive knock control.
Horsepower, if you're counting, climbs to 282 at 5800 rpm, and those torque numbers stretch to 295 at 4500 rpm. Despite the full-size stance and stout weight, this new 740i will rip it from zero to 60 mph in seven seconds flat.
The beefy Bimmer engine hooks up with a malleable 5-speed electronic automatic transmission rigged with an adaptive control mechanism which first tracks and measures a driver's driving style -- aggressive or gentle, for instance -- then figures out the ideal gear at any speed as function of driving style and condition of road surface.
It also has a console-mounted lever which allows an active driver to bump up and down gear ranges to override commands and make hands-on decisions about shift patterns, like you would handle a manual stick without clutching.
Obviously, this BMW was built for fun driving, and it proved the point in my charge down Mount Magazine's slope.
After I slapped throttle to floor, the big sedan responded by zipping the brief Magazine straightaway before I braked hard to hold a hairpin at the end. Then fully into that turn with accelerator again depressed, my BMW gripped blacktop like a sports car, etching a firm line as lateral G-forces tried to pull us off the lip of a cliff.
The pattern continued down this slope: Race the straights, rein the turns, then hard across an apex and off to another straightaway. I felt little body roll, heard no tires squeal and but minute hums from engine and wind, only man and machine in harmony swinging down that steep trail.
Fun like this on four wheels with emotional satisfaction doesn't normally come in a full-size luxury sedan, but BMW's new 740i is not just another fancy 4-door.
I elevate it to a class of its own: 4-door luxury high-performing sports car, rear-wheel-drive included.
Consider the point: No other sedan from Europe -- and surely nothing from Japan or Detroit -- comes close to this precision and fun with so much luxury content.
Nothing else has so many controls either. I counted 35 switches on the center dash module, and still there's that steering wheel with at least 10 more buttons to push.
Everything's reduced to fingertip action.
On the steering wheel, you may call a friend on the phone, retune the radio, punch up another compact disc, recirculate the inside air or set speed for the freeway.
Three different punch-me-up displays on the dash information center let you lock in radio data, dial up trip figures and fuel numbers or check on climate controls.
Talk about conveniences: Here's a German automobile that even concedes America's quest for cupholders by providing dual grippers front and rear, then trims them with genuine walnut wood.
Supple leather and high-gloss wood line the inside, with front articulated bucket seats with a zillion adjustments, plus a 3-person rear bench containing sculpted spots for two with a broad center console folded down.
A hidden passage to the trunk permits long items like snow skis to intrude into the cabin, but to protect the leather a built-in bag keeps such items under wraps.
And that new audio system: The 740i I steered over that Arkansas mountain carried an incredible 440-watt sound system with 14 speakers and programmable venue choices for setting sound quality -- concert hall, cathedral, jazz club.
Convenience enhancements over previous 7-series sedans range from 1-touch power windows and automatic-dimming rearview mirror to a new 2-way sunroof design, handy tilt-down of right rearview mirror when in reverse gear, continuously variable heating for seats, remote switch-on for interior lights via key fob, cargo straps and netting in the trunk along with soft-close lid feature.
Yet hard-core controls make 740i fly on four wheels.
The list is long and the explanations, complicated, but to itemize only a few understand that this luxo-sportster contains speed-sensitive and self-adjusting power steering, a remarkable independent suspension system with self-leveling gas shocks and anti-roll bars, vacuum-assist big disc brakes with multi-channel anti-lock control, and more.
Safety systems extend beyond ABS to steel crash zones and a passenger safety cage, dual airbags, 8-mph bumpers, special door locking system and multi-functional key.
Options include BMW's all-season traction, 16-way power seats, a power rear sunshade and inclement weather package with foglamp cleaners and heated seats, the premium audio and trunk-based 6-disc CD changer, as well as BMW's cellular telephone mounted in the new sliding console's padded top.
To purchase this hallmark sedan, you not only should possess a lust for performance driving, but mucho moola, as pricing begins near $60,000, with stretched 740iL and 12-cylinder 750iL versions due later for even more cash.
1995 BMW 740i
|
| Vehicle Specifications: |
| 1995 BMW 740I Specs |
| Description: |
Full-size luxury sedan |
| Model Options: |
Full-size luxury sedan |
| Wheelbase: |
740i: 115.4 inches
740iL: 120.9 inches
750iL: 120.9 inches |
| Overall Length: |
740i: 196.2 inches
740iL: 201.7 inches
750iL: 201.7 inches
|
| Engine Size: |
DOHC 4.0-L V8 32-v
SOHC 5.4-L V12
|
| Transmission: |
Auto/5 |
| Drive: |
Rear |
| Braking: |
Power 4-disc/ABS |
| Airbags: |
2 |
| Gas Mileage: |
16/24 mpg |
| Price: |
$ 57,900 |
|
|
