Facelifted version of BMW’s flagship 7 Series luxury limo debuts here, includes colossal new grille, plug-in hybrid 745 Le is the headline model

Singapore –

This is the updated BMW 7 Series, and it’s just been launched in Singapore. At the same event BMW also announced the debut of Access by BMW – basically, Netflix for cars, where you get to drive different BMW models monthly for a flat fee. 

The new 7 Series is available only in long-wheelbase form, with three drivetrain choices at launch consisting of the 730Li, 740Li, and plug-in hybrid (PHEV) 745Le. 

Prices are S$415,888 with COE for the 730Li Pure Excellence, S$476,888 with COE for the 740Li Pure Excellence, S$504,888 with COE for the 740Li ‘Visionary’, and S$506,888 with COE for the 745Le. 

Unlike before, the 750Li model will not be offered for Singapore, although the high-performance M760Li model will be, at a later date.  

The 730Li has a 2.0-liter turbocharged inline four-cylinder engine with 265hp and 400Nm of torque, 0-100km/h is done in 6.3 seconds, with a 250km/h top speed. Fuel consumption is 7.1L/100km and CO2 emissions are 163g/km, with a C1 VES penalty.

The 740Li has a 3.0-liter turbocharged inline six-cylinder engine with 340hp and 450Nm of torque, 0-100km/h is done in 5.6 seconds, with a 250km/h top speed. Fuel consumption is 7.9L/100km and CO2 emissions are 180g/km, with a C1 VES penalty. 

The 745Le is a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) with the same 3.0-litre engine as the 740Li, although it makes only 286hp and 450Nm of torque. The added boost from the 113hp electric motor gives a total system output of 394hp and 600Nm of torque, good for a 0-100km/h 5.1-seconds, top speed of 250km/h, thanks in part to xDrive all-wheel drive.

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The electric range of the car has been extended to a maximum of 54km thanks to a new lithium ion battery, fuel consumption is 2.5L/100km (average), CO2 emissions of 143g/km and VES rating of B (neutral). The car it replaces, the 740e / 740Le, had a smaller battery pack and a 2.0-litre turbo engine, with just 322hp total system output.

The current sixth-generation G12 BMW 7 Series has undergone its mid-lift facelift (aka Life Cycle Improvement (LCI) in BMW speak), so the platform and overall dimensions remains the same except for length (it’s 22mm longer, at 5,260mm), but the car gets improvements in most other areas. 

BMW has increased number of standard features on the car, as even the base model 730Li has an impressive loadout. Exclusive Nappa leather is now standard on all cars, as is adaptive air suspension, and Driving Assistant Professional, which encompasses steering assist and automatic distance keeping (adaptive cruise control), autonomous emergency warning and braking. 

‘Pure Excellence’ is the standard specification offered for the 730Li and 740Li, though the latter also offered in the higher ‘Visionary’ spec.

The 730Li has front seats with massage, a sunroof, remote control parking (via the smart key) sunblinds, wireless charging, 

Dynamic damper control, integral active steering (aka four-wheel steering), and adaptive ‘Driving experience control’ (drive modes) are also onboard.

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740Li Visionary includes front and rear seats with massage and ventilation function, quilted leather interior, the larger panoramic roof ‘Sky Lounge’, and rear seat entertainment.

It’s not the subtle ‘what’s different again?’ sort of facelift either: There’s no missing one big change in the form of the gigantic kidney grille, which is now 40 percent larger and matches the one seen on the X7 SUV. 

The front end of the car is a huge 50mm taller, thanks to the new grille and new bonnet design, which adds more road presence to the vehicle.

New paint colours include Bernina Grey (as shown above in the 745Le model), Royal Burgundy Red metallic, and Donington Grey metallic. 

The rear also has a very visible update in the form of a lightbar joining the two tail-light clusters (which themselves are 35mm slimmer), and it’s lit during the day for greater visibility. The previous model had a simple chrome bar instead. 

What you can’t see are improvements to refinement. BMW says the side-windows are now 5.1mm thickers, there are new front vent ‘wings’ and air breathers (behind the front wheel) to manage airflow better, and the rear wheel has more insulation around it to further reduce road and tyre noise. 

Inside, there’s a major update in the form of BMW Live Cockpit Professional, as seen on the BMW X5, 8 Series, and 3 Series, including a 10.25-inch active instrument display, and new infotainment system dubbed Operating System 7.0. 

The latter centers around the 12.3-inch touchscreen display, which can also be controlled via rotary controller, gestures, or voice control through BMW’s advanced new speech-recognition system Intelligent Personal Assistant. As tested on the 3 Series, it can even decipher incoherent, Batman-style growling – we show at 6:12 in the video below. 

 

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7hdr03AfMc[/embedyt]

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