2013 BMW 7-series review, test drive and video
The facelifted 7-series addresses the few weaknesses of the current model. We bring you our first impressions.
In BMW’s defence, the 7-series has always been a strong contender in this class, and BMW has chosen not to mess with it too much in this mid-life facelift. What it has done, however, is subtly improve the car, concentrating on making the rear-seat experience better and throwing in some new equipment.
Slide into the rear seats and you’ll notice the most obvious of these changes – the front seats are smaller than before and therefore allow a better view forward for rear passengers. It’s a small but important improvement in a car that is primarily chauffeur-driven.
And, to further improve the rear-seat experience, BMW has added a lot more sound insulation, especially around the B and C pillars and the door sills, to further reduce in-cabin noise levels on the move.
BMW has also tweaked linkages and used hydraulic bearings on the hub carrier to isolate the cabin even further. And this 7 uses a new generation of run-flat tyres that offer better ride comfort.
Notable new equipment on the inside consists of the new digital display for the dials that changes colour as you change driving modes. It turns red when you shift to Sport and Sport+ modes and blue for the fuel-saving Eco Pro mode. There’s a new optional 10.25-inch LCD display for the iDrive system, and 3D navigation maps as well.
The car you see here is the 750xd, which means it’s a 381bhp, six-cylinder, tri-turbo diesel with all-wheel drive. While this motor is incredibly smooth, torquey and suits the 7’s effortless character, it won’t be coming to India. What we will probably get here is the 730Ld diesel, which has been given a slight increase in power, and the petrol 740Li, which is 21 percent more efficient than before, both mated to the fantastic eight-speed automatic gearbox.
The facelifted 7-series, which will hit Indian showrooms early next year, is a definite improvement over the old car, and the subtle updates to improve the chauffeur-driven experience will endear it to buyers even more. It’s a shame the facelift is so subtle.
Watch video review here
Fact File
Price Range (in lakhs)*
| Ex-showroom price | Rs 1 crore |
Engine
| Type | 6 cyls, in line, 2993cc, tri-turbo diesel |
| Power | 375.5bhp at 4400rpm |
| Torque | 75.4kgm at 2000rpm |
Transmission
| Gearbox | 8-speed auto |
Dimensions
| Length | 5079 mm |
| Width | 1902 mm |
| Height | 1471 mm |
| Wheel base | 3070mm |
| Ground clearance | 152mm |
Chassis & Body
| Weight | 1995kg |
Suspension
| Front | Independent, double-joint spring strut |
| Rear | independent, air suspension |
Economy
Rolls-Royce raises the bar with the latest Phantom
DETAILS
Top 5 Premium Luxury Saloons
Rolls-Royce, with the Phantom, had set a new benchmark in terms of luxury tourers. There was great performance, and all from the rich comfort of one of the most luxurious car cabins in the world. Rolls had outdone itself. Or so we thought, till the carmaker came up with the Phantom Series II. If you thought the old Phantom was good, then this new one will absolutely take you by storm. There are improvements all round. The new car is even smoother than the old one, thanks to a new eight-speed gearbox mated to the twelve-cylinder motor. It is more economical because of the extra gears, but then, most Rolls owners have not been known to care much about fuel bills. The suspension has also been tweaked subtly to make the Phantom a tad more sporty. A more responsive throttle map can be turned on via an ‘S’ button on the steering wheel. Not that being sporty was ever a condition with any Rolls. The new Phantom does do a great job of amplifying comfort levels and that feeling of luxury. The suspension gobbles up bad roads with utter ease, faint and nearly unnoticeable thuds the only indication. Barely any noise creeps into the cabin, even when you rev the engine freely. So when you step inside, you’re practically sealed into luxury. So, what are the changes made to the Phantom II? The old car’s pig-eye fog lamps have made way for a nicer-looking LED headlight setup featuring fully automatic brights and some rectilinear daytime running lights. The imposing Parthenon grille is now made of a single piece of stainless steel, unlike the bonded three-piece component of old. Other exterior changes are to the C pillar, which gets new chrome treatment, and a rear bumper that’s been refined. The six-and-three-quarter-litre engine makes ‘adequate’ power, which is a bit of an understatement. The 453bhp and 73.4kgm of torque gets to 100kph in 5.7sec, but it never feels that quick. This I believe, is down to the taller ratio in the new differential that makes occupants feel like they’re gathering speed when they’re actually piling it on. For a car that’s this big, it’s rather easy to drive. The square dimensions make guiding it through traffic a cinch, the view from the high driver’s seat is excellent, and visibility is improved by the elephant-ear rear view mirrors. This brings us to that other useful feature that the new Series II has – cameras all around the car that beam images to BMW’s latest iDrive screen. And when you’re trying to park this leviathan, you need all the help you can get. The cabin, of course, is finished to the expected highest standards, with lovely wood, soft leather, bright chrome bezels and tactile handles and buttons. Everything you touch has the right texture and tension to tell you it’s the best possible solution for its purpose. The thin-rimmed steering wheel is evocative of the traditional, albeit with multiple buttons integrated around the hub, and you can’t help but get sucked in by the old-world charm that this cabin exudes. In the end, it may seem like Rolls-Royce has been extremely cautious with upgrading the Phantom, but when the last one was already so good, I think there’s no point in fixing what wasn’t broken. Sir Henry Royce had a principle – ‘take the best that exists and make it better’. That’s exactly what Rolls has done with the Series II. Fact File
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Lamborghini Aventador Roadster revealedLamborghini reveals carbon fibre-roofed Aventador LP700-4 Roadster; 0-100kph in 3sec and reaches around 350kph with the roof down.This is the new Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4 Roadster, a 690bhp V12 open-top hypercar that is, the Italian firm claims, “the most exciting Lamborghini ever built”.The Aventador Roadster uses a Targa-style two-piece carbon fibre roof, which weighs just 6kg. It can be removed by hand in “a few seconds” and stored in the front luggage compartment when not in use. The carbon fibre roof is made using Lamborghini’s own Forged Composite tech, which creates a material stronger than titanium but less dense. The hard-top for the Aventador Roadster addresses the main problem with its open-top Murcielago predecessor. With that car’s fabric roof raised, its top speed was limited to 160kph. The roof was also tricky to remove and store. Just like the coupé, the Aventador Roadster uses a normally aspirated 6.5-litre V12 featuring cylinder deactivation technology, stop-start and a seven-speed automatic gearbox. With the roof off, the new Roadster can hit a claimed 350kph and sprint from zero to 0-100kph in just 3.0sec. Lamborghini claims that the roof is “easy to handle, lightweight and simple to attach”, as well as being easy to store in the front. Two aerodynamics aids have also been added. A powered rear windscreen controls the airflow over the car and the amount of noise from the engine that passengers can hear with the roof down. A removable wind deflector also features and sits on top of the front windscreen to “deliver almost complete calm” in the cabin with the roof off. The new roof has brought with it some design changes to the Aventador Roadster over the coupé. The rear pillars have been redesigned to give the car greater strength when the roof is removed. They also offer rollover protection and supply extra ventilation to the engine. The Roadster’s engine cover has also changed from the coupe’s. It features a ‘spinal column’ with two lines of hexagonal windows. The two scissor doors also get a chamfered edge for the frameless windows to ensure a flush finish into the new roof. To further distinguish the Aventador Roadster from the coupé, the bodywork gets a two-tone finish. Gloss black is used for the pillars, roof and rear window area. A new Azzuro Thetis colour, seen here and inspired by the colour of the 1968 Miura Roadster, is also offered on the Roadster. New 20-inch front and 21-inch rear lightweight alloy wheels, which reduce the kerb weight by 10kg, are another Roadster-only addition. Bikes Harley Davidson Fat Bob, test ride, reviewWe hop onto a Harley Fat Bob to find out how it takes to the open road.
DETAILS
The Fat Bob looks overwhelming, and being what it is, draws a lot of attention. Riding a Harley, especially one the size of the Fat Bob in congested Mumbai traffic, is no mean task. It always takes several skipped heartbeats and a lot of careful manoeuvring before you can actually find your way out and onto the open highway, where a powerful, low motorcycle like the Fat Bob feels so much more at home. You can now stretch your legs, sit back and soak in the essence of a squat, heavy motorcycle like this. The Fat Bob’s torque-laden air-cooled, V-twin, 1585cc engine packs ample punch, while its six-speed gearbox has a Harley-typical mechanical and heavy feel. All undulations and road patchwork are adequately soaked up by the Fat Bob’s telescopic forks and enclosed coil-over rear shock absorbers. Riding the Fat Bob is an exhilarating experience, one that generates a lot of public attention. The Fat Bob possesses all the character required to excite a diehard Harley-Davidson fan. Our ride astride this fun to ride motorcycle proved refreshing and impressive, at every step of the way. Read our detailed Harley-Davidson Fat Bob ride review in the upcoming Autocar India issue, December 2012. Fact File
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