Luring luxury

I’ll start by saying that the 7 is nothing quite less than an ideal mix of driving pleasure and top-of-the-line luxury. It symbolises the ultimate luxury with its proven bodyline and style on the outside, giving way to make it one of the most opulent rides on the inside which has been tried, tested and proven in time. And now, this right here, the BMW 7 series, has been facelifted and updated with various factors and features to make it even more competitive on the road. All we have to do is just wait (read) for a couple of minutes to see what makes it better for us now.

Alright then! When it comes to the new-gen BMW, it has to start with that kidney grille! And why not, it is the first thing I notice on the wide face of the 7, and I am pretty sure that you do too. That will pretty much give one an idea that it is the 7 that you are going to get into, since it is one of the major radical changes BMW has made to the face of it. No less, even the hood and the headlamps have gone under BMW’s trimmer. Needless to say, bringing all together, the new 7 will palpably arrest your eyes at least for a brief moment. And why not! While the grille has been sized up, BMW has dropped the bigger and less angular headlamps replacing them with the more angular ones with laser elements that add a nice blue colour to the overall appearance. What about the front bumpers then? Well, they have too been facelifted with a design that slants towards more angular shapes and subtle doses of chrome. This has resulted in a profile that has a long overhang on both ends, which significantly add to the length of the 7 and on the top, the slumped roofline towards the rear adds sportiness and class at the same time. Here, at the rear, the long one-piece light bar that wraps around the corners, the exhaust pipe slots, the broad tyres and the high boot lid make another style statement that goes so well with the silence of the 7. And we still haven’t even set foot inside the car. What are we waiting for then?

A BMW 7 always comes with its own cocoon, with a spread of leather, wood inserts and high-quality plastics on the inside and the latest one isn’t different. With such length and width on the outside, space inside a 7 is never an issue, which is always open to mollycoddle.

Speaking of which, it starts with the rear seats that offer a hot and a cold massage function, a set of ambient lighting all around, a four-zone climate control, retractable cup holders in the centre armrest and a tablet (with a holder in the centre armrest) that brings all of the above functions right at your fingertips. And as much as it is easy to understand and use, the display on the tablets is HD and there’s even a theatre sound mode on offer. Moreover, if you are in the rear seat, don’t forget the lounge function that slides the front passenger seat all the way forward with a flap on the seatback acting as support to rest your feet. You feel it?

Speaking of which, the front seats are comfortable and are as supportive as the ones in the rear, which means anybody in the car can slouch right in for those long drives. Adjusting the seat for your posture is also a piece of cake since everything is electronically adjustable. In the front, the iDRIVE system that now encompasses a 10.25-inch display can be gesture controlled and also offers Apple CarPlay/Android Auto.

We drove the 730Ld DPE Signature variant of the 7 and it is powered by a 3-litre diesel engine that produces 266hp of maximum power and a thumping 620Nm of maximum torque that is mated to an eight-speed automatic gearbox. It is smooth as oil and works on a cosmic level in tandem with all the torque coming in from the engine, you really don’t have to push it hard. However, if you are running late for a meeting, the 7 is no slouch when it comes to getting you where you need to be quickly, but that is in Sport mode opens the tap of power with a slightly stiffer ride than normal and a responsive steering wheel. Apart from which, you also get Eco pro and Comfort, which alter the response of the drivetrain as well as the suspension. Here, the Eco pro is the most frugal of the lot; it not only shifts early in the rev range but also limits the top speed. The Comfort Mode is a step up from the Eco Pro Mode in which the suspension gives you a supple ride after filtering the rough stuff from the road. While doing all this, the steering weight is directly proportional to speed, which means, the more you speed up, the more weight you will feel on hands topped with a decent feedback through the corners.

So, that’s that then. The 7 is relevant and rational in its segment. It’s torquey diesel engine, adaptive steering and a choice of multiple drive modes makes this luxury car a fun car to get behind the wheel too. However, on the other seats, the comfort is at the same level as the driving pleasure and that too in this segment that makes a worthy case for those who want the rear door to be opened by a chauffeur and be driven around. What makes it unique is that in this day and age of SUVs, you will not get to do what the 7 has to offer on any of the seats.