The previous article here on Car-Revs-Daily.com slammed the BMW 7 Series for its loss of focus since the wretched third-gen car stole my hope and courage and aspirations with its vile redesign. This is now the fifth-gen car, introduced in 2012.
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Is is all better? No.
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Is it much better? Yes.
But let’s get a bit more real for this one. Is it or was it ever a bad car, or just one that is trying to change with the times? Change is hard. It really is. That is why I cannot stop over-sharing, try as I might to keep things above-board for my fledgling entrepreneurial venture — Car-Revs-Daily.com.
Two important post-script topics to diffuse the previous article’s brass-knuckled right and left hooks:
— How is that late-1990s BMW 740iL to drive now, with fifteen years of time between us?
I drove a pre-owned 2001 BMW 740iL a few years ago that was **amazing** value with just about 30,000 miles and a $25,000 price, if I’m not mis-remembering.
It drove well! Just as I recalled. Taut but just the slightest and most relaxing bit of float.
But the car was painted casket bronze, had the tiniest and most untouchably-hideous (black and white!) dot matrix navigation interface — measuring a whopping three-inches square.
30 Rock: Jack Donaghy, Season One, Episode One — Interior, office. Jack on phone answering questions,
Jack: “Five Inches — But It’s Thick”
Copyright 2006, NBC Universal
Actually,’untouchable’ is not the right description. Of course it was untouchable. It was not a touchscreen whatsoever. It could be fingered, but no reactions or spasms were forthcoming.
This is why iDrive had to be invented to control things that previously were completely un-useable by anyone who had not spent 1000-plus hours in the car, or designed the software himself.
(I stand corrected — Color was available!? But not on the car we drove. This is European model with TV tuner, I believe.)
Did my brother buy that car we drove? Oh no. He bought a 2012 BMW M3 Sedan. I encouraged him — I really did — to go for the big 740iL, with its painted sills and lightly refreshed exterior versus the previous dark-silled cars.
But here is the thing. Rob and his family are back in my glitzy home town. And that town must have been a 740iL top-10 market in the globe. 60521’s zipcode and Laurel BMW was so prolific at selling 7 Series cars that everyone who was anyone drove one. Mostly the coolest dads.
What changed for 2003? It became a “mom car.” That was not sexy then, and certainly was not sexy in 2012.
Final nail in the coffin? Rob’s darling wife say a text photo of the big 7 and said, “NO!!! It is an old man car.” This is coming from Gina, a yummy mummy in her own right. The next gen of moms in the town — aged 32 versus 64.
Eek. My dreams quashed by the harsh light of ten years perspective.
Which would I have bought that day? The M3 or the 740iL? Neither! My heart is 2007 550i M Sport-shaped.
— What did/do you think of the S-Class then, and now?
Then? I absolutely hated the new S-Class. After being quite impressed by the Princess Diana S-Class of the 1990s, and driving the sidewalls off an S500 that was my friend Lara’s mom’s car — it was even more of a tech-tastic nightmare when redesigned into to grotesquely cheapened model of the late 1990s. Hate.
Now? I like it much better. My experience inside the latest 2015 S65 AMG and S63 AMG 4Matic blew my doors off. I love the car. I love its style, and I love its substance.
But is it flawless? Far from it. The twin panels in the dash look store-bought, and the steering wheel looks like a creepy kids toilet training tool.
You go potty here!
So, clearly, I am a man with a wide range of opinions — many of them contradictory and fleeting. What is good one year is not always good forever, and many bad things must and are overlooked.
Therefore, the BMW 740Ld might actually be my pick of the range. It is new for 2015.
Eleven BMW 7 Series models for 2015?
Come on now, surely that must be a mistake! Belive you me, it is not!
From the 740i to the ActiveHybrid 7 to the Alpina B7 — there are indeed twelve eleven 7 Series from which to choose in America. There are more in Europe with three levels of diesel power offered.
740i Sedan
- Starting at $74,000 MSRP
- 29 mpg hwy*
- 315 horsepower
740Li Sedan
- Starting at $78,000 MSRP
- 29 mpg hwy*
- 315 horsepower
740Li xDrive Sedan
- Starting at $81,000 MSRP
- 28 mpg hwy*
- 315 horsepower
740Ld xDrive Sedan
- Starting at $82,500 MSRP
- 255 horsepower
750i Sedan
- Starting at $87,300 MSRP
- 25 mpg hwy*
- 445 horsepower
750i xDrive Sedan
- Starting at $90,300 MSRP
- 24 mpg hwy*
- 445 horsepower
750Li Sedan
- Starting at $91,000 MSRP
- 25 mpg hwy*
- 445 horsepower
750Li xDrive Sedan
Starting at $94,000 MSRP
24 mpg hwy*
445 horsepower
760Li Sedan
Starting at $141,200 MSRP
20 mpg hwy*
535 horsepower
LEARN MORE
ActiveHybrid 7
- Starting at $84,300 MSRP
- 30 mpg hwy*
- 350 horsepower
ALPINA B7
Starting at $132,200 MSRP
22 mpg hwy*
540 horsepower
WITHOUT M SPORT ABOVE —
WITH M SPORT BELOW —
My 2015 740Ld xDrive Sedan
- 3.0 liter, inline 6-cylinder Advanced Diesel
xDrive, intelligent all-wheel drive
BASE MSRP
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$82,500
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Alpine White
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$0
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Black Dakota Leather $0
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Lighting Package $1,900
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M Sport Edition $4,000
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Active front seats $1,000
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Ceramic Controls $650
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Enhanced USB and Bluetooth plus Smartphone Integration $500
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Power rear sunshade and rear side windowshades $750
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Destination & Handling $925
BMW Ultimate Service
- A suite of premium benefits that are included at no cost with all new BMW Vehicles.
- 4 Years/50,000 Miles Warranty
- 4 Years/50,000 Miles Maintenance Program
- 4 Years/Unlimited Mileage Roadside Assistance
- 4 Years/Unlimited Mileage BMW Assist™ Safety Plan
TOTAL MSRP AS BUILT $92,225
Standard Features
Performance and efficiency
Handling, ride and braking
Exterior
Comfort and Convenience
Instrumentation and controls
Safety and security
Tom Burkart is the founder and managing editor of Car-Revs-Daily.com, an innovative and rapidly-expanding automotive news magazine.
He holds a Journalism JBA degree from the University of Wisconsin – Madison. Tom currently resides in Charleston, South Carolina with his two amazing dogs, Drake and Tank.
Mr. Burkart is available for all questions and concerns by email Tom(at)car-revs-daily.com.