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Hot off the heels of last week’s luxurious motor, my run of luck continued apace this week as BMW granted me the opportunity to take its latest 2017 7 Series out for a spin around the streets of Bahrain.
My first impressions were of surprise. This car is deceptively huge in its span, uncannily so for a sedan and not a 4X4. In fact, when I was sat behind the wheel, I can only ever recall the Toyota Land Cruiser having a bonnet that extended so far out in my vision.
Rather than being a distraction, though, it made for a reassuringly safe drive. Taking the tight and twisty streets of Hoora around the GulfWeekly office is usually a lottery as you never know who is going to pull out or not be looking (particularly on Thursday afternoons when the cross-Causeway clientele invade en masse), but I felt secure down every alley.
This was not only due to the size and build of the car, but the plethora of sensors and indicators dotted around. In fact, there were times I felt like the great man Kenny Baker himself (RIP) controlling R2-D2, such was the beeps and lights going off in the machine I was piloting.
While it was a little overwhelming at first until I eventually learned what most of the buttons did! Things got even better when the sun started to set. The 7 Series features the debut of Laser Light, which dazzled and illuminated the road with its beam range of up to 600m, double the length of regular LED headlamps.
With a car like the 7 Series, luxury comes as standard and it’s no different here. The fine-stitched leather, the glossy wood panelling, the breathable seats (thank you!), the chrome elements … it’s all present and correct.
What I liked the most was what BMW dub the ‘Sky Lounge’, which is essentially two sunroofs separated in the front and rear and independently controllable. So you can let more light in the front or back, or go full-on panorama for those beautiful sunsets or night skies.
Of course, beauty isn’t everything, but fear not as the 7 Series has more than enough beast to it. It comes armed with two comprehensively-revised engines: the six-cylinder 740Li and an eight-cylinder 750Li xDrive, with the latter accelerating from 0–100kmph in 4.4 seconds at 450bhp, and the former offering 326bhp.
One of the coolest features is the seven-inch rear Touch Command Tablet that lets rear seat passengers control such functions as seat adjustments, air conditioning, and the navigation, communications, and infotainment systems. Occupants can also use the tablet to surf the web via a built-in mobile hotspot.
For the driver, this model retains the iDrive controller, with its rotating central dial that includes a handwriting-sensitive touchpad, steering wheel controls and voice recognition.
Sadly, I didn’t get nearly enough time with the car to fully explore its features, but from the time I did have, I was thoroughly impressed with how smooth, comfortable and feature-filled the drive was. It doesn’t just have good looks either, but plenty of power under the bonnet for a fast, responsive experience.
The BMW 7 Series models are available starting from BD37,000, inclusive of a five year or 200,000km warranty. For more information, visit the Euro Motors BMW showroom in Sitra or call 17750750.
