User reviews-BMW 745i
What do you want to drive when you grow up
What do you want to drive when you grow up?
By Frank Amoroso
When I was a sixteen, I used to think that the ultimate daily driver would be a fully race prepared Porsche 911 turbo: stripped interior, no mufflers, and an ostentatious paint scheme. Essentially a very light, very powerful vehicle that would require the use of earplugs, jar your bones over the slightest road imperfections, and provide mind numbing acceleration from every green light.
At the age of nineteen, my uncle purchased an anthracite on black 1989 BMW 750iL. She was long, sleek, luxurious and, with a large twelve-cylinder motor, she was fast. Coddled within that opulent interior with the radio turned up, I easily lost my sense of speed. Ninety miles per hour felt like seventy, and seventy miles per hour felt like a lazy Sunday drive. About that time something happened. I had a moment of clarity wherein my tastes transformed from basic boy racer to elegant executive conveyance. Brute strength had lost out to luxurious might. Then, within a matter of weeks, everyone in the family received speeding tickets while driving that 7 (including one for 145 miles per hour). In a bid to save our driving records, the 7 was sold.
Fast forward thirteen years, and my first speeding ticket since 1989 is again while driving BMWs latest flagship, the ’02 745i. It hardly mattered though, as this aided the new 7 in bringing me back to 1989. I’m nineteen again, rediscovering the joys of a vehicle that, demographically speaking, I shouldn’t be interested in for decades. I can’t help it. The 745i and 745Li, the long wheelbase version, provide for high levels of driving prowess in a full size luxury sedan. The 745i accelerates forcefully and is deceptively agile. BMW engineers have figured out a way to morph the smaller 5 series into a larger scale adaptation of itself.
The 7 boasts a long list of cutting edge technology: electronic shock absorber damping control, six speed automatic transmission, bi-xenon headlights, automatic climate control and programmable cruise control, to name a few. Two new features make the 7 the driving enthusiast’s choice: the 325 horsepower 4.4 liter, V8 motor and the Active Roll Stabilization system. These aspects of the new 7 combine to provide performance that beats that of BMW’s own mid size sedan, the 540i.
The 745i and Li are endowed with a state of the art version of BMW’s venerable 4.4 liter, V8 motor. Compared to its predecessor, this motor incorporates several new technologies. BMW’s variable valve lift system, Valvetronic, eliminates the need for typically restrictive throttle plates. A fully variable intake manifold, which is electronically controlled to provide optimum intake airflow, provides for the most efficient power delivery at any given RPM. Thanks to advancements such as these, the new V8 produces 15% more horsepower, while returning up to 13% greater fuel economy. Accordingly, the 745i accelerates to 60 mph in 5.9 seconds, while the 540i takes three tenths of a second longer to reach the same mark.
Active Roll Stabilization (ARS) is a component of the 7’s computer controlled suspension system that drastically reduces body roll while cornering. Depending on the severity of a bend, the laws of physics associated with the vehicles lateral motion (wherein centrifugal force shifts the weight of the vehicle to the outside of the turn) are counteracted by the vehicle’s suspension. The ARS system’s ability to keep the car level during such spirited driving provides levels of stability and nimbleness that deny the vehicles mass.
If the beauty of the 7 is in the driving, then what does it offer stylistically? The exterior design has garnered mixed reviews, particularly as it pertains to the trunk treatment. BMW’s design boss Chris Bangle has made a bold statement with the exterior styling of this 7 series. Typically, bold statements aren’t for everyone and they tend to polarize public opinion. I’ll admit to being lukewarm on the styling, at first. However, with time the new shape has grown on me, particularly on the darker colors and on the Li’s long wheelbase. In the end, it is all a matter of personal taste, as a flamboyant automotive designer once said, “We would be in trouble if we all loved the same woman.”
The interior is plush, yet tempered with functionality, in typical German fashion. The fit, finish, and quality of materials befit BMW’s top model. Leather quality and textures are superior, as are the woods and high-grade plastics. The switchgear and other driving controls (turn signal stalk, windshield wiper control, and cruise control selector) are all located easily within the driver’s reach on the steering column. The instrument cluster and dashboard are unfettered by the current onslaught of buttons, knobs, and dials, thanks to BMW’s controversial iDrive system.
Situated on the front of the center console, within reach of both the driver and the passenger, is the iDrive controller. It is part computer mouse scroll wheel and part joystick. The controller, along with a centrally mounted display, manages, among other things: the navigation system, the stereo, advanced climate control settings, and advanced mobile phone settings. Basic climate control and mobile phone controls are still available via dashboard buttons, as are very rudimentary radio controls. The iDrive system has come under fire by many reviewers. I was able to get comfortable with the system in a matter of days (although, I do wish more of the radio controls were available outside of the iDrive interface). While a bit daunting at first, spending some time getting comfortable with the system, before driving, will help once you are on the road. If you are techno savvy, and know how to program your VCR, operating the iDrive system should become intuitive in short order.
The matter of styling tastes, and driver interface learning curves aside, the new 7 is worthy of the title flagship sedan. I can’t think of a car better suited than the 745Li to shuttle VIPs to and from the airport. It blends technological advancements with sporting luxury and the result is a car that I would enjoy parking in my garage, one stall over from the 911 turbo race car, of course.
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