BMW for the past three decades or so has been seeking to decrease its reliance on 3-Series sales and generally move up-market. Its flagship, the 7-Series, has been a key component of this strategy. Launched in the late 1970s, the 7-Series first seriously challenged the benchmark Mercedes S-Class in its second-generation, introduced in spring 1987. This second-generation car sought to dethrone Mercedes with a flood of content: a long wheelbase model, a 12-cylinder in addition to the traditional BMW inline six, and a raft of novel electronic features (such as a right side mirror that automatically tilted down when the transmission was shifted into reverse). Alas, the impact of this car was stunted by the appearance of the first Lexus LS 400 a couple of years later, with its revolutionary level of smoothness, quietness, and overall refinement—and it’s extremely low $35,000 base price. BMW was thrown off balance for half a decade. It cut prices, upgraded its interiors, and was generally stuck in a reactive mode. The third-generation 7-Series, introduced in the 1995 model year, did not introduce any revolutionary new content over the second-generation car. Instead, it smoothed over its edges and added some refinement. Sales and overall market impact have been middling.

For 2002, BMW returns to the spirit of the second-generation car—and then some. The fourth-generation 7-Series seeks to reinvent every aspect of the driving experience. It introduces literally dozens of new technologies and features: a throttleless engine, a six-speed automatic, variable stiffness anti-roll bars, an electrically activated push-button parking brake, a single knob to control dozens of functions…there are far too many to even list, much less discuss. On top of this, there is even more content that, while not novel, is still fully capable of “surprise and delight.” Things like 20-way power seats (one of my favorite BMW features), a seven-channel “surround sound” audio system, and light strips in the door panels that provide “ambiance lighting.” The brochure is over 120 pages long. Even the smallest things, such as the shifter for the transmission and the turn signal lever, have been totally rethought with no regard for precedent or conventions.

Impressive, to say the least. But it raises the same questions as a compulsive overachiever’s resume: How well does it all work? And is it likable?

BMW 7-Series Reliability

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Styling

The new 7’s exterior styling is its most controversial aspect, edging out even the I-Drive (that knob that controls dozens of functions). Two characteristics of the styling have been subject to especially brutal attacks: the headlights and the trunklid. The headlights include turn signal “eyebrows” along their top edge. It seems most people find them hideous. Though they’re far from attractive, I personally don’t have that much of a problem with them. The trunk lid I have more of a problem with. Supposedly to compensate for the trunk being so high, this panel cuts down into the bodyside, with the gap following a downward curve into the tail lamp. Aside from unnecessarily breaking up the bodyside, the downward curve leads the eye downward, making the rear end look droopy, as if it was left in the sun too long and melted. This is Design 101. It seems that in trying to break the rules and be different, and thus cut through the clutter with the new 7, BMW may have broken at least one rule too many. No one’s taken a swing at the goofy little dorsal fin on the trailing edge of the roof yet (it’s the antenna for the cell phone). Consider this a swing.

All of this said, I must also say that the car doesn’t look as bad in person as it does in photos. This isn’t to say it looks good, just closer to acceptable. My old man, along for the test drive, figured he could live with it.

Myself, I yearn for a return to the spirit of the second-generation car. It possessed just the right balance between aero and edge. Its chiseled surfaces and strong character lines lent the car a distinctive character evoking power, solidity, and integrity. The third 7 was so smooth and bland that it left me wanting something with more character, like the second 7. But the new styling isn’t what I had in mind.

My feelings about the interior styling are more mixed. There’s a lot of wood, and it is nicely done. Two finishes are available, traditional luxury car glossy and matte, in both light and dark colors. Between the dealer and the auto show, I sat in at least three of the four combinations. The glossy is too traditional for a car that otherwise breaks every rule in the book. After all, when you’ve broken so many, why stop? Also, in the matte finish, and especially in the lighter shade, the horizontal slabs of timber, with their combination of flat surfaces and subtly rounded edges, recall classic high-modern Scandinavian furniture. It’s like House of Denmark, now in a car. Perhaps because of associations with the 1960s Danish chair in my living room, a chair that my father bought new, this aspect of the new 7 evoked the warmest response in me. At any rate, it’s not only novel, but it works.

With the emergence of navigation systems everyone has been seeking an aesthetically pleasing way to incorporate a flat panel display in the dashboard. Lexus and Infiniti have adopted a passable solution in their flagship sedans, with a high mounted bulge that protrudes from the plane of the dash yet organically flows into it. BMW seems to have decided to let the engineers take a crack at this one. The screen, through which many features are accessed using the I-Drive knob, inhabits a binnacle much like that housing the instruments just to its left. The two binnacles are clearly separated by a dip in the top edge and an inch or so of the dark vinyl that covers the top of the dash. The brochure says something about distinct “driving” and “comfort” zones. This might make sense in some Munich engineer’s head, but to my eye it looks quite odd. The two binnacles are just too equal in size and distinct from one another. The effect somehow reminds me of a recent ad for a what must have been a very bad movie, where a woman had one central breast. Quite disconcerting. It clashes with what the human eye wants to see. The effect in the BMW is much like that. Though I’m sure it works well from the engineering/ergonomic perspective.

Accommodations

All of this is nearly forgiven once your rear is in any of the four outboard seats (the center rear seating position is the typical overly hard, high on the tunnel affair). Front or rear, these are big, supremely comfortable throne-like seats. And we’re talking the base 745 here, not the extended wheelbase model or the 12-cylinder that will appear over the next year.

Admittedly, the car I drove had the optional 20-way seats. (Spend the extra bucks for these.) The main problem with these is that the controls are mounted in an inconvenient position along the side of the center console and are so complex that more learning is involved than in your average college class. But just about every aspect of the seat is adjustable—the upper and lower backrest are even independently adjustable—so seating nirvana is possible here, no matter what that means to you. Just remember to save the setting once you find it, because once lost it may never be found again.

In the regular wheelbase car the rear seats are not adjustable. They’re still perfectly shaped as far as I’m concerned. I also appreciate that they’re quite high off the floor, and thus provide excellent thigh support, a surprisingly rare feature even in luxury sedans. Even without the extra inches of the Li, there is plenty of rear legroom. If somehow plenty isn’t enough, and you want your rear passengers to be able to share in the joy of buttons, 14-way rear seats will be optional in the upcoming long 7. I forgot to ask if a manual was provided in rear armrest for said passengers. Otherwise the driver may end up providing an annoying level of instruction while on the road.

BMW made the trunk lid high to make the trunk space large. They succeeded. The new 7’s trunk is far larger than the old one’s. It’s in line with that in the big Lexus, and well ahead of those in the big Benz and Infiniti. In line with other luxury sedans, the rear seats do not fold down to carry large items, though a pass through for skis and such is available.

On the Road

Instruction time. It’s not even possible to get this car moving without consulting the thick manual or asking the salesman. Only BMW, as the purveyor of benchmark sport sedans, could get away with moving the shifter from the center console to the steering column, a location that relegated Detroit luxury cars to non-driver’s status for decades. (It moved to make room for the I-Drive knob.) The new shifter is not your foot-long of ore, but a dainty little affair that you operate with fingertips. The daintiness is made possible by shift-by-wire—there is no mechanical linkage to the transmission. Pull the lever out and down for D, out and up for R, and tap a button on the end for P. The turn signal is similar in design and operation. I never quite got used to it. Strangely, I never remember being dissatisfied with conventional turn signals. But when you’re breaking all the rules…

But what about those serious drivers who like to manually shift their automatics? Here we have the most awkward system I’ve encountered. It involves two steps, which is not what you want when that curve is looming. First you have to tap the L/D button on the steering wheel to turn the downshift buttons on the upper wheel rim on. Then tap one of those buttons once for each gear you want to downshift. What about when you want to upshift after such downshifting? The only way is to tap the L/D button again, turning the shift buttons off. Lather, rinse, repeat… Supposedly a better system, which allows downshifts using the buttons as well as upshifts, and thus should require less two-stepping, is on its way.

The column-mounted levers and seat controls took so much time to figure out that I didn’t even try to play with the I-Drive knob. Count on spending hours with the owner’s manual. Thankfully, I’m told that the I-Drive is mostly for secondary and tertiary features, and that once your personal preferences for the dozens and dozens of features it accesses are programmed it requires fairly infrequent use. Kind of like all those seat buttons not being so necessary once you’ve saved your personal settings. It is nice not having the dash cluttered with dozens of additional buttons, right?

Once you’ve gotten the car moving, things get better. The engine, which uses variable valve lift instead of a throttle plate, provides an otherwise impossible combination of power and efficiency. (The throttle plate used with every other car engine regulates power by choking the engine to a variable degree, and this combined with the disturbed intake airflow harms efficiency.) This is a 4400 lbs. car with a 325 horsepower engine, yet the EPA ratings (with an assist from the six-speed transmission—sixth is very, very tall) are 18/26. (Last year's were 17/23.)

Sure, 325 horses is still short of the 340 claimed by Infiniti for the Q45 (click the link for my review of that car). (EPA 17/25, with 500 lbs. less mass.) But numbers aren’t what really count. What counts is how the engine feels. For whatever reason, the BMW eight feels much more powerful and responsive than that in the Infiniti. Perhaps most important, it produces impressive power throughout its range—at any speed, plenty of smooth, refined power is RIGHT THERE. In contrast, the Infiniti, which produces peak power at 6400 RPM, feels soft off the line and never feels all that eager. Lexus and Mercedes are closer to BMW here, but the 7 nevertheless sets the new standard. I personally am looking forward to coming years, when Valvetronic makes its way into other BMWs.

Aside from the goofy manual shift system, the transmission is perfect. It always seemed to have the right gear in normal driving. Shifts were smooth, as expected in such a car.

Handling is another area where I have strangely mixed feelings about the new 7. Owing to the optional 19” tires on the car I drove and the trick anti-roll bars, this car sticks better and corners flatter than any car this large and luxurious should. The steering was nicely weighted, if a bit less direct than in sedan with a less luxurious mission, and the 7 basically goes wherever you point it with a great deal of precision and control. Yet I can’t say I enjoyed the handling of the car. I found the big Benz a much more enjoyable car to drive. It comes down to a certain quality of agility and eagerness to respond.

Part of the difference is due to the driving position. The cowl and beltline (base of the windshield and side windows) are much higher in the BMW, and these combine with the interior styling (that second hump for the flat panel display, the massive dash and console) to make you feel buried in a lot of car—which you are. In contrast, the Benz is very airy, and from the driver's seat feels far smaller than it is, especially once the car is in motion. I felt like I could flick the Benz through turns. It danced. In the new 7, I feel like I am piloting a massive machine through the turns. I feel like it will handle everything I throw at it—and within reason it will, with various chassis control systems to save the massively stupid—but the sensations received when pushing this machine lack passion. Instead, it's very clear who's in control here: the machine, you stupid clueless driver. So just let it get on with its work. Play with that silver knob if you have to...

The new 7’s ride is not as good as I expected. Admittedly, I expected it to be virtually perfect. But while large bumps are absorbed very well, there is a slightly jittery quality to the ride on slightly pocked surfaces. Always composed, the new 7's ride nevertheless lacks that velvetty, almost liquid quality on which Lexus built a brand. I suspect the 19” low profile high performance tires are to blame. Buy these with caution. Bragging rights aside, the hardly puny 18” base tires are most likely more suited to the character of the car.

Last Words

This car has five major competitors: the Mercedes S-Class, the Audi A8, the Lexus LS 430, the Jaguar XJ8, and the Infiniti Q45. I’ve never driven an A8, so I cannot personally compare it with the others. That said, it is by far the oldest design, and lacks the chassis refinement and features that now mark the head of the class. The Japanese sedans have the advantage of being substantially less expensive. If a cushy ride and luxurious interior are what you’re after, the Lexus is probably the way to go. If, on the other hand, you want to feel a fairly direct connection to what is going on, skip it. It’s also the ugliest of the bunch, even worse than the new 7. The Infiniti is for those who crave paper content for the dollar. Though it possesses class-leading specs, the reality isn’t as good. Still, it is the least expensive.

The new large Jaguar impresses with its lightweight aluminum construction but in other areas lags the BMW technologically. It’s considerably less expensive than the BMW, and especially for those who are attracted to its Jaguarness merits a serious look.

In the end, the new 7 has one true competitor, the Benz. Choosing between the two resurrects an age-old quandary: go with your heart, or with your head? The Benz, even on 16” rubber, is a more enjoyable car to drive. I felt more at home, instantly, than I ever expected to feel in such a large car. And the feeling just got better the more I drove it. For reasons I cannot begin to fathom, the S-Class feels more nimble and is generally more tossable than the baby Benz, the C-Class.

The BMW, on the other hand, just reads, looks, and feels like much more car. I went and sat in an S500 again after test driving the BMW, and it felt like a Hyundai Sonata in comparison. Okay, that’s going a bit far, but not as much as you’d expect. The materials are not as rich, the design is less fancy, and the dash, despite possessing far more buttons since it does without that big silver knob, is far less imposing. (As for perceived quality, door panels that were not well aligned with the dash didn’t help.) Add in that the Benz costs about ten grand more comparably equipped, and it can be very hard to justify spending so much more for so much less.

Unless so much at some point becomes too much. It did for me. I so much more enjoyed driving the Mercedes that I hope that if I was actually choosing between these two I’d be able to stick by my principles and choose it. I honestly cannot say. I cannot bring myself to like the new 7 at an emotional level, but I also cannot help being extremely impressed by it. I feel I should love it, and thus more than a bit guilty that I don’t. I guess it comes down to whether buying a car is like hiring an employee or getting married. Head, or heart?

My father, I’m sad to report, may be a lost cause. He agreed that the Mercedes was more enjoyable to drive, but could not shake the overwhelming impression that BMW was providing much more car, and a technically superior car, for less money. If he were buying a car today, he’d probably go with the new 7. Since he actually buys such cars, and I’m not, maybe BMW knows what it’s doing here after all, wacky styling and all. With this car, the overachiever strategy pioneered with the second-generation 7 might finally pay off big.

To learn more about my reliability research and sign up to participate in it, or to perform thorough, up-to-date new car price comparisons, visit www.truedelta.com. A link to this website and alphabetized links to my other vehicle reviews can be found on my profile page.
Amount Paid (US$): 75000
Model Year: 2002
Model and Options: 745i, 19" wheels, 20-way seats, lots and lots