Car_and_Driver_USA_July_2017

comfort: a soul-warming reassurance of
BMW’s engineering prowess to counter
our faltering faith in BMW chassis tuners.
The 3.0-liter engine makes a convincing
argument that Bayerische Motoren Werke
hasn’t entirely left its roots behind. The
straight-six’s humble yet hardworking 320
horsepower and 330 pound-feet of torque
effortlessly marshaled our 7’s 4385 pounds
with always-on thrust, free-revving enthusiasm,
and satiny refinement. The logbook
contained endless mash notes for the sixcylinder’s
performance and manners, and,
tellingly, not one staff member ever wished
for the 7’s optional 445-hp V-8 or the 601-hp
V-12 that became available for 2017 models.
Crunching the fuel-economy data revealed
that our 740i averaged 26 mpg, beating the
EPA’s 24-mpg combined rating.
The six-cylinder pairs with the dependable
ZF eight-speed-automatic transmission,
as quick-witted and crisp-shifting as
ever. Together this duo motivated our
rear-drive 7-series to 60 mph in 4.8 seconds
and through the quarter-mile in 13.4,
once the break-in period passed. We must
have lost a few ponies over the course of
40,000 miles, though, because both of
those numbers slowed by 0.3 second during
the car’s exit exam.
The 740i’s chassis figures—0.86 g
around the skidpad and 159 feet stopping
from 70 mph—suggest a competent performer,
but the car revealed an entirely different
personality to the driver. The
7-series rides and handles with a soft and
imprecise character that deputy online editor
Dave VanderWerp compared with “the
old Cadillac paradigm.” The car wallows
over dips and rises and lists in corners. Yet
despite the Jell-O in the suspension, expansion
joints and potholes still managed to
thump their way into the cabin with shocking
clarity. Activating the 7’s sport mode
only made these sharp tire impacts more
jarring and did little to quell the unseemly
body motions. We felt this pounding in our
wallets, too, as we replaced three tires and
November 16, 2016
24,977 miles: The 740i’s
onboard maintenance
minder asks for a dealer
inspection, during which
the technician also
prematurely replaces
the oil, $0
November 22, 2016
25,433 miles: We fit
the 7 with Pirelli Winter
Sottozero Series II tires
February 10, 2017
33,802 miles: We
replace the left-front
winter tire due to a bulge
in the sidewall, $384
February 28, 2017
34,883 miles: Dealer
changes the oil and
replaces both engine
and cabin air filters.
Inoperative ambient
lighting is fixed by
plugging in a connector
in the passenger
footwell, $0
March 31, 2017
39,422 miles: We
replace a bent front
wheel, $933
April 10, 2017
40,000 miles: Longterm
test ends
TOTAL COSTS
MAINTENANCE ........................................................... $0
NORMAL WEAR .......................................................... $0
REPAIR ......................................................................... $0
DAMAGE AND DESTRUCTION ........................... $2697
GASOLINE (@ $2.70 PER GALLON) .................. $4154
SERVICE
DEALER VISITS (SCHEDULED/UNSCHEDULED) .... 4/2
DAYS OUT OF SERVICE ................................................ 0
UNSCHEDULED OIL ADDITIONS ........................... 0 qt
N O V/ 1 6
DEC/16 J A N / 1 7 FEB/17 MAR/17 APR/17
MAY/17
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