Big and bold BMW

Motoring editor ALASTAIR SLOANE says the new 7-series BMW is nothing like its predecessors, and may take some getting used to.

BMW designer Chris Bangle has been criticised for penning cars that look too much like each other. Each one has had an obvious link. They have been too derivative. He played an in-house game of follow the BMW leader, the critics said.

But American Bangle has branched out with the new 7-Series, the flagship from the Munich maker. At the moment there is one model, the 745i, priced at $208,900. It is an electronic powerhouse and was launched in New Zealand on Monday. It is big and bold and goes where no man has gone before, says Bangle.

There is nothing evolutionary about it. It's revolutionary. Links with its predecessor are in name only. It may take some getting used to, but it will be a leader. Get used to its looks, he says. It's where BMW is going.

Bangle admits the design adopts more classical lines and abandons the traditional wedge shape of BMW cars.

He and his team laid out the car on a stylistic line - the longest line you can draw on a car - extending from the front bumper through the door and cabin area down to the boot.

The headlights were redrawn to resemble the eyes of an animal, particularly a bird of prey. The tail-lights are different, too.

Bangle might have drawn inspiration for his bold change of direction from author Gertrude Stein. She said true leaders took people not where they wanted to go, but where they didn't want to go.

Could it be that another original thinker also helped to guide BMW's hand? Computer whiz Steve Jobs reinvented MacIntosh a few years ago with the iMac desktop computer. Then he came up with the iBook notebook and iPod portable music player.

The 7-Series has command centre technology called the iDrive, electronics as innovative as Macintosh was original.

But whereas MacIntosh used to boast that novice users could be up and running within minutes, iDrive takes time to learn. Lots of time. Much more than a few hours behind the wheel last Monday.

The iDrive system is at the heart of a luxury vehicle that does away with all the traditional controls. It centres around a door-opening remote, which acts as the ignition key, the steering wheel, a TV screen and a silver knob built into the centre console between driver and passenger.

BMW calls the system "intuitive". Challenging might be better. At first iDrive appears daunting. Overkill. Who needs all this stuff? But it grows on you.

iDrive aside for the moment, getting the car under way is simple. The main driving functions are centred around the steering wheel. The traditional gearshift is gone, replaced by a selector within fingertip reach behind the steering wheel. It shifts from park to reverse and drive. Manual changes and a Sport mode are handled by a button on the steering wheel.

The conventional handbrake lever or pedal is gone, too. A button to the right of the steering wheel looks after that function.

The key-remote slots into the dash and arms the car. A push-button starts the engine. It can be programmed to cater for the driver's and passengers' every wish, from air temperature settings to seat adjustment to radio programmes.

That's it as far as purely driving the car is concerned. There are no dramas, no electronic minefields. It's a big meaty limousine which carries the reputation of a carmaker that prides itself on sporty performance.

It is powered by a 4.4-litre V8 producing 245kW at 6100 rpm 450Nm of torque. This is BMW's first V8 using the advanced variable valve lift and timing systems Valvetronic and Bi-Vanos.

The six-speed automatic ZF transmission is seamless. The ride quality is what you would expect. The car feels lighter on its wheels than the previous model, thanks largely to the extensive use of aluminium in the suspension, MacPherson-style struts in the front and a multi-link setup in the rear aided by adaptive damping.

The optional $6000 Dynamic Drive system takes away body roll in corners, not that there is much of that in the standard car anyway. Occupants are cosseted in seats that can be electrically shaped to fit most bodies and programmed to massage occupants' lumbar regions. The rear headrests pop up when rear passengers take a seat.

There are eight airbags and every conceivable electronic stability and safety device to keep the careless driver from going backwards in circles.

The new car is bigger overall than the one it replaces. It is much stronger, with 85 per cent of the body made from high-tensile steel.

Back to the iDrive alloy knob. It fine-tunes everything that is electronic, from the phone, air-conditioning, sound system to traction control. It takes time to grasp but it can be fun and opens up a whole new world.

The car is as much a mobile communications centre as it is transport. You can even talk to it. In the event of an accident, its built-in GSM phone will alert BMW. While you are waiting for the tow-truck to arrive you can watch TV on the small screen.

BMW New Zealand sold 22 models of the old 7-Series last year. This year it plans to sell 120 new ones.

Said Bangle: "We are confident that we have a real winner in the new 7-Series. Not just a blip on the horizon, but a powerful long-term statement for BMW."