2004 BMW 7-Series Luxury Car Reviews & Ratings

Then you press the start button next to the key slot. Press another button to release the electronically controlled parking brake. To shift into reverse, pull a small lever on the dash toward you. Snick the lever down into drive to go forward. The "shifter'' feels more like a switch or an electronic stalk than a mechanical shifter because it is, indeed, an electronic switch. There is no mechanical link between the selector and the transmission. It's controlled "by wire," and takes some practice to use as quickly as a traditional gear selector. This immediately became clear while trying to make a quick Y-turn on a street in downtown San Antonio, a move that was not performed as quickly and elegantly as we had intended. However, once mastered, the 7 Series shifter may end up being quicker and less troublesome than a traditional automatic shifter, most of which require that the driver look down to ensure the proper gear is selected, troublesome when in a hurry.

BMW's iDrive system takes automotive operation closer to computer interface than we've come before. iDrive relies on a big, round aluminum knob on the center console to operate most everything in the cabin, including climate controls, automotive functions, entertainment, communications and navigation. Capt. Kirk never had it so good.

The iDrive knob turns like a volume knob, presses down like a switch, and slides in eight directions (left and right, forward and back, and diagonally). Corresponding menus are presented on the video screen. From the main or start menu, sliding the big knob toward each of the eight compass points selects a different sub-menu, or the primary menu for a system. Slide the knob due east (toward the passenger seat), for example, and you'll leave the main menu for the stereo menu. Now rotate the knob to move around the stereo menu, and then press down as with a mouse when the cursor lands on the appropriate function (e.g. Preset Stations). As with a menu system on a computer, you may immediately reach the function you're after, or you may get another sub-menu with more selections to spin through.

BMW says it has improved iDrive for 2004 based on what it's learned through two years of production and customers' ownership experience. The improvements include two new buttons just behind the main iDrive control: one that automatically returns the display screen to the main menu, and another that can be programmed with whatever sub-menu the user prefers. The first button should help reduce frustration levels. The second button should add convenience so that the user can quickly get to the most often-used function (audio or climate, for example).

The iDrive knob is easy for the right hand to locate without a glance; the display screen is big, and can be viewed without completely removing your eyes from the road ahead. Yet, improved or otherwise, iDrive takes a fair amount of practice just to get a rudimentary grip on its operation, and you'll need to do some reading to fully exploit it. In the meantime, it's likely to raise frustration levels. During our first 350-mile test drive, for example, I never learned how to pull up a map, in spite of considerable effort exercised while sitting in the passenger seat. That said, we expect that most people will eventually master iDrive to the point where they use it as intuitively as they now push a station button, or use a computer mouse. But learning isn't the only problem. Even when you've mastered iDrive, you'll have to wade through various menus and sub-menus to finally get to the function that needs adjustment. That function may be one that simply requires you to flick a switch on a conventional dashboard. Whether that's progress is debatable.

A split screen on the display can show all kinds of information depending on the mode selected by iDrive, and the display can be customized according to owner preferences. But it's not ideal. I found the temperature readout nearly impossible to read while wearing brown-tinted polarized sunglasses.

The same issues apply throughout the 7 Series, because many controls simply don't function in the traditional fashion. I struggled to operate the turn signals, wipers and windshield washers smoothly, a struggle that may disappear with familiarity. In some cases the car anticipates what it thinks the driver will do. Often after a quick signal for a lane change, I'd unintentionally signal a move in the opposite while trying to cancel the original signal. Once again, a driver familiar with the signal lever won't likely have trouble.

Park Distance Control, a feature superbly executed in BMW's X5, has been taken to a new level in the 7 Series with a graphic display. Sonar sensors in the front and rear bumpers detect objects near the car and beep with increasing frequency as you get closer. A solid tone means you're almost touching. Different tones for the front and rear greatly assist the driver when parking in tight locations, and they can keep the car from accidentally backing into or over something that cannot be seen from inside the car, like a child on tricycle. The 7 Series takes park-assist a step further with a pictograph of the car that graphically displays the distance and location of the offending object. It sounds like a gadget, but park-assist adds convenience in daily driving and can help prevent an annoying or even tragic accident.

In terms of driving dynamics, there's no controversy. BMW's 7 Series has been widely lauded for its outstanding performance and ride. It's hard to rave about a vehicle that drives so well. There are only so many ways you can say "great," and the 7 Series does everything extremely well.

The first thing we noticed about the BMW 745i was its wonderful, magic-carpet ride. This car smoothes out bumps, even speed bumps, to a point of astonishment. It's incredibly comfortable, yet the driver does not feel completely isolated from the road. The 745i senses when it's being driven hard, retuning the suspension appropriately for improved handling.

BMW's Active Roll Stabilization, a system of computer-controlled active anti-roll bars, increases roll resistance in hard cornering to keep the body flat in turns. At the same time, the system maintains enough suspension compliance to keep the tires planted on the road. Bumps in the middle of a high-speed corner do not upset the handling balance one whit. Several factors are at work here: a near-perfect weight distribution of 50 percent front and rear, which means neither end of the car is more prone to slide than the other; a highly rigid chassis that allows precise suspension tuning; and minimal unsprung weight, thanks to lightweight aluminum wheels, brake calipers and aluminum suspension components.

Remember: weighing up to 4900 pounds, depending on equipment, the 7 Series is not a small car. But in some respects it feels smaller than it is. Anti-skid technology makes adjustments to maintain handling balance whenever grip is lost to any one tire. By applying braking force to individual wheels, it almost seems to bend the laws of physics. Just steer this thing where you want to go and the 7 Series takes you there. I explored this on a fast, greasy corner over a crest that un-weighted the suspension. All four wheels lost grip, but we simply motored around the corner, drifting just slightly wide of the intended line. I never lifted my foot off the accelerator pedal nor made any adjustments in the steering. No special action on my part was needed; the 745i did all of that for me. The anti-skid system is transparent, in that you can't feel it kick in and out. BMW's system is far less obtrusive and more performance-oriented than similar systems found in Mercedes-Benz and Lexus automobiles. That means that it probably leaves the driver a bit more room for errors.

Steering the 745i is a joy. The rack-and-pinion steering is super sharp and precise. It's very light at low speeds for parking lots, but firms up at higher speeds for improved driver feel. It also steps up response by 10 percent as the wheel is turned off center, which means that the more you turn the wheel, the faster the car responds. With this steering system, it's easy to drive the 7 Series with extreme precision on winding roads at very high speeds, placing the tires exactly where you want them. When hitting bumps, there's little or no kickback to the steering.

Either of the 7 Series drivetrains is absolutely silky when cruising around. The new six-speed automatic transmission is extremely smooth, yet it's the most responsive I have ever experienced. Those are usually mutually exclusive benefits. Hit the accelerator pedal and the transmission drops a gear or two without any of that hesitation found in so many automatics. This six-speed automatic is smaller and lighter than the previous five-speed automatic. The additional gearing gives it quicker performance off the line with a lower first gear, better response in the mid range with ratios that are closer together, and improved fuel economy with taller top gears. The 745i does offer a feature allowing the driver to downshift manually using a pair of buttons on the steering wheel, but I found that feature to be superfluous. With a transmission as responsive as this one, manual shifting seems more of a toy than anything else.

The 4.4-liter V8 engine is superb. It's very smooth when cruising. Combine the smooth drive train with the smooth ride and the 745i feels deceptively slow. While rolling out of a jerkwater town in the Hill Country outside of San Antonio, I was preparing to put the accelerator pedal down to gain speed, until a glance at the speedo revealed that I was already cruising at 80 mph. This car feels happy cruising at 80 to 100 mph all day. I found myself coming into high-speed sweeping corners and low-speed tight corners carrying more speed than I initially realized, then having to get on the brakes a little harder than originally planned. It wasn't a scary thing, because the 7 Series almost never loses its composure. Just kind of a whoa, Nellie, slow this baby down. This combination of outstanding dynamics and deceptive travel speeds says something about both the joy and the trepidation in a car as capable as the 7 Series. You need to watch your speed in this car.

Punch the accelerator pedal (technically, it doesn't use a throttle) and the 745i leaps into action. BMW claims it can accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in just 5.9 seconds. The V8 is rated at 325 horsepower and 330 pounds-feet of torque, a huge increase over the previous BMW V8 and similar in output to the previous BMW V12. Yet the 745i is rated by the EPA at 18/26 mpg City/Highway, a 13-percent improvement over the previous BMW V8. Its sophisticated Valvetronic system has eliminated the throttle completely, eliminating pumping losses for improved efficiency by letting the valves, which benefit from BMW's double VANOS variable timing, control the airflow through the engine.

If that's not impressive enough for you, try the V12. The 760Li was launched in 2003 with a 6.0-liter V12 engine that shares its basic architecture and most of its technology with the V8. Yet the V12 adds an innovation of its own. With direct fuel injection (something previously reserved largely for diesel engines), BMW's V12 delivers fuel directly into the cylinders, rather than to intake ports on the cylinder head. This improves power and reduces emissions. So equipped, the 760Li generates 438 horsepower and an impressive 444 pounds-feet of torque. The V12 is turbine smooth, and whisks the sumptuously luxurious 760Li to 60 mph in 5.4 seconds, or as quickly as some Porsche 911s.

Modulating the brakes is easy, and the 7 Series can stop in a big hurry when necessary. Massive ventilated disc brakes, among the largest and most powerful BMW has ever used, are fitted with aluminum calipers at all four corners. Electronic brake proportioning ensures that the meaty tires are making best use of all available braking traction by transferring braking force to the tires with the best grip. Dynamic Brake Control reinforces the driver's pedal effort in emergency braking to help the car stop in the shortest possible stopping distance, even if the driver mistakenly relaxes pressure on the brake pedal. The Hill Hold feature will automatically hold the car at a stop until the driver presses on the accelerator pedal, and set the parking brake when the car is turned off. Hill Hold can be switched on or off using the iDrive menus.

Three 7 Series models are available for 2004. The 745i ($68,500) and long-wheelbase 745Li ($72,500) are powered by a 4.4-liter V8 with 325 horsepower, gobs of torque and a six-speed automatic transmission. The 760Li ($115,800) shares its transmission and most of its engine technology with the 745 models, but gets a 438-horsepower V12 engine. It's one of the quickest, fastest, normally aspirated 2.5-ton automobiles in the world.

The 745i rides on a 117.7-inch wheelbase, while the 745Li and 760Li stretch that measurement to 123.5 inches. The long-wheelbase Li models are 5.5 inches longer bumper to bumper, and virtually all of that translates into more rear-seat legroom.

Not surprisingly, all 7 Series sedans come standard with a long list of luxury features, including interiors trimmed in a choice of rich leathers and woods. The 745i has dual-zone automatic climate control with activated-charcoal microfilter ventilation, matte-finish black cherry wood trim, BMW Assist emergency and informational communications, 14-way power seats, a power moonroof, tilt/telescoping steering wheel, a climate-controlled front console compartment, and single-CD audio with 10 speakers. The 745Li adds 20-way power front Comfort Seats with articulated upper backrests, passenger-seat memory and active head restraints. Both 745 models come standard with V-speed-rated 245/50VR18 tires on 18-inch alloy wheels; 19-inch wheels with performance tires (245/45 front, 275/40 rear) are optional ($1,300).

The 760Li has most everything BMW offers, including a government-imposed gas-guzzler tax ($1,300). The base price covers a choice of light or dark high-gloss Ash trim with inlays, and leather on virtually all interior surfaces except the dash, headliner and floor. It includes soft-touch door-closing assists, heated and ventilated seats front and rear, Park Distance Control to keep track of those hard-to-see obstacles and power privacy shades. The only options available on the 760Li are radar-managed Active Cruise Control ($2,200), Adaptive Headlights ($300) that aim around corners when you turn the steering wheel, rear climate control with a cool box ($1,800), and satellite radio prep ($75). Why go to a five-star resort if you're driving one of these? Just stay in the car.

Most of what's offered on the 760Li is available on the 745i and 745Li through individual options or packages. The six option packages for the V8s include: the Sport Package ($3,200) adding 19-inch wheels and tires, sport-tuned suspension, more aggressively bolstered sport seating and specific exterior and interior trim; an Adaptive Ride Package ($1900), with a self-leveling rear suspension and Electronic Damping Control that automatically adjusts shock damping according to conditions; a Cold Weather Package ($1100) that adds a heated steering wheel, heated front and rear seats, and a ski bag; the Convenience Package ($1000), which includes soft-close doors that suck themselves shut and power trunk-lid operation; a Luxury Seating Package ($2500 for the 745i, $1600, for the 745Li) that adds 20-way adjustment to the 745i, front and rear seat heating, fans to blow air through the seating surfaces and an automatic massager; and finally, the Premium Sound Package ($1800) with increased audio power, two subwoofers, Digital Sound Processing and six-CD changer.

BMW's iDrive interface system is standard on all 7 Series models, and can operate virtually everything in the car, from stereo to climate controls to telephone to navigation, with a single mouse-like control.

Ten airbags are available. The standard array includes two frontal airbags, two front passenger side-impact airbags and BMW's Head Protection System, which amounts to a full-length, tube-shaped curtain on both sides of the cabin for front and rear head protection in a side impact. Also standard is BMW's Active Knee Protection, unique inflatable airbags that protect front passengers' knees. BMW claims these offer several advantages over conventional foam knee padding: they are more effective than foam padding; they reduce the amount of space occupied by the knee protection, leaving more room for in-dash features, not to mention occupants' knees; they allow finer tuning of the safety belts and front airbags for maximum protection depending on the circumstances of an impact.

For better or worse, BMW continues to offer rear side-impact airbags as an option ($385), insisting that customers prefer the choice. The 20-way Comfort Seats (an upgrade on the 745i) include active head restraints, which move closer to the occupants' head in an impact and eliminate the need for heads to be resting against the restraint for maximum effectiveness. All 7 Series variants include sophisticated ABS, traction-control and electronic stability control designed to help drivers avoid accidents in the first place.