Test drive BMW 7 E65 E66 2005 - 2007 sedan

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Imagine that you have a new powerful computer. Good deed, right? But the trouble is not the usual PC, but a completely unfamiliar Macintosh. And let him be famous for his friendliness - you will have to master his considerable opportunities on the go ...

 

BMW and Mercedes. The intensity of the struggle between these companies in the sector of prestigious cars has not been weakened for many years. Whatever the fans of the first say there, the advantage was always on the side of the second. But one cannot ignore modern trends-in particular, the widespread popularity of the active lifestyle, and the Mercedes, seeing some cooling of interest in the image of their cars, created a new S-class, less than the famous 140th and with a very dynamic, youth appearance. And here BMW experts, in sporting language, caught the enemy in the anti -campaign.

 

The new seven is noticeably larger than the previous one and greatly lost her appearance in the dynamism. Of course, not everyone likes the new image, but once when you see the car, you are imbued with respect. A thorough, heavy, even slightly brutal appearance is an almost complete absence of rapid lightness characteristic of previous models, and at the same time, the brand belonging is determined immediately and without hesitation.

 

Honestly, when the first photos appeared, I did not like the new car, but when I saw it alive, the impression changed. The designers managed to almost impossible - to split people who really saw the car into two warring camps: those who absolutely like the car, and those who do not like it at all. But both of them will converge in one: the design of the car is really revolutionary.

 

In a couple of days of close communication with the BMW 745i, I ran into completely new phenomena for me. In the cork, it’s enough just to turn towards the wheel, and you are immediately inferior to you. If you go around the cork in the oncoming lane, the traffic police stubbornly pretends that you do not exist. You turn from the extreme left row to the right - nothing, you exceed the speed - too. Only late at night, when I drove the seven with a completely indecent speed, was the young sergeant stopped me, but examined the car - and my rights in his hands trembled. He returned them, so really and without studying ... It seems that the company is showing excessive optimism, believing that the problem with the image of its cars in Russia is completely solved. There is still something to work on ...

 

I open the door. The first thing that catches your eye is the lack of a familiar gear lever. Instead, between the front seats - a long armrest with an aluminum fungus -controller of the Idrive system (pronounced as ah drive - I lead). Immediately after the first demonstration of the car, the nickname of the joystick was firmly glued to the controller. The creators do not like it - this is a serious system, not a computer toy. We will not upset them ...

 

In addition to the controller, a decent color monitor in the center of the dashboard is included in the surface part of the IDRive. Management is understandable and logical. By swinging the fungus back and forth, right and right or diagonally, you get into the corresponding section of the screen menu: settings, entertainment, assistance, etc. Next, you choose the necessary function in the section with rotation, which you activate or deactivate - by pressing. Everything seems to be clear, but to figure out and remember where what is located, a lot of time is needed. And you can’t do without thick instructions.

 

It took me at midnight to study the system - and still did not understand completely. No wonder the BMW in the UK arranged for the drivers of the new seven special IDRive study courses (it seems that similar classes are going to organize in Moscow). And in the USA, dealers attach a pack of adhesive leaflets to the car with brief instructions on how to start the motor and turn on the program - this is for personnel of expensive restaurants and hotels who need to drive the client’s car to the parking lot.

 

You are especially annoyed when you have to mess with the controller instead of just pressing the button. A good example is the setting of the radio. It turns into a whole process: you need to enter the section of the screen menu entertainment, then select the FM subsection, and only then, rotating the controller, you can choose the radio station listed in memory. And all this on the go, distracting from the road. Perhaps, after some time, everything that is needed will be one right, but in my situation with the Idrive system, a familiar who was sitting next to him was basically entertained. Having played enough, she said: this car is for Bill Gates ...

 

Taking advantage of the absence of a gearbox lever in the traditional place, the designers changed the shape of a torpedo. The easy to turn the central console for the BMW to the driver disappeared, and the console itself as such is absent. There is only a completely direct torpedo that causes associations with American machines, especially since the selector of a six -speed automatic transmission migrated to the usual place - under the wheel. It is for - he, like three more steering wheel switches, is quite short, and you will not immediately notice.

 

The intellectual selector works unusual. There are no fixed provisions: he pumped it on himself and down - the drive turns on, on himself and up - reverse, pressed the button in the end - the parking. The remaining switches under the wheel also act. By the way, the wiper control lever (below) is located low - I touched it a couple of times with a knee, and was frightened by unexpected waves of brushes (in fact, there was a rain sensor by car, but the weather was excellent, and it was not possible to evaluate its work).

 

The instrument shield is completely electronic and has a pleasant orange backlight. The main ones here are a speedometer and a tachometer. Inside them and below are displays, which display additional information: temperature, supply and instant fuel consumption, etc. When a cruise control is turned on in front of the selected speed, the shooter symbol lights up, its position can be changed with a discreteness of 10 km/h. It seems that analog devices will soon finally go into the past, only their electronic imitation will remain. In the new seven, even a parking brake has become electronic - now it is just a button on a dashboard. I touched - the car stands, touches again - it goes.

 

The only system that has not undergone global computerization is climate control. Yes, the distribution of flows changes through the computer, but the simplest adjustments of their temperature and speed are carried out manually, familiar buttons.

 

Under the climate control unit there was a place for a cell phone. It is enough to insert the SIM card into the retractable slot-and everything will work, and the menu will be displayed on the monitor, and the search for the desired position goes using the same mushroom controller. If there is no desired number in the notebook, then there is a retractable keyboard for the recruitment. For private negotiations, two telephone tubes are considered - one in front, the other in the rear armrest.

 

The seats of the new seven are a separate story. Everything that is possible is regulated, which is impossible, too. On the sidewall of the central armrest from the driver's side there is a schematic image of the seat composed of segments, and a small joystick. By pressing a particular segment, you activate the corresponding part of the chair, and with the help of the joystick you choose the necessary position. The setting process is quite long, but pleasant, as a result, you can choose the perfect landing even to a person with a non -standard complexion. And in order to stretch the muscles on the long road, it is not at all necessary to stop and get out of the car - you just turn on the massage mode. Very interesting sensations, I must say.

 

The seats of the second row also have all the adjustments that can only be invented. Moreover, if the rear passenger crawls lower, the headrest itself drops, and sits more vertically, more tightly to the back - will rise. True, if in the first and second row people will be located in a tall 185 cm, then the knees of the rear passengers will be applied to the backs of the front seats. Therefore, if you prefer to drive behind, you should think about the elongated version of the car (or about the small driver). A small refrigerator is located behind the folding armrest ...

 

Against the background of all kinds of electronic lotions, it causes some beaming a glove box - to close it, you need to make an effort and clap a lid well. By car of this class? But the musical accompaniment was very pleased - I have not yet met a single machine with such a high -quality factory system. The luxurious sound seems to hang in the cabin, and it is not immediately clear where it comes from.

 

The trunk has an impressive capacity - despite the fact that part of its volume is eaten by control units of numerous electronic systems and a full -sized spare wheel located under the rug. However, it could not be otherwise - it is enough to look at the tall stern of the car, about which there was no less talk than at one time - about the hips of Britney Spears ...

 

The lid of the trunk is worthy of a separate mention of the electric drive of the lid of the trunk - and it closes automatically. It was ridiculous to watch how serious uncles with children's enthusiasm indulging in opening and opening the trunk ...

 

To start the motor, you need to insert the key-siders (all identification data of the machines and even the schedule of the then) in the brand and press the Start/Stop button are stored in its memory. I insert, press - let's go.

 

In the usual mode of operation of the BMW 745i transmission, it accelerates smoothly and confidently, the machine is crossing the transmission completely imperceptibly. But from such a motor (333 hp and 450 nm), you implicitly expect more agility. And the box is in no hurry to respond to the movements of the gas pedal. The sports regime improves the situation, increasing the threshold and increasing the speed of switching, but radically, the behavior of the seven does not change - this is still a solid comfortable car.

(I admit, I have not figured out the manual mode of transmission control-in my opinion, it is not quite manual, the range of each transmission is simply changed. In addition, the buttons on the steering wheel, which are made up and down, are some uncomfortable and located Strange.) Almost at any speed in the seven quietly - the sound insulation is excellent. On a good road, you can calmly (at least in a whisper) talk at a speed of 200 km/h. At the same time, the machine behaves clearly and obediently. Even with a comfortable suspension tuning, neither vertical buildup nor breaks are observed. Thanks for this, among other things, a hydraulic system for stabilization of the transverse stability and self -leveling rear suspension.

 

The brakes are of excellent efficiency - even on winter tires, the car simply dug into the asphalt, and ABS worked only at the very last moment, when the tires had already exhausted their clutch capabilities. That's just the steering wheel is empty, and from the click to the click a lot of revolutions. However, the creators of the machine do not hide that some technical solutions (steering adjustments, the box switching algorithm) were selected taking into account the tastes of the Americans - they will be the main buyers of the new seven.

 

On a winding highway, it is worthwhile to twist the controller and transfer the suspension into a tougher, sports mode - this reduces the rolls in corners, in addition, the car more sensitively reacts to the steering wheel turns.

 

In the maximum turns, BMW 745i shows insufficient rotation, with a third -generation DSC, a DSC system of DSCs is in a hurry to help the driver. In principle, all contrasting and anti -circulation systems can be turned off, but it is better to do this - a powerful motor does not like jokes. I was convinced of this personally when in the stream I was rebuilding from a row in a row with a sharp acceleration: one of the rear wheels fell on the marking, a slip and, as a result, a slight skid that the electronics immediately strangled. If she had not, there is still a question, how it would end ...

 

For those two days that the new BMW seven was at my disposal, I enjoyed moving on it. The car, as it were, changed its settings with my mood. I was in a hurry - they played active music, the car clearly followed my actions, even anticipating them, as if I had read thoughts; I was resting - the music was replaced by the classics, and the car showed all the new facets of comfort. But for these days I realized - this is not a car for me until I got up to it. A person who is driving on it should worry the problems of a completely different level.

 
 
 

Source: Magazine Motor