Many people are capable of creating a car for a client of the highest category, but a cohort of such consumers, quite conservative people, we note, have already made their choice. List premium cars There are dozens of them, but the shortlist of truly status ones is small. Because the flagship's release model range one of German manufacturers the big three are always an event, for example the BMW 7 series / BMW 7 Series. Especially if this car is sent to the “history museum” of its predecessor, whose appearance caused quite a bit of controversy.
The history of the BMW 7 series / BMW 7 Series goes back more than 30 years. Previous generation was not accepted by all fans of the brand - the design from Chris Bangle cannot be taken lightly, it can either be praised to the skies or scolded. That's why new flagship appeared soon enough. In terms of appearance, although it did not become revolutionary, it acquired a number of details that gave the model executive class swift and powerful features. But there is still a design element around which there is the greatest controversy among fans of the brand - tail lights with rounded corners. Fans can't help but criticize the designer, even if his last name is no longer Bangle.
And yet the traditions are respected: the moderate conservatism of the flagship of the Bavarian brand allows both retaining existing customers and attracting new ones due to the fact that appearance BMW 7 series / BMW 7 Series develops in accordance with modern trends. In cars of this class, great attention is paid to interior decoration. Everything is in complete German order: the almost flawlessly made interior from the highest quality materials is truly impressive. The salon is made according to the principle “everything in the name of the passenger.” A huge rear sofa with all kinds of adjustments for pillows, headrests, of course, control of your own climate, a huge central armrest - business class attributes at their best. And in the long-wheelbase version, which we tested, all the advantages of the passenger lifestyle are increased due to the huge space for the inhabitants of the rear sofa.
But even in such a car, created for a passenger, the BMW / BMW slogan - “With pleasure behind the wheel” - does not lose its relevance. Attention is also paid to drive here. First of all, we are talking about power units, of which there are currently three: two petrol and one diesel. Both gasoline engines- three-liter inline-six and 4.4-liter V-shaped eight are equipped with twin turbocharging, which allows achieving impressive dynamic characteristics. The three-liter diesel engine is a little weaker, but there is something to save on - passport expense fuel averages 7.2 liters per 100 km. All versions of the new BMW 7 series are equipped with a six-speed automatic transmission, which combines well with powerful engines.
The new BMW 7 series / BMW 7 Series is equipped with a considerable number of options that make the driver’s life easier and increase the level of safety. Blind spot monitoring system, warning of unauthorized crossing of lines road markings, speed limit monitoring system, adaptive front lighting, night vision system, active steering and much more help you feel the full technological power of the German premium automobile industry. The entertainment complex received our special attention: everything possible functions, all existing formats are flavored with such high-quality sound that the hand does not turn to mute the music. The only thing is, to take full advantage of this, you will have to understand a little intelligent control car. Although Russified iDrive allows you to intuitively understand what’s what, it still requires some adaptation. The driver's control panel seemed oversaturated with all kinds of buttons - BMW competitors/ BMW this element looks somewhat simpler.
Thanks to its size, appearance and agility of the engine, the new BMW / BMW seven evokes endless respect among traffic participants, even in a city like Moscow, which is “full” of premiums of all calibers. Residents of congested streets and high-speed straights of the Moscow Ring Road respectfully give way to the evil, but respectable BMW 750Li / BMW 750 Li. And even if few people yet understand that one of the main novelties in the executive segment of recent times has just flashed past: even the representatives of the traffic police, whose profession requires them to know cars, recognized the similarity of the new generation to the old one. And this attitude towards the city jet can rather be written down as a “plus”: the passenger of such a car does not need any extra attention, and those who are in the “topic” will understand everything anyway. The external conservatism and respectability of the new product is confirmed by the same character on the road only when the “boss” wants it. After all, the “seven” drives with incredible emphasis, power and drive thanks to the balanced cocktail of the BMW 7 series: engine, transmission, 50:50 weight distribution and flawless operation of the new Dynamic Drive chassis and suspension. 400 sensors continuously monitor the vehicle's driving conditions, giving commands to the dynamic shock absorber stiffness control system. This allows you to move quite comfortably on almost any surface. True, such a system is not able to instantly respond to a pothole in smooth asphalt, so encountering bridge joints or potholes forces the “clamped” suspension to react very harshly. Alas, there are many such places on the capital’s roads, which is why sometimes the car shakes. But good driver must carefully study the route along which he takes his VIP owner; in Moscow this is a conscious necessity.
The Dynamic Drive system is also responsible for combating body roll. This work is not in vain: the car corners like a glove, which allows you to fully use the engine power. At all new BMW 7 series / The BMW 7 Series can offer four driving modes: comfortable, normal, sport and especially sport. Pressing a key quickly changes a number of system operating parameters: from pedal sensitivity, steering characteristics to suspension stiffness and operation of stabilization systems. It is necessary to go to a business meeting with decorum and nobility - the Comfort mode works. And if you want to test the strength of yourself and the car, you can turn on Sport+: here, in addition to sport settings, the stabilization systems also allow much more than in normal modes. The only pity is that Moscow streets most often do not allow you to do everything that this seemingly moderate and conservative car BMW 7 series / BMW 7 Series is potentially capable of.
You leave the house, which itself closes the door behind you, wishes you a good day and reminds you that in the evening you have dinner with your new neighbors. Next, a drone flies out with jointed limbs, like insects, in which it tenaciously holds forgotten umbrella. At the same time, he straightens his tie, hums something encouraging, and flies back. A car pulls out of the garage, the door slides to the side, you sit down and dictate the address. The car moves smoothly, no one is driving. 2040, the dollar has exceeded 250, Putin with a sigh takes back the nuclear suitcase from Kudrin - he is 88 and tired, but the people insisted. In Moscow they are changing the tiles.
There is no other industry that popularizes the technologies of the future as much as the auto industry. Even Elon Musk, despite already pointing warheads at Mars, is promoting his vision of the coming decades through Tesla, and the Boston Dynamics four-legged robot has not left the room since he saw a video of a Lexus hoverboard. It is important that every innovation immediately goes into production - it can be touched, pinched and used. 2015, the dollar is approaching 70, there are still the same portraits in the offices of officials, and the BMW 7-Series obeys gestures, leaves the garage itself at the press of a button on the key display, monitors the road topography with a stereo camera and shines laser headlights 600 meters into the future. And if there was a reason why Harald Kruger was at the Frankfurt Motor Show, it was the coolness of the new Seven.
In the century-old BMW and Mercedes derby, there were defeats - either in Stuttgart they would build the controversial W220, or in Munich they would overload the F01/02 with compromises, and it was very important for this “seven”, generation G11/12, to turn out to be no worse than the absolutely extraterrestrial W222. The Bavarians had to release something as breakthrough as the i8 supercar, and they did just that, dragging many solutions from their i-proving ground, including carbon fiber at the base of the body. A main question The question I asked during a test drive of the new 730d and 750Li in the vicinity of Porto - whether the BMW 7-Series has become comparable in terms of comfort to an executive Mercedes - remained unanswered. And this is a victory for the Bavarians.
Because such a “seven” drives the way a BMW should drive – passionately, angrily, accurately and collectedly, and in terms of caring for the passenger it is so close to the W222 that to find a winner they will have to be compared in person. Moreover, in Portugal there was nothing even close to the surrounding area Nizhny Novgorod, Pskov or Podolsk, famous for their modernist vision of what asphalt should be, so we’ll postpone the question of the energy intensity of the G11/12 suspension until the meeting in Russia.
Grippy steering wheel, comfortable seating position, rear drive, 620 Nm of torque and a cool rigid body - I did not succumb to provocations Subaru WRX with Swiss plates about five minutes and three settlements, and then couldn’t stand it and rushed after him along the winding wine paths. The WRX, as if mockingly, brakes excessively before corners, turning our argument into a frog race. He succeeded in this trick a couple of times, I missed the starting point of acceleration and let him pull away on the straight, but in front of a clearly visible arc, for some reason he hits the brakes again and I catch up with him in the short BMW 730d. It's big enough and devilish fast car, but there is one problem: you don’t want to live in it. And there are not even curtains on the rear windows in the basic rear-wheel drive version, which, however, will not appear in Russia - only four-wheel drive xDrive.
The 750Li is completely different - it is a collective image of wealth. There is no longer a back row, which can easily accommodate three people - only two full seats in business class, where the main role is given rear passenger on the right with various types of massage and the ability to recline the seat almost to the sleeping place. It is not so omnipotent in turns and reminds you of its dimensions during completely puzzling maneuvers, but the “smart” suspension, collecting data about the upcoming road section using a camera and GPS, does not allow rolls and leaves only hooligan hints of swaying so that the driver does not lose machine feelings. For an additional fee, in addition to the default all-round air suspension and electronically controlled shock absorbers, you can equip the “Seven” with active stabilizers, and this is the case when you cannot save money, and the carbon elements of the body structure gave the “Seven” a lightness that you would not expect from a limousine. The point is not even in making the structure lighter (of the 130 kg difference from the previous generation, the Carbon Core accounts for only 40 kg), but in increasing its rigidity.
Apparently, it is precisely this version under the symbol G12, which is 14 mm longer than the G11, that is correctly considered the main 7-Series, because all BMW’s trump cards in the executive segment are collected here. “What Mercedes revived the Maybach for is concentrated in the G12, coupled with the BMW Individual options program,” he tells me BMW representative in response to the stupidest question about the luxury version of the already luxurious “Seven”. However, between the regular S-class and Maybach, Mercedes also has an extended L-version, which is still a direct competitor to the G12, and the short version is not brought to Russia at all.
Anyone who wears a watch on their left hand will immediately feel the 14 cm difference between the two BMWs. Built into the armrest on the back row in both G11 and G12 charging station, which contains a tablet - it can be used to control car systems (multimedia, navigation, seat adjustments and massage, climate control), and as a separate full-fledged gadget with a browser and the ability to install applications from Google Play. So, if you put your left hand on the armrest in the short version, then the watch bracelet ends up exactly on the tablet’s display, in the long run it scratches it and spoils it in every possible way. In the extended version there is no such problem - touch screen turns out to be right under the fingers. I, of course, experimented by pushing the tablet upside down into the charging niche, and immediately discovered the only place in the 7-Series where there is thick, rough plastic - this is the back surface of the device with large Samsung letters in the middle. BMW has long been cooperating with the Korean company to supply batteries for hybrids and is not shy about this inscription, especially since it is on the most important one for the “Seven” American market Samsung, along with Apple, is perceived as the main player in the high price segment.
The “Seven” became the largest BMW sedan both in size (5098 mm in length for the G11, 5238 mm in the G12) and in the abundance of special effects. Moreover, an extremely small number of them can be classified as marketing, “selling” elements that do not provide any real benefit. For example, the cinematic effect with which the camera image on the display smoothly changes from a first-person view to a top view when parking, and, in many ways, a key fob with touch display. Everything starts out great: you pick up the key, swipe to unlock it, dive into the menu and make incomprehensible enthusiastic sounds - the wow effect knocks you off your feet. But in the promising technical submenu, instead of real indicators, there is a calendar of trips to the service, and remote activation of climate control in a locked car is available only from a relatively short distance and, in fact, is only useful if the car is parked directly under the office window. In this sense, GSM-based applications for controlling car systems from a smartphone screen look more convincing.
But it is this key fob that controls the technology necessary for the “Seven” with its wide doors - parking the car if its owner is outside. It happens something like this: you approach a narrow parking space or to the garage, you get out of the car, select the appropriate item in the key menu - and the car parks itself. He also leaves independently and with caution - if there is a person behind him, he will stop.
And then you get behind the wheel, twist your finger at your temple electronic brains BMW and the music gets louder. While we see holographic displays and a keyboard floating above the table only in HBO multi-episode shows, this thing is already here and it works: gestures with the right hand in the air, opposite the multimedia screen, allow you to switch tracks, answer a phone call, control the camera image in a top view, and a figure from The two fingers facing the display can be assigned to other functions. There are only five options, and this is dictated not so much by the complexity of the functionality, but by the forced consideration of global market- gestures that are familiar to us in other countries can be considered an insult.
There's a lot more to tell about the new 7-Series. That she is very pretty and looks much more harmonious than the Bangle Seven, even if she has retained that old-fashioned high trunk line. That the “seven” does not have the usual Sport plus mode for BMW, but Comfort plus has appeared - a professional lullaby performer, which, if the driver does not fall asleep, promises the passenger cosmic tranquility (the full effect is achieved with the “Starry Sky” option for panoramic roof). That there is no M version, but there is an M package. What we haven’t tried yet, but believe in the need smart mode Adaptive, which changes engine, gearbox and suspension settings for us based on data about our driving style and the upcoming section of the road - cameras and GPS navigation help. That in terms of the comfort of the seats, the quality of the finish and the way the interior looks (quilted leather!), the “Seven” has become both the most luxurious and the most sophisticated BMW of all existing ones - for this, the company’s specialists even traveled to Shanghai, studying the preferences of their clients. And that it was very awkward for us to put our feet on the electrically adjustable stand, trimmed with light leather.
But the main thing that the new “seven” captures with its passes in the air and a key with the appearance of a computer is a keen sense of the coming future, which, unlike Armstrong’s race about craters, cannot be suspected of being false. And the future is expensive. Still 2015, BMW 7-Series, price - from 5.3 million rubles. for a short time diesel version; about 10 million rubles. for the 750Li xDrive in the configuration we tested; further - ad infinitum.
Alexey Butenko
Photos and videos: BMW
It's been about a month since the first BMW 7 Series appeared for a test drive in dealership AVTODOM (formerly Aviamotors), which is on Startovaya Street. However, at first only the 730d modification was offered for a test drive, of which the Bavarians are rightfully proud. Of course: diesel fuel consumption in the combined cycle is some 7.8 liters per 100 km. And this is for a 5-meter premium sedan! But we wanted more - to experience firsthand the power of the V-shaped “eight” with a biturbocharger, which is installed under the hood BMW 750i. Listen and record its sound on the microphone...
And we waited: such a car appeared in AVTODOM in the most expensive version - 750Li, equipped with almost all possible options. Oh, it’s not easy to get this car for a test drive: we spent a little more than two hours in the car dealership itself, waiting for our turn to experience the miracle of Bavarian thought, which, however, we don’t regret. Firstly, we were generously treated to specialty coffee, which is known to invigorate; secondly, during the waiting time we managed to refresh our memory of the appearance of the entire model BMW series- from aggressive BMW Z4 M before the previous seven, which, by the way, is still on sale. At a discount, of course.
But here - the car (black!) is washed to a shine and is waiting for us almost at the entrance, and as a travel companion with us is Natalya Lapochkina, corporate sales manager, who soon confesses: she used to work at Mercedes (Star of the Neva), and now here - BMW is closer to her spirit...
An unforgettable moment - the moment of first acquaintance, when you find yourself inside the flagship - the N1 car of a truly favorite brand. There have already been disappointments. But still, every time is like the first. Here, too, the interior, already seen in the photo for a long time, seems to come to life again. And I immediately notice everything I’ve already read about: the joystick iDrive shifted to the right, the steering column levers have disappeared, the central panel is now again slightly turned towards me - the driver. And - lo and behold! - three-spoke steering wheel... And at this moment I truly realize for the first time: I could buy such a car for myself if funds allowed. I mean, buy not to sit on back seat, like some kind of oligarch or minister. No, I thought about something else - why not use this - I agree - rather large sedan as a casual car, instead of the usual crossover...
But really, can’t a car for every day, spacious, roomy and powerful, be so monumental and advanced?
Test drive in the driver's seat
Of course, when you find yourself behind the wheel of a 407-horsepower car, even if it’s not a sports car, you want to immediately go into battle - and the faster, the better. But that was not the case: it was 5:15 p.m., it was drizzling outside, which meant the city had practically stopped. You need to get out of traffic jams, but not in the oncoming lane, as is usually done in cars of this class, but by squeezing between drivers of our brands, whom the sight of the new “Boomer” sometimes puts into a stupor. So much so that they forget to give way even where the rules require it. Meanwhile, we catch interested glances from neighboring cars.
Yes, in the dark on a muddy road it is difficult to distinguish the new seven from the old one. This we know that the sedan in the extended version stretched by 80 mm and lost the monumentality of the E65 tank. Now the car looks more elegant and at the same time there is something from the Lexus LS in the rear. Maybe parallelepipeds of the exhaust system? But on other versions of the 7 series there is a familiar dual pipe, and rear lights, asymmetrically extending onto the trunk lid, are completely reminiscent of the restyled “troika”.
While thinking about the stylistic delights of the car’s appearance, we nevertheless overcame the ill-fated junction and drove out onto the Pulkovskoye Highway, and after driving a couple of kilometers, we turned onto Pulkovo-2. This is where you can have some fun! An engine with two Honeywell turbochargers accelerates the sedan to hundreds in 5.3 seconds. - this is only 0.1 slower than the top-end Audi A8 with all-wheel drive and a 6-liter engine. The “take off” to 140-150 is almost instantaneous. Neither I nor my passengers have time to notice any discomfort or noise - only a pleasant press into the seats, as if on a roller coaster. The engine is so perfectly matched to the gearbox that I don't notice the 6-speed automatic shifting at all unless I look at the tachometer. Digital gear display - exclusively in manual mode(and even then the numbers are too small). The hint is clear: you shouldn’t be distracted from the road, electronics and automation will do everything for you.
Just a minute... We were just stuck in a traffic jam - and the car responded to pressing the gas pedal smoothly and even somewhat imposingly. And now... A real athlete: the chassis is assembled, the response to the gas is almost instantaneous for such a weight... There is no trace of the imposing and relaxed attitude that the car demonstrated in traffic. And now we are already rushing to the airport, and I feel like a driver who forgot to put on a black suit and tie in a hurry: we are late for the plane to Munich. Illuminated by “dynamic” xenon, passing cars make way in front of us and even the traffic police patrol does not react in any way to the excess that is noticeable without any cameras or radars... Oh yes, the test seven - without stickers, just a black sedan, although without “special signals”. The Traffic Inspectorate employees were the ones who immediately noticed and appreciated: the seven is new... Why run into trouble?
In the free 15 minutes in the parking lot in front of the International Airport, you have time to consider what you didn’t have time to notice right away. There are now four analog instrument scales again - the speedometer and tachometer in the center, and on the sides - fuel and temperature sensors. However, a digital display is organically integrated underneath them. on-board computer. Here, in fact, all the “instruments” of this aircraft are located: mode indication Dynamic Drive Control, power reserve, watch and so on. Four Dynamic Drive Control modes are switched by a large button on the central tunnel, to the left of the automatic selector. Nearby is a button that deactivates the stabilization system. And on the left under the steering wheel there is a button Lane Change Warning: When crossing a marking without turn signals, the steering wheel will begin to vibrate. Is this necessary in Russia, where sometimes the stripes are simply invisible under a layer of dirt?
Like many manufacturers, BMW hastened to acquire a system that allows you to change the stiffness of the shock absorbers, the speed of gear changes in the “automatic”, the “responsiveness” of the gas pedal, as well as the settings of the electro-hydraulic power steering. Dynamic Drive Control has four modes - Sport+, Sport, Normal and Comfort, but changes can only be made via the computer to the Sport mode configuration.
Natalya says that the suspension was designed with clean slate: For the first time in a BMW car, double wishbones are used at the front (the S-Class, Audi A8 and Lexus LS were equipped with double wishbones from the very beginning). In addition, the standard equipment of long-wheelbase versions includes rear air suspension, which, apparently, can be ordered as an option for “short” modifications.
Unable to resist the temptation, I turn the black plane around again and again and fly it to the makeshift runway. It seems that a little more - and we will take off! The engine, a V8 already familiar to me, sounds in the spirit of BMW - nervous and aggressive, although not as noble as that of the Alpina B5. On a flat road, according to Natalya’s advice, it is best to drive in Normal mode - the computer itself selects the optimal stiffness for each wheel, because from now on the base seven is equipped with electronically controlled shock absorbers. If you switch to Sport, the steering wheel becomes noticeably heavier, the automatic transmission begins to hold a lower gear, and surface defects are more acutely felt. In fact, it’s a sport: no rolls, no swaying! But to be honest, I don’t understand why two more modes are needed. If we follow the logic of minimalism to the end, they have no place here - like the steering column switches and the indication of the current gear in Drive mode...
But the most interesting thing: in addition to the car, you can install two more “gadgets” on the chassis:
1. Active stabilizers Dynamic Drive, which finally tame rolls and improve reactions.
2. Integral Active Steering- a system that automatically rotates the front and deflects rear wheels at an angle of up to 3 degrees. The Bavarians continue to insist that this is their invention, completely forgetting about Nissan Skyline and Infiniti G37, which, by the way, we already wrote about.
Why is this steering needed? Maximum speed The car is electronically limited to 250 km/h, which means that theoretically you can safely drive at that average speed, say, on an autobahn somewhere near Munich. Driving means not rushing along a straight line like an arrow, but rather driving: changing lanes, overtaking, without slowing down on an arc - and all this on a long-wheelbase sedan! However, it is unlikely that in our conditions it will reach such speeds. But you can drive relaxed and imposing in almost any conditions - on rear wheel drive car... Moreover, at your service Head-Up Display (which I again saw on the Alpins) - a device that projects on Windshield not only the current speed, but also navigation prompts: before starting a turn, the main arrow deviates towards the turn, acting as a navigator... Voice prompts can be turned off, if desired, as well as the entire system.
Is it worth talking about ideal ergonomics and fit? Perhaps not: no one expects anything other than impeccability from the flagship of the Bavarian engine factories. But personally, I feel much more comfortable here than in X-six. For me, BMW is 100% a car. With all the ensuing consequences. If only there was an all-wheel drive version. Or maybe an all-wheel drive hybrid?..
Test drive in the passenger seat
No matter how much I delay this moment, it’s time to give up the helm and move back. Remember, the Lexus LS was a rear right passenger car, while the BMW was always considered driver's car? Yes, and the previous generation of the seven was greatly scolded: they say, the rear is high and uncomfortable. Here's Mercedes...
The current “seven” is already the fifth generation of the Bavarian flagship. First large sedan appeared in the history of the brand back in 1939, but only 415 cars were built before the war. Having recovered from the post-war devastation, the Bavarians opened the next page of executive sedans in 1951 with the 501 model, which went down in history as the “Baroque angel”. The first “shark” appeared in 1977. three subsequent generations and developed BMW's corporate identity - a sport-premium sedan. The previous generation of the “seven” became the most popular in the entire history of the seventh series, but it still sold worse than the S-class.
But I remember not a Mercedes, but a Lexus with its clutter of buttons and ubiquitous wooden inserts. The BMW is more modest in appearance - there is no, say, massage chair. But at the same time - and this is the paradox - it is more solid. Let me make a bold statement: a blind person will rate this car higher than Lexus. Everything here seems to be designed for kinesthetics: the wood is real wood, the leather is real leather, and the stereo system... According to Leonid Golovanov, it, unlike the Lexus Mark Levinson, plays not sounds, but music. Moreover, in everything there is the usual rigor and laconicism, although in terms of the number of options and innovations, the “seven” is hardly inferior to the most advanced Japanese.
However, BMW seems to be copying Lexus in some ways. In the previous “seven” there was a mirror on the ceiling and a screen in the middle. And in the new one there are two of them - on the left and on the right, like the Lexus LS. Separate air conditioning system- at the end of the tunnel between the front seats. The armrest has its own iDrive controller with separate controls on the sides, as well as an electric seat control unit. Everyone praises the new generation of i-Drive: no less convenient than Audi MMI, there are even themed keys and Internet access. There was something rough and repulsive about the old seven (although it’s somehow absurd to call it old!), despite its laconic symmetry. The new generation features a total improvement, from the overall interior design to the logic of the multimedia system.
Although the back row of seats is in no way separated from the front, it feels like you are in some other world. Here you can relax, sitting comfortably on the right (fortunately there is more than enough space in the long-wheelbase version!), set the desired temperature and tune out the world around you. You can listen to music, you can turn on a DVD with your favorite movie - all those numerous gizmos that are located somewhere in the bowels of the car, interacting in a mysterious way, make you forget about bad roads and other worries of life.
But on one condition: you must be confident in the driver who drives all 407 turbocharged Bavarian horses. And then you can relax, contrary to stereotypes, even in a BMW.
Hi all!
Today I will tell you about the flagship of the Bavarian manufacturer - new BMW 7 Series.
I would like to immediately warn lovers of Russian literature that this text is a transcript video test , which you can watch at the end of the recording, so clumsy syllables and a lot of repetitions are inevitable in the process of translating the video into text. Deciphered and prepared the text for the website Yulia Samsonova.
Let's start)
Newest BMW sedan 7 is a product in which the company has invested all its latest technology.
They release it 2-3 years after the Mercedes S (222) came out. It's a big challenge to make a car that will match, that should be ahead of Mercedes (the leader in its class).
It's not just design. The new technologies that are used here are what we will see in all BMW cars after some time.
Narrow lanterns. Fully LED optics. Exhaust pipes fit into the bumper, as before, but now a lot of chrome has been added.
We have all-wheel drive, top-end BMW version 750 LI, therefore, it is packed with a lot of options and technologies.
I have always wondered why a car for a passenger is also made correctly for the driver. Look how the interior is made, look at the materials here, how everything works here.
But in fact, when I was sitting in the back, most of the functions were not available. The driver controls this car, the driver controls all the multimedia functions. Everything here is controlled by the driver.
From the latest systems installed here head-up display last generation.
Now all the buttons, all the panels are made completely differently, not like before. You have to try really hard to feel plastic somewhere. Everything is covered with leather and wood. And most importantly, several kilograms of real aluminum have been added here. BMW says that Mercedes does not actually use real aluminum buttons, but plastic ones.
The first feeling I had when I got inside was that I remembered a Mercedes.
There is even a screen on the key)
The central screen is 12.3 inches. Graphics are fully customizable. BMW cheated the system. You look at the dashboard and it looks real to us. They left small rims that frame the speedometer, tachometer and other indicators.
Now all kinds of settings have been added to the menu. You can change the graphics and choose how they will look here. By the way, the menu here is completely new. You can choose the standard option - normal mode, reduced option information - part Numbers and icons are gone and individual - you can choose what exactly will be on the screen.
When selecting ecopro mode, sport mode dashboard changes.
The car can brake itself and warn of any sudden obstacles. There is an automatic steering mode, just press the button where the steering wheel is drawn, and on the panel, accordingly, the steering wheel and traffic lanes light up. If I’m driving and looking somewhere, the car itself starts steering along the markings (steers).
But if you don’t drive for a long time, the system will tell you that it’s time to take the wheel, and it can no longer drive the car. If you are steering, the steering feels completely light, because if you move out of the lane, the car itself returns to it. When you match this system, you feel ease of steering; if you don’t match, then the car starts to resist. There is approximately the same effect in computer games, or rather in virtual steering wheels.
The second one is very important point can be called a multimedia system. By and large, this is the NBT system already familiar to us, but again of the latest generation. The screen has become touch-sensitive. The Bavarians followed the lead of their consumers, who really wanted to poke at the screen. Now it is possible. In my opinion, this is completely wrong. You need to move forward, you need to place the screen in such a way that you can reach it with your hand. In general, a bunch of all sorts of nuances that actually do not add anything good to this system. The graphics have changed. Everything has become more modern, more beautiful. Everything works very quickly.
In addition, the main thing is that you can control the joystick, you can control the sensor, you can also control gestures. True, there are not so many gestures yet, and they work, as practice has shown, a little strangely. To do this, just turn on the music and first the system shows you that you can turn the handle, or you can turn it with your fingers. You can switch tracks - point your fingers (show the horned goat).
Of the minuses, of great disappointment on my part and on the part of many users of modern gadgets, there is no Apple CarPlay, there is no Android Auto, as was the case in the Audi Q7, for example. BMW decided that they would refine this system, but in the meantime they are offering some kind of alternative control option.
The navigation menu has also changed a lot. The number of items has decreased and you will have to manage navigation better.
In fact, the rotary washer with a sensor that appeared a few years ago works a little strangely here. Whenever you touch it with your finger, a menu opens where you can view the map. If you click something, then you have an additional menu in which you need to select something else. By pressing back, you go back to map mode; it’s not always clear what to do.
Text recognition works very dubiously. When you go, for example, to add a new destination, the system works like this: “you write the letter R, O, and so on. Everything works when you do it one letter at a time, but in reality, when we write an address or dial a number, we do it all at once, and not one letter at a time. If you enter everything continuously, the system will not be able to recognize everything. In my opinion, all this is self-indulgence and a meaningless story.
The music item has also been updated. Now everything looks different, but you quickly get used to it. The joystick allows you to control left, right. You can select artists, tracks, etc., music sources and turn on the song or composition you need.
Now the machine can distribute the Internet. A SIM card is built in here. In Russia, it is possible that there will be no browser, because the SIM card that is built-in will be in constant roaming. In Russia there is a list of banned sites, and in order for this list to be maintained, you need to somehow track it, and theoretically you can go to any blocked site. It would be illegal, so BMW company I decided to simply disable the Internet browser on the territory of the Russian Federation.
The car drives great! Again, this driver assistance feature makes it seem like it's just fluff.
Well, I don’t know, it feels like a BMW 3 Series, 5, well, not like the 7th. The car doesn't feel big.
It is simply impossible to find fault with the condition of the car on the road and its comfort. If you compare it with the 222 Mercedes, then it’s the same air suspension, and it's exceptionally comfortable too. You don't feel any unevenness, sound insulation is on the highest level,. In this regard, both BMW and Mercedes have significantly surpassed Audi, which still makes a fairly stiff, sporty suspension.
BMW does not have an empty steering wheel effect. Even if you turn the steering wheel a little, you can see that it immediately begins to turn after turning the steering wheel.
Another unusual thing is the climate control panel. The screen is large and touch-sensitive, so when you move your finger across it, you can adjust things. It seems to me that this was done just to say so. There is no particular convenience in this function.
There is heating here, there is seat ventilation.
As in the 222, Mercedes added a built-in ionizer and air freshener, only you can also choose one of two scents. I don’t know how much it will cost, but I remember that at Mercedes this air freshener cost 4,500 rubles and that was before the crisis, but now it’s probably all 8,000.
Can you imagine what the cost of servicing your car will be when you arrive for maintenance and they tell you: “The air freshener has already run out. Do you want to install a new one or not?”
well and full version The review will be available in about a month
You can get up-to-date information about tests, new products and about me on my personal Instagram paulrsx
Watch our show AvtoVesti on the channel Russia 24, project website auto.vesti.ru
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