Owning an E66 Long Term Road Test of the E65/E66 7 Series When the new 7-series was released in 2002 the motoring journalists were not too friendly about two aspects of it, firstly the styling by Chris Bangle and then the i-Drive. The designation E65 is for the normal and E66 for the long wheelbase models. some light on their driving ability – Melbourne as the Club delegate in you wonder why they don’t employ March 2003, when I actually travelled Fortunately most of us have real drivers to do their testing. in a 745iL as a passenger, that I had noted over the years that the some serious thoughts about the motoring journalists are not overly I guess that perhaps I was like vehicle. smart when it comes to judging most people when I first saw the vehicles. Look at some of the fine vehicle. Some years earlier when the We had been trying out some vehicles that they have judged as Claus Luthe-designed E32 7 Series of the latest vehicles in the BMW Car of the Year, where we have had came out in 1986, I had simular range and had just finished lunch up such rubbish as the Morris 1100, thoughts about the styling, but after in the Dandenong Ranges. It was on Sigma, P76, Magna and many other a while I got to like the look of it the return journey back to BMW magnificent pieces of machinery. You and soon the previous E23 7 Series HQ at Mulgrave, travelling in an E66 soon get the message, but you also looked dated. With the E65/E66 it being piloted by the then Corporate have to remember that these guys seems to be no different and the Communications Manager of BMW have usually only been educated in previous E38 7 Series to me is now Australia, that I realised how refined journalism and the reports that I seriously dated. these vehicles were. have received over a period of time about the number of press vehicles After my first impression of the It was incredible how over that are seriously damaged during E65/E66 it was not until a visit to this rather rough, winding road their road testing certainly throws the suspension was soaking up the bumps and the grip on the road was surprising. In the same situation my M6 would have been more than a handful and my Supra’s suspension would have bottomed out and it would have been airborne. Some time later when I had a sudden rush of blood to the brain I found myself driving home in my latest acquisition, a 745iL, and then b’emming after owning that vehicle for quite BMW in their wisdom allowed take quite a hammering if you are some time I upgraded to a 750Li. for some pre-programming of key not extremely careful. If you only functions to a single other function have a standard garage you will not I think that most of us have button on the steering wheel and have much space left over after read some reports from the an additional button on the centre squeezing it in, but at least with journalists about their impressions consul for the upgrade model, but the PDC you know when you are about the i-Drive, but remember unfortunately they restricted the getting close to other objects, as you these guys are only driving the use to either the air-conditioning, cannot see the extremities of the vehicle for a short time. After you navigation or the parking brake, all vehicle. get used to the operation of the of which I have found to be of little device, I found that there are only a use. If only they allowed for the EDC With the 745iL the couple of areas that could have been on this button, I would have been performance was quite good improved upon. happier. considering the weight. The 4.4-litre motor has valvetronic induction If you are using a menu and Make no mistake about it, the and double-Vanos and developed you want to select another one you E66 is a large vehicle. It is 5169 mm 245kW @ 6100rpm and 450Nm either have to remember what all long (5179 mm V12) and 2133 mm @ 3600rpm, giving a 0–100 km/h of the eight sectors are or point wide, a wheelbase of 3130 mm and time of 6.5 seconds. The 750Li has the mouse to each in turn until you its turning circle is in excess of 12.5 the 4.8-litre motor which develops find the required menu. Fortunately metres. When I weighed my 750 it 270kW @ 6300rpm and 490Nm @ in the facelift model 03/2005 they was 2085 Kgs with close on a full 3400rpm and the performance has installed a menu button which allows tank. improved to give a 0–100 km/h time the driver to easily determine which of 6.0 seconds. sector he needs – however most of the functions that you use on a Around town the economy day-to-day basis can be operated by is quite good with no difference a button on the steering wheel and between the 745iL and the 750Li then voice commands for the phone, and you can expect to get around navigation, radio, TV, CD and DVD, so 600 km from a full tank. Depending you do not have to access the iDrive on the speed and terrain on a by the mouse. But unfortunately country run I have achieved in there is one area that they missed I don’t think that it is the excess of 850 km out of the 88 litre and that is the Electronic Damping vehicle for serious motorkhana use tank and I feel that a less impatient Control (EDC). – with the width, length and turning driver could easily get 1000 km. circle it is rather hard to chuck The only times that I felt that around in a confined area and as far As far as driver comfort is the EDC needed to be changed to as handbrake turns are concerned, concerned I have no complaints. Sport mode is when I have been they are totally out of the question With the comfort seat package driving a little hard and that is not as the handbrake is a button on there are infinite settings for height, the time to be distracted by using the dash, either off or on. I suspect thigh, shoulder, lumbar and lateral the i-Drive to select Settings, then there could be some damage done support and these are the most EDC, then Sport. Definitely not a if it were applied at any speed for comfortable seats of any BMW that smart move, but remember this handbrake turns! I have driven. The steering is precise move is still legal, the same as bus and there is sufficient feedback drivers carrying 90 passengers Because of the size it is rather because of the rack and pinion and using their two-way radios or difficult fitting it into anything but Servotronic setup and surprisingly, police on a high speed chase doing large parking bays though the there is very little tram lining the same (but using your hand-held PDC tends to help a little in these considering the size of the tyres. mobile phone is not!) situations, but the alloy wheels can july 007 The real question that needs to Not all cars are perfect and the be answered is how well do these E66 has some faults, some of which inbuilt electronic safety devices have been corrected on the upgrade work? model while some more have been created on that model. At our recent driver training session I had the opportunity to try I have mentioned about the out some of these and I can confirm -Drive function previously. The that there has been a quantum original control display was a The bi-xenon outer headlights improvement over my E39 540i. I polarised screen and could not be are a vast improvement over the must admit, with the exception of seen if you were wearing polarising previous quartz lights, and could the brakes, the rest of the traction/ sunglasses which BMW addressed have been improved more if the stability control was poor. in the upgrade model. Unfortunately inner high beam lights were xenon by doing this they lost the display as well. The brakes on the 745iL brightness and colour, making it and 750Li are excellent and have more difficult to read with bright The high-beam assist which a Dynamic Brake Control which sunlight, so I don’t think that this fix dips the lights when it senses light increases brake force under hard has achieved much. approaching I thought would be a braking and when the vehicle is problem as I assumed you would pushed hard around the track, the The original mobile phone lose the ability to retaliate against Dynamic Stability Control stabilises was an inbuilt unit with the handset the clown approaching you with his the traction and the Adaptive Drive being mounted in one of the slide- headlights on full beam, but you can suspension package combines the out storage compartments in the override this facility and still take out Electronic Damper Control and dash, but in the upgrade model they his retinas if you wish to. Dynamic Drive to reduce the body decided to use a Bluetooth phone roll and makes it almost impossible setup and, instead of mounting its The upgrade model now comes to spin out.