The BMW Alpine White 7 Series

The newest addition to the prestigious line up of automobile produced by BMW is the new avatar of the luxurious 7series called the BMW Alpine. The Alpine has been unleashed to the markets recently and offers 3 brand new engine-based variants, enough technology to make your jaw drop and a multitude of re-adjustments compared to the older variant.

The new 7 Series has had a major facelift when it comes to style. The raised rear end has removed all traces of Chris Bangle’s design input and the front end has been smoothened out to give the car a more stream-lined look but the trademark ‘nostrils’ still prevail and make sure that the car is indeed a BMW.

The expanse between the front doors and the fender is linked by an intriguing feature that runs along the side. Apart from this, the car is a breath of fresh air from BMW. The new hockey stick shaped LED tail lamps and dual-exhaust pipes placed carefully to merge with the car’s body gives this mega-luxurious vehicle a slightly sporty feel.

The interiors have pretty much been remodeled in the same manner: the predictably appealing design but crafted in a complete different fashion. The dash exudes the typical BMW craftsmanship and gives you the feeling that you are in-fact, sitting in a German vehicle. However each and every detail has been changed, revamped or just been added.

The central console has been shuffled to make it more user friendly and less mangled as compared to the cars predecessor. The column mounted gear box and selector has been replaced onto the centre stack, changing the old stick to the same shift-unit that is presently being used in BMW’s premier SUV’s; the X5 and X6. BMW is also holding claims that their i-Drive device has undergone some changes to improve its intuition and make it more easily accessible thanks to the addition of re-programmable function switches.

The BMW 7 Series-Alpine boasts of a standard 12-speaker hard drive based AV system with a 6Stack DVD changer, AUX and USB inputs. Apart from this, the car also comes with standard 4Zone Climate Control Air-Conditioning, 3-D Satellite Navigational system, ventilation for the front row passengers, TV receiver and a voice recognized control system.

The V8 engine variants come with 16 speakers and a system that includes 9.2inch screens placed in the front seat’s headrest for rear passengers to view. The top end 750li model goes as far as to include massagers in the rear seats as well as complete ventilation for the rear row.

The next point to be noticed is the choice of engines. The 750i and 750li both come with 4.4 liter twin turbocharged V8 engines. They churn out a good 300kW and 600Nm. On the other hand, the 740i and Li both run on a 3.0liter Sterling Twin-Turbo Straight-6 engine and are able to produce 240kW and 450Nm. The V8 can zip from 0-100km/hr in a mere 5.2 seconds whereas the 6 clocks in a little slower at 5.9. Both cars are electronically restricted to traveling at a maximum of 250km/hr.

Finally, we take a look at the first Turbo Diesel 7 Series variant to be sold; the 730d. It delivers a solid 180kW/540Nm from a 3.0 liter Turbo-6 engine which propels the hefty car to 100 in a quick 7.2 sec. However the car is a fuel-guzzler and consumes 7.2l per 100km which is relatively lower than the the 740i’s 9.9 and the 750’s 11.4 liters/100km.

A distinct energy re-generation process captures the spent kinetic energy of the car while brakes are applied and uses this energy to charge the battery in the new 7 Series-Alpine. Thus, the pressure on the alternator has been dropped which releases more power and improves the fuel efficiency.

The chassis of the car is relatively lighter. The hood, top, doors and side-panels, key suspension parts and rear diff housing are all crafted out of lightweight Aluminium alloy. This gives the car better handling, performance and mileage.

The car also has dual-wishbone front suspension systems which is new amongst the BMW sedans. The dampers can all be manipulated electronically as a standard feature in all variants, with a range of ride-programs that the driver can choose between.

When it comes to accessories, the new 7 Series has not failed to astonish. Gadgets include a heads-up screen for the driving seat, night-vision camera that can locate people in the car’s way, a lane monitoring system that alerts you if changing lanes could be dangerous at that instance, a reversing camera to aid in parking, a wheel rim saving side view camera and there is always the option of including rear wheel steering. There is also a camera meant to detect your speed.

The pricing of the car as of April ‘09 is as follows:

- 730d $198,800 (Available only from June ‘09)

- 740i $203,000

- 740Li $218,000

- 750i $274,200

- 750Li $291,200