7 Upped

BY HONG BOON HOW, Star Motoring, Malaysia. Sunday February 5, 2006

IT COSTS as much as two double-storey link houses in Bandar Utama. So put aside the hype, the horsepower and the technical details for a while. Any car in this price bracket must do more than provide comfort, a good ride and fine engineering. 

It must command attention and respect – to itself and for the owner. 

Pulling up at the entrances of several hotels in the Klang Valley, we managed to put those abilities to the test in the BMW 740Li. 

There was a sense of uneasiness, judging from their body language and lip movements. But their faces always gave off the same unspoken question. Who are those fellas? 

At the Sunway Lagoon Resort near Subang, we parked the 740Li next to a Toyota Lexus SUV and an Estima – at the entrance VIP parking area – two cars whose combined value do not quite reach that of the 740Li. 

As we alighted a security guard approached us with a big smile and sheepishly asked: “Sir, will you be parking here for long?” 

“Only for a while. We are meeting somebody in the hotel,” I replied. 

“Thank you Sir, have a nice evening,” he said, this time bowing his head, before going back to patrol the VIP car park. 

Besides getting to park for free, the very same security guard actually held the traffic back and guided us while we were reversing the 740Li on our way out.  

Bask in a little sunshine through the roof.

My colleague enjoyed a similar reception at the Putrajaya Shangri-La Hotel.  

He parked the 740Li at the entrance VIP parking bay, tossed the keys to the car jockey and helped himself to a good ego trip. 

They seemed quite happy to keep the car where he left it. 

Only, when he left, he found it pointed in the opposite direction, ready to be driven off without reversing.  

“It's a very nice car, sir,” said the jockey as he was about to leave. 

He said “Thank you.” Once inside he wanted to wind down the windscreen and blurt out “Actually I work in a car wash” before speeding off in a fit of laughter. 

He didn't do that, nor does he work in a car wash but you get the point. It’s all a matter of different points of views – the hotel’s and yours. 

And as we’ve seen when it comes to parking, some cars can spell the difference between hotel entrance view or basement garage view. 

Room with a view 

Slip inside the spacious interior of the 740Li and you will notice that the front and rear leather seats are almost sofa-like in their comfort with powered multiple adjustments for height, lumbar and thigh support. 

All seats come with hidden fans and heating elements to either cool or warm your buns. 

The 740Li sports redesigned new headlights. No more sepet eyes that was used in the earlier model.

The choice position for a “towkay” in the 740Li is undoubtedly the left rear seat. Not only do you have more than generous legroom to stretch out your legs, you can also press a special button and use a joystick on the rear centre armrest to move the front passenger seat forward to increase your personal space. 

A handy feature for the boss to gently remind the absent-minded bodyguard not to set his seat too far behind. Now all that's missing is an ejector button. 

The rear doors and rear windscreen have powered window blinds to shade the passengers during a hot day's drive – all of which can be raised and lowered with buttons on the rear door armrests.  

Ceiling air-cond vents for the rear passengers come with fan speed and temperature controls.

For safety reasons, the display on the front TV screen turns off when the car is moving.  

A unique feature that had almost everyone talking about the 740Li is the mini cooler box inside the centre of the rear seat backrest. 

This box has enough space to chill a couple of Perrier mineral water bottles and Coca Cola cans. Saves some pit stops at the 7-11 to get cold drinks. 

Besides air-conditioning vents for rear passengers, the 740Li also has two Bluetooth cordless phones – one inside the fascia and another in the rear centre armrest. 

Great for those times when you require some privacy – an alternative to the 740Li's hands-free system which works competently with the car's hi-fi unit to deliver loud and clear conversation without any “feedback” effect. 

It’s a taste of how the rich travel in perfect comfort without cramping their style. 

The dashboard has a Bluetooth cordless phone so that all important calls get through.

The i-Drive system controls a host of functions ranging from in-car-entertainment, mobile communications, suspension and traction control settings, the BMW Emergency Assist, climate control systems among many others. 

Activate the park distance control during parking and an image of a car with colour-coded distance from objects appears on the front TV screen.  

Cooler box in the rear seat backrest ensures passengers get to quench their thirst fast.

Together with that silky smooth, quiet 4.0-litre V8 engine and that long wheelbase, it would be apt to say that the 740Li doesn't move. It just glides along rather effortlessly. 

Floor the accelerator pedal and the V8 engine unleashes its full might without a trace of brutishness. 

You'd be hitting 200kph long before you think. 

At the upper ends of the rev range, there is a sporty hum from the engine that is never intrusive and the cabin remains almost whisper quiet for a decent conversation.  

As much as the 740Li is designed as a chauffeur driven car, the owner who doesn't takes the wheel from time to time is missing out on one of life's pleasures. 

Its acceleration time of 6.9 seconds to reach 100kph from a standing start can easily shame the majority of the grand tourers and coupes available in the country. 

The 740Li is an involving drivers’ car, especially with its precise steering control and excellent handling. 

The steering wheel gear shifter buttons allow manual gear changes for a sporty drive although most of the time we were quite happy to let the six-speed auto transmission do the work on its own. 

The BMW 740Li will set you back RM818,000 without insurance. And when you include the latter you’ll have enough to buy 20 Proton Savvys.  

Bet you have to park those in the basement.

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