By now, everyone knows about the 7 Series’ rather awkward shifter.  Located on the steering column, it only has three positions—neutral, drive and reverse.  However, it can be manually shifted by pressing buttons on the steering wheel.  Although we’ve seen a system similar on the new Mercedes-Benz M- and S-Class, the BMW’s system is somewhat clumsier as you can, more than once, accidentally wash the windshield rather than backing up.  The parking brake is also electromechanical, but unlike some other systems which disengage automatically when the car’s moving, this one won’t.  With enough fiddling of the controls though, the 730Ld can customized to engage the parking brake automatically when the car comes to a complete stop or even briefly say, when at a stoplight.

On the road, the 730Ld’s mass is almost intangible thanks to massive use of aluminum in its suspension and braking components.  The variable-assist steering system is seamless and useful, but rather light compared to other BMWs.  The 50/50 weight distribution (a trademark BMW trait) enables the 730Ld to have excellent balance through the corners.  Its host of chassis-control technologies keeps the driver safe without interfering in the fun.  It comes standard with the usual alphabets of safety (ABS, EBD, DTC, DSC, CBC), which are mostly invisible on everyday driving but will become important on less-grippy surfaces. 

Perhaps the most discontenting part of the 7 Series’ driving has little to do with the mechanical stuff.  It’s primarily the HAL-like iDrive system, which despite its changes is still pretty confusing and awkward.  Although it’s an elegant approach to reduce dashboard clutter, quickly selecting a function may take two to three clicks, where in others it will only take one.  This makes for a pretty good distraction from driving.  BMW has made some improvements such as providing redundant, dedicated knobs and switches for the climate control and audio system, but these tweaks do little to make the iDrive less than baffling.

Despite its bulk, “sedate” isn’t the word to describe the new BMW 730Ld.  This is a car that can quickly take intrepid drivers to cornering limits they wouldn’t dare explore outside a racetrack.  With such torque from its creamy diesel engine, it can be driven aggressively—if that’s your choice.  At the same time though, the 730Ld boasts one of the best and comfortable interiors of any standard production car.  It may be a bit cold to the soul because of its confusing technological amenities, but given time you’ll certainly warm up to its impressive performance.  It’s certainly not cheap, but discerning buyers will love the 730Ld for its overall package.

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