BMW 735iL: Enjoying a luxurious and prestigious car
BMW 735iL: Enjoying a luxurious and prestigious car
Hera Diani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Strangely, the recent journey to try out the new BMW 7-Series was
highlighted by "fly moments".
A couple of times, a green fly got inside the car, flying
around hysterically before our instructor, Arthur, shooed it out.
"You know something, inside the indicator lamp of one of the
cars (the 7-series), there's a dead green fly," he said.
Sitting in the back seat of the luxurious and comfortable
automobile, I almost laughed, thinking of myself as a fly -- a
creature so used to dirt and garbage and that wants to feel a
little sensation of luxury.
PT BMW Indonesia recently invited The Jakarta Post to try the
new BMW 735iL, which is said to be the most deluxe and
sophisticated sedan of 2002, setting a new standard in the
luxury limousine market.
Instead of a regular test drive, we spent the whole day
driving out of town, with occasional stops for meals at fancy
restaurants.
"We want you to experience not just the comfort of the car,
which is undeniable. We also want you to enjoy the lifestyle
following it, the attention people give you when you arrive in
the car," PT BMW Indonesia's head of public relations Helena
Abidin told us over breakfast at JW Marriott hotel, Central
Jakarta.
Hearing the word "attention", I was about to suggest changing
the initial destination of Bogor, West Java, to a club full of
hunks. But then I decided Bogor was OK after all.
I spent the first half hour of the journey admiring the
interior and observing the features in the central armrest of the
back seat.
The armrest has switches for operating seat ventilation, seat
width and headrest adjustment, plus heating and air conditioning.
If a telephone is installed, that can be directly operated from
it too.
The BMW 7-Series has been around for the past 25 years. Some
of the things that distinguish the latest version from its
predecessors are its technological innovations, including
electronic key and iDrive technology.
The latest model no longer uses a mechanical key, but an
electronic one with buttons to open the doors or trunk. It can
also activate internal, external and door handle lights.
The key also activates the car's memory, which holds seat
position, steering wheel and mirror, as well as air-conditioning
settings.
The iDrive technology, meanwhile, is a new type of simplified
vehicle operation concept for all the main control functions.
It provides the driver with considerably more information and
functions -- as many as 700, depending on the fittings -- and at
the same time reduces the number of switches and control
elements.
At the center of the dashboard is a monitor, or a control
display, both for display and as an adjustment aid for the
communications, entertainment, air-conditioning and navigation
functions.
Another world-first innovation is the six-speed automatic
transmission. It is shifted electronically and comes with a
selector lever on the steering wheel, replacing the conventional
automatic selector lever on the transmission tunnel console.
With this new transmission, the car will deliver optimal
performance at every speed, with a maximum speed of 250
kilometers per hour.
Another advantage of this model is the latest-generation,
eight-cylinder engine, which uses 14 percent less gasoline (about
one liter per 12 kilometers).
For me, it was the comfort that really mattered. Traveling
there and back from Jakarta to Bogor, a total of 140 kilometers,
the car ran smoothly.
Be it rough roads or uphill climbs, we did not feel a thing
inside. This was the result of active dynamic drive and
electronic damper control, which reduced slip and vibration, as
well as stabilizing shocks.
Every now and then, Arthur demonstrated the functions, such as
the telephone, where you simply insert your SIM card and talk on
the phone through the speaker.
"There's also a CD-changer inside here," said Arthur pointing
to the dashboard, while putting on some music.
The latest pop music from a boy band then blasted out. While
such bubble-gum pop would be fine anywhere else, it sounded so
unsuitable inside this car. Only soft chillout tunes, jazz or
classical music would sound right.
As for the attention, we got some from a police officer who
stopped us, checking the driving license, while his colleague
patted the car admiringly.
On the way back to Jakarta, we stopped at Sentul circuit in
Bogor, where I was given a chance to drive the car.
Wow! The steering was so light. Everything was so comfortable
that I dared not speed.
I tried both the automatic and manual override functions. The
gearchange for the latter was adjacent to the steering wheel,
just as on an F1 racing car. After checking out the autopark
function and the sensor for objects around the car, Arthur took
over again.
The day with the car -- some Rp 1.8 billion (US$196,000) if
you wish to purchase it -- ended in afternoon tea at The
Dharmawangsa, South Jakarta.
It was where the last "fly moment" occurred, as a green fly
laid helpless in a saucer.
While feeling sorry for the waiter, who might not have been
able to sleep later that night, I also felt a little self-
satisfied, because luxury is apparently not totally isolated from
dirty or inconsequential things.