BMW not afraid of lastest Mercedes opposition

By Russell Williamson

BMW's 7-Series is set to get its first serious competition in the top end of the luxury car market when Mercedes-Benz launches its flagship S-Class later this year.

However, sales executives at PT Tjahja Sakti Motors, the local assemblers and distributors of BMW, are quietly confident the S- Class will make little difference to the sales success of the BMW 730iL.

Since going on sale last October, the top of the range Rp 380 million BMW has notched up about 170 sales, with the company expecting to sell between 250 and 300 cars per year.

According to Mr. Sarwono, a sales executive at BMW, although Mercedes maintains a higher profile in Indonesia, the 7-Series has a number of advantages over the S-Class which should ensure its continued success.

While both are large luxury sedans, the 730iL is a newer car having only been launched internationally about 2 years ago.

The S-Class is now about five years old in its model life and is due to be replaced late in 1998.

Although the S-Class is still recognized as an extremely capable car, Sarwono said the model likely for Indonesia, the S320, does not match the performance of the BMW.

While the S320 features a slightly larger capacity 3.2-liter straight six-cylinder engine against the 3.0-liter V8 in the BMW, the extra weight of the Mercedes reduces the car's potency.

However, the BMW is no lightweight either, and at more than 1.8 tonnes it would seem to be asking a bit much of an engine that displaces just 3.0 liters.

But BMW technology conquers all: the new luxury liner slips with equal ease along the freeway, or from traffic light to traffic light. Occasionally a determined thrust of the accelerator pedal might be needed to quickly join a stream of flowing traffic, or execute a highway passing maneuver, but the response always belies expectations.

This is partly because the 730's little V8 produces a decent punch for its capacity -- at 160 kilowatts it is among the top- performing naturally aspirated 3.0-liter engines -- and partly because of carefully chosen gearing driving the rear wheels.

It is also partly because the five-speed automatic gearbox is impressively efficient and makes the most of every Newton metre of torque.

These things are an important consideration with BMW's 7- Series. The car is seen as the trump card in a high-stake game where the winner gains top place at the upper end of the luxury market. After years of playing runner-up to Mercedes in this area, BMW feels the new car offers Indonesians a winning combination of style, accommodation and uncompromising luxury.

Running on a combination of all-new and revised running gear and a new body that cleaves the air smoothly, while combining higher levels of passive safety with an interior that feels more like a luxury lounge than a car, the 7-Series is a slightly more subtle top-end car than the Benz S-Class.

Like the Mercedes, there is no compromising in the 7-Series. While providing an astounding list of standard equipment, the car is also at the very top end of what carmakers are able to do with ride quality, handling and road-holding ability, interior noise levels and engine performance.

The levels of safety are state-of-the-art, including such things as dual front air bags, antilock braking and a body shell designed around 56km/h barrier impact standards.

Assisted by a new multilink rear suspension, the BMW comfortably straddles the difficult trade-off between ride and handling. The torque-sensitive steering, despite feeling slightly "unnatural" in wheel effort as speeds change, is surprisingly sharp and responsive considering the car's bulk, yet the ride is almost unbelievably soft. In fact it feels so soft there is a suggestion it might tend towards high-speed float, which, of course, never proves to be the case. This is all helped by standard self-leveling rear suspension that maintains ride height regardless of load.

High-speed progress demonstrates the cruising capability of the big car; all is silent inside, apart from the occasional muted and not-unpleasant drone from the V8 when acceleration is required.

There are plenty of things to play with at other times. The integrated trip computer system proves easy to use and the driver has plenty of scope to electrically adjust seat and steering wheel positions.

Climate control air-conditioning, an abundance of leather and wood and a 10-speaker AM/FM radio, cassette and CD player are all standard equipment.

While the front seats offer more than ample leg space for virtually any passenger, the rear compartment is dazzlingly large. There is never any doubt that this car takes its back-seat passengers seriously.

The degree of thought that has gone into making this car everything a luxury vehicle should be is evident throughout, right down to the power-assisted "soft-close" for the trunk.

In the end, the 7-Series makes for a wonderful driving experience.

The security of knowing it is at the cutting edge of safety design, combined with perhaps the most successful BMW ride- handling balance yet achieved, along with levels of standard equipment that leave the rest of the luxury class gasping, and a huge interior, the 7-Series is the most impressive big car yet from the company.

CAPTION: BMW 730iL offers an engaging driving experience with all the comfort and luxury of a large sedan.