Here we have the new BMW 730Ld. Yet another example that having a diesel car does not mean you can have a luxurious car, or, in the case of the 730Ld, a VERY luxurious high performance car.
Let’s see what BMW has offered up this time around.
BMW is quite plain and states it right up front who the 730Ld is aimed at: “…is a welcome introduction for chauffeurs and business users.” Wow, chauffeurs. In Europe maybe, but over here in the US, the 730Ld will be aimed squarely at one type of buyer: The luxo-eco type.
The L, in 730Ld stands for, as always, “Long”. As in long wheelbase. There’s extra legroom in the back seating areas. The L variants have always been popular over here, especially with those that are obsessed with having the “top of the line” in what ever they buy. The “d” in 730Ld stands for diesel, natch.
Of course, at the moment, this is a euro only model, but with the incoming CAFE increases, as well as the increasing demands from consumers for more fuel efficient models the U.S. will, hopefully, see this version here sometime in the near future.
The BMW 730Ld will list for £56,790 in England, cranks out 245 horsepower, a stump pulling 540 Newton Meters of torque, goes from 0 – 62 MPH in 7.3 seconds and tops out at 153 MPH. Impressive figures for a car as big and heavy as this.
The 730Ld has lots of bells & whistles. Self-leveling rear suspension, chrome rain channels in the roof, illuminated interior rear vanity mirrors and an electrically-powered sunblind for the rear window. It also features multi-adjustable Comfort Seats for both front and rear seat passengers. Individually heated and air-conditioned seats that can also be fitted, in the rear, with a massaging capability.
There are two options of rear entertainment packages. There’s the BMW Business package with twin adjustable 8-inch flat screen monitors with a remote control capable of showing two different programs, DVDS or MP3 devices and games consoles to be played or viewed at the same time. There is the higher spec BMW Professional system comes with 9-inch twin flat adjustable monitor screens, twin wireless headphones and is operated by an iDrive controller in the rear armrest.
The drivetrain is about as gee-wiz-bang as you would expect.
All-aluminum 2,993cc straight-six cylinder diesel engine that produces 245hp at 4,000rpm. Peak torque figure of 540Nm comes in at 1,750rpm up through 3,000rpm. Its 194g/km emission figure is class-leading for conventionally powered luxury cars, as is its 38.7mpg combined consumption figure. The BMW 730Ld comes with a six-speed automatic gearbox as standard.
As mentioned, the bad news is that it’s not in the U.S. as of yet … but seriously, do you really think that BMW won’t bring this luxo-barge here in the future?
