The official world premiere of the 2016 BMW 7 Series will come in a couple of weeks at the Frankfurt International Auto Show. But a few fortunate members of the media didn't have to wait that long—BMW hosted a press launch in Portugal earlier this month. And one version of the new 7 Series that seemed to capture more than its share of attention was the new BMW 740Le.
The plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) 740Le continues BMW’s promise to field a PHEV version of very major model line. It follows the BMW i8, the BMW X5 xDrive40e, and the BMW 330e. Releasing the PHEV model during the 7 Series official debut seems to be BMW’s way of saying this is not an afterthought or a curiosity or a token; this is now main line; part of what BMW is and where the company is going into the future.
The 2016 BMW 740Le is propelled by a turbocharged two-liter, four-cylinder gasoline making 258 horsepower and an electric motor that adds 95 horsepower for a combined total of 326 horsepower. Yes, we know that 258 plus 95 equals 353, but maybe the company has an explanation we haven’t seen yet for its BMW “new math.” The important thing for a PHEV is that its emission rating is 49 grams of CO2 per kilometer, which is almost half of the European Union’s 2020 target for fleet average CO2 emissions.
BMW says the car’s zero-to-62 mph time is 5.7 seconds, which is not bad for a big car that weighs more than two tons empty. Probably more significant to prospective 740Le owners is the expected range of up to 25 miles on battery power alone. The estimated range for cars delivered to the U.S. may be lower possibly because the U.S. EPA uses more realistic numbers and possibly because BMW fiddles with the software to make sure its U.S.-bound cars don’t run afoul of California laws. At least that’s what happened to some of BMW’s earlier electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles.
In the weeks to come we will be reporting on other models and variants that will have their formal coming-out party at the Frankfurt Auto Show. The 7 Series, as BMW's luxury flagship, will almost certainly garner the most attention, but we wouldn't want the PHEV version to get lost in the crowd. After all, we've seen 7 Series cars before, and even hydrogen-powered 7 Series cars before, but this will be the first time a 7 Series plug-in hybrid will become available to the general public. Or at least the well-heeled general public.—Scott Blazey
This brief video provides a look at the BMW 740Le interior.
Tight parking spots are no longer a problem, except for maybe the occupants of the car you’re parking your new 7 Series next to.
This video explains the new BMW Touch Command.
[Photos and videos courtesy of BMW AG.]
