One of the distinct features of the BMW 7 series is the way it drives. Throughout the ages the 7 series is known to be the best driving luxury saloon amongst the lot. After all it was the initial car of choice for the first Transporter movie and even James Bond.
The current generation 740Le series is no exception. Aside from the well balanced chassis, the number high tech computing tuned to provide optimum driving pleasure and the carbon core chassis makes it a proper driver’s car despite its size.
Now we could go on and on about the capability of the car on how it handles, use superlatives to describe its capabilities till the cows come home, or show hard cornering shots which consisted of U-turns in a parking lot at 30 kph which looks more dramatic than it is.
Or we could head out on a road trip to see what the 7 series can truly do. For that we rang up a Punjabi gentleman who knows a thing or two about driving. You may know him as “The Flying Sikh”, Karamjit Singh.
From KL to Bentong (via Karak Highway)
Our rendezvous point for the trip was at Karamjit’s residence in the Petaling Jaya area. We wasted no time by getting into the car and heading out towards the Karak Highway. After a quick fuel stop, we trekked on the notorious twists and inclines of the Karak Highway towards the town of Bentong.
Our 7 series was not exactly light. On top of the battery pack and air suspension system for the rear, the car was also fully loaded with 2 Route Hunters exceeding the 100kg mark. That did not stop our Flying Sikh from ‘flying’ through this 60km stretch of highway. We reached the other side of the Titiwangsa mountain range over at Bentong in virtually no time after setting off from Gombak.
The balance of the car and the low down boost of the electric motors really did the trick in hauling this luxo-barge across this piece of tarmac.
Bentong to Raub via Sang Lee
Bentong town is fast shaping up to becoming sort of the Melaka of West Pahang. There are lots of tourist friendly attractions and eateries but we were skipping right past them. Just outside of the town past the Lemang Tok Ki outlet, you will have two options to reach the town of Raub. The easy way would be to use Route 8, its straight, it’s safe and its quick. But Route Hunters do not do straight and easy. Look out for the sign that says Frasers Hill and you will enter the 218 which heads towards Raub via the towns of Sang Lee and Teras.
This road starts out in a relatively docile manner before tightening and moving towards more twisty and tight roads. It’s pretty clear on video and the 7 series isn’t exactly the best car for such a narrow and tight road, more so at the pace we were driven at!
In the hands of Karamjit Singh however the car responded to every input and maintained a stable pace on this road. We were barely thrown around thanks to some clean steering work and that superb air suspension system in the rear. On camera it will seem undramatic but only when you try to replicate those speeds on your own do you realize how much of talent was behind the wheel to make the 7 series dance on difficult roads like this.
Raub and the Fish Head Curry Payoff
And finally we reach our end point, the payoff, a hot bowl of fish head curry. Ratha Curry House in Raub has been around for ages, it’s a landmark the residence of the gold mine town of Raub use for newcomers. The meal after such a blitzing run was something we really needed.
The BMW 7 series was a car that we had run a generic review earlier in the week. It’s a car that we loved for its high tech take on luxury. It spoils you with a ton of toys for you to tinker with while being chauffeured around. It’s got a super strong chassis thanks to the Carbon Core technology and a whole host of driving aids that makes it impossible to crash, unless you decide to commit car suicide by driving it into a ravine when coming down from Genting Highlands, as pointed out by a fellow Route Hunter.
However the hallmark that sets this luxury saloon apart from its rivals like the S class and the LS Lexus will be the way it drives. It’s hard to find a better handling luxury saloon that could handle the abuse of a trip like this. So its safe to conclude that the current 7 series still stays true to its bloodline in being the best drivers car of the lot.
Was this test in any way relevant? Absolutely not. Was it fun though? Hell yea, when you are paying more than half a million ringgit for a car you want to make sure it’s got more capabilities than you could possibly finish using. Now that’s luxury!
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