Author-Kajia user: Kuang Dongyue Yue Niaoyu
The only generation to suppress the Mercedes-Benz S-Class BMW 7 Series
When it comes to D-class luxury cars, the question is usually simplified to "Which one to choose between Mercedes-Benz S-Class and BMW 7 Series?" The 7 Series is like Durant, and can be compared with James in every aspect. Competitive, even in many ways, but the fans still tend to think that James is the first person. I don’t know how many people’s determination to buy a BMW flagship sedan is influenced by the phrase "ride on Mercedes-Benz and drive a BMW."
But when we look back at E66, BMW seems to have the upper hand. When this generation of 7 Series was released, the Mercedes-Benz W220 (Butterfly Ben) had entered the second half of its life cycle. Aesthetic fatigue and W220's slender shape set off, Bangor's E66 was a great success once it was launched. Think back to the first few years of the twentieth century. What kind of cars were there on the streets? There is no doubt that the 7 Series is the most domineering car apart from Rolls-Royce and Bentley.
Classic styling of Bangor
The appearance of this thing I usually don’t want to talk about. On the one hand, I have low aesthetics and see beautiful ones. The car will only say "fuck", on the one hand, the appearance evaluation is very subjective, you can talk but it is not necessary. But when I saw this pure white 7 series, I couldn't help but make an exception to talk about the appearance, and talk about the two points that appealed to the author the most-the hub & rear.
The wheel hub has a huge impact on the overall style of a car. Whether it is a big five-spoke or a thin banner, as long as it is big enough to be packed full, look at this car It doesn't look too bad. Nowadays, many models, whether it is sports style or executive style, and even urban SUVs, are equipped with 19-, 20- or even 21-inch wheels. The E66 wheel is only 18 inches, but the visual effect is very full, full of energy, and even looks like 20 inches from a distance.
The protruding flat trunk lid resembles a Holden pickup from another continent, and the small duck tail tightens all the lines, which looks stable and dynamic. The rear lights after the facelift are not as ostentatious as the previous models, and are a bit more calm. This taillight shape is more expressive when used on the 6 series, and similar taillight shapes can be found on BMW cars for many years in the future.
How does the boss feel?
enter E66, the first impression is the high-end door. The opening angle of the E66 car door is exaggerated, almost 90 degrees, so you can't sit in the back without a kid closing the door. The door stopper is also different from most 2-segment or 3-segment cars. The E66 door can be parked at any angle, which is very helpful for getting on and off the car in narrow parking spaces.
Electric suction door, electric sunshade, electric rear sunshade, electric seat adjustment, seat heating, seat ventilation, telephone, TV, refrigerator, everything. Think about the shabby rear of the new Mercedes-Benz S320L that I drove a few days ago, this configuration is already very rich.
There is definitely no need to worry about the rear space, but the front seat still needs to be moved when the rear seat is adjusted to the most paralyzed position. The posture in the back row is quite tall, and a smaller boss can look straight ahead even when sitting in the back row, without the feeling of being curled up in the back row. The comfort of this seat is also excellent, even if the seat back is adjusted to the steepest angle, it is comfortable to sit up. The cushion is long enough and the angle is moderate. I sit on the 183cm 85kg body and have very relaxed legs.
Even after 12 years of ups and downs, the chassis of this car is still tight. When driving on a level road, sitting up does not lose the luxury cars currently on the market. However, the comfort of the rear row is worse when the potholes are too large. The rough vibration directly slapped the boss's buttocks without filtering, and the shaking was uncomfortable when pressed over the speed bump. I don’t know what the state of preparation is, anyway, the current ride experience is not very satisfactory.
E66 730Li's sound insulation and quietness is relatively average (750Li is different because of the glass, and its sound insulation level cannot be guessed). According to the 2019 standard, her performance On a C-class executive car, it may only be considered barely passing. In the previous article about Mercedes-Benz S and Lexus LS, the author used headphones as an analogy. If you continue to describe it with headphones, the sound insulation of E66 is like a person with big ears wearing a small earplug noise-cancelling headset. It does have a good noise reduction effect, but there are always some noises that are not completely filtered, like "leaking" in.
The driver has something to say
Sitting in the cockpit, the shape of the steering wheel reminds me of the original Volkswagen Touareg. In actual use, it is also very similar to the Touareg Phaeton. This style of steering wheel is difficult to operate the lever at the 3 or 9 o'clock position, and must be held at the 4 or 8 o'clock position. However, the shift paddles are set at the 2 and 10 o'clock positions like two horns. I don't know how the person who designed this steering wheel usually drives.
All the knobs have an extremely high damping sense, and the iDrive knobs have different damping feelings under different interfaces. Maybe this is the precise romance of a German machine. From top to bottom, the entire center console is composed of metal, solid wood, and leather. These elements are a symbol of high-end in any age. I don’t know if it’s because of the low-end car, the air-conditioning vent just looks very metallic, and the wood grain is full of plastic to the touch. The leather of the whole car is not as high-end as the Mercedes-Benz and Lexus. The seat adjustment buttons After 12 years of service, it was a little loose.
How about opening it?
730Li is equipped with a 3.0L inline 6-cylinder naturally aspirated engine code-named N52, with a maximum horsepower of 258 horsepower and a maximum torque of 300N·m. Many people may take it for granted that the small displacement version of the 7-series lacks power, but unless you are going to a showdown with the new era of small steel guns, there is no need to worry about the power of this car. Most of the time, the E66 is relatively comfortable to drive, not to mention how fast the speed in the middle section, but the subjective feeling is quite strong. If she insists on stepping on the floor oil, she can also quickly pull to 7000 rpm, sprinting like Yao Ming's fast attack.
6AT gearbox gear selection is accurate, completely beyond my expectations. The upshift is silent, and it is difficult to feel the change of gear without looking at the tachometer. Although downshifting is not fast, it can always drop to the gear the driver wants, and then quickly execute the power request. Fueling-downshifting-accelerating-overtaking, a set of actions are consistent and smooth, the gearbox never hesitates, the engine does not need to look at the face of the turbine, and I don't know where it is higher than the dual-clutch + small displacement turbine.
I don’t know if it’s time to change the brake pads. The brake foot feel of this car is not good. If the brake formation is divided into 5 stages, the first stage is basically an idle stroke; the 2-3 stage starts to establish the brake, but the braking force is poor, giving people a feeling of being unable to stop; continue to step on the fourth stage The braking force of the paragraph increased suddenly; the fifth paragraph was like a sage after the "well", with the shaking of his right foot, everything was dull.
The length of E66 is 5179mm, plus the previous generationThe unique "sense of hugeness" of the D-class sedan, drivers who don't drive a 5-meter car often will be stumped. When actually driving, you must always remind yourself that this is a big car, and you must deliberately leave more space for turning and stopping. Fortunately, the good vision reduces the difficulty of driving, and the width of 1 meter 9 does not give the illusion of a full lane.
Turning the steering wheel, for a while, I don’t know how to describe this kind of feel, and I have the illusion of holding someone else’s hand and driving the E46. The large BMW still retains some of the characteristics of the small BMW, but it is slower, more obscure, and easier. Although the vacant position is huge, and the hand feel will not change significantly with the angle and speed, it will not make people feel that it is unable to communicate with the front wheel. All the fine bumps are filtered out, but there will still be a bit of "thugs" when running over big potholes and big ups and downs.
When quickly merging, you can feel the E66's good body following. But this is a 1.9-ton truck after all, and it will be more difficult to change directions continuously. When quickly turning some corners, the posture is also more embarrassing. Shuttle fast on city roads with a speed limit of 60, this car is like an elephant walking in the pace of the devil. The "sit on Mercedes-Benz and drive the BMW" that has been circulating for many years should actually be changed to "sit on the S and drive the 3 series", because the old 7 series really has nothing to do with driving pleasure.
Written at the end
Spending a good day with E66, appreciate her demeanor that was sought after by countless people, and understand that she is now popular Because of the coldness. Her aura is strong, mature and stable, even today she is full of domineering; she is spacious and comfortable to sit up, easy and pleasant to drive, and the rich configuration meets people's expectations for a million-dollar luxury car.
But she is also not a fuel-efficient lamp, the old BMW engine used for the year can fix your wallet without knowing anything wrong. Abundant configuration also means higher maintenance and maintenance costs. Maybe the waist support has just been repaired and the sunshade is broken; the car TV has just been repaired, and the refrigerator is broken. When I bought it, it was Huang Lian Po, but it was still a small public service back then.
What is the most important thing about a D-class car? It is aura. The driving experience and riding comfort can be put aside, but it is completely unacceptable to be crushed on the aura. Who is not a million-level luxury car? This is also the reason why the current Mercedes-Benz S-Class products are mediocre but have good sales. She does meet most people's expectations of a luxury car better than the other competitors.
If you stop the Butterfly Run beside the Rolls-Royce Phantom, you will definitely look like a younger brother. If the Audi A8 (D3) does not have certain license plates with bonuses, it will be completely suppressed. And the BMW 7 Series shows the confidence to completely surpass the times and beyond the price, 1 million in front of 10 million does not show fear. Nowadays, BMW’s lines are sharp but casual, and its posture is dynamic but frivolous. Without the M-suite, it is like a net celebrity with makeup removed. That confidence has gradually disappeared. Recall why the E66 7 series was favored by various bosses? Without him, the momentum is extraordinary.
