BMW 750i 2005 review

While it seems a little numb at first tramp of the throttle, the reality is there is a lot of metal to cart around.

With a couple of average-sized occupants and a few kilos of luggage, the 750i sport cracks two tonne on the scales.

After gaining a mid-life spruce up, the 7-series has grown from 4.4 to 4.8 litres, a rise of 25kW after the previous E65 and a jump in newton metres of 40 to 490.

The chassis and suspension have been enhanced with the Adaptive Drive suspension now combing the Dynamic Drive with the continuously adjustable damper system.

Pushed hard through the twisty bit of road leading to the notorious Mineshaft stage used in the Rally of Canberra, the 7-series protested.

It squirmed and became a bit floaty in the rear through mid-corner bumps.

But, hey, how many people are going to be driving BMW's finest saloon as if they are going for a stunt driving job in the Ronin sequel?

You're right, no one.

So getting back to reality and the changes made for this model upgrade, there are a few but not a lot of them are visible.

The rear track has been widened by 14mm and axle control has been enhanced.

The 7-series is supreme in its environment which provides luxury for the diplomat or managing director where it remains blissfully quiet and offers a silken ride.

It is effortless to drive around town and offers the levels of comfort you would expect from a $200,000-plus limo (as tested the 750i with the sport package is $209,400).

Changes also have been made to the nose with new double kidney grille, headlamps and modified bumper.

Other cosmetic changes include a light contour in the side sills, new indicator lights, new taillight cluster, boot lid and rear bumpers.

These changes make little difference to a casual observer in what originally was a confronting design.

What defines the upgrade is the software.

This car is now online.

Available across the range is ConnectedDrive which uses TeleAssist and Online concepts.

The car is now connected to the Net through a bespoke BMW portal.

Limited text e-mails can be received or sent and you can track share prices or tap into news, sport and weather briefs via an AAP-based service.

The TeleAssist function links up occupants via the onboard telephone with a dedicated call centre that can be used for emergency situations and to request directions or details of a particular service.

Data including a destination address can be transmitted to the car where it is identified by the satellite navigation system.

The SatNav instantly plots a route once the driver selects the address as the destination.

When testing these systems at the launch recently some software bugs surfaced affecting data and route guidance.

The TeleAssist operator was unable to transmit a requested address to the car and a separate previously plotted route sent a couple of cars several kilometres off course.