2010 BMW 730d review, test drive

BMW’s snub-nose limo is both very comfortable and very fast, fulfilling both the carmaker’s primary objectives easily

Published on Dec 09, 2009 08:00:00 AM

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The diesel motor under the hood of the 730Ld is an uprated version of the one that powers the very popular 530d. In this car it makes 245bhp and importantly 55kgm of torque. This reconfigured motor uses a variable nozzle turbo that develops plenty of additional torque.

While 245bhp is nowhere near as good as 407bhp, the diesel’s max torque of 55kgm is nearly as good as that of the petrol. Moving off with a firm shove on the throttle gets this very large and long saloon to positively leap off the line. The straight six diesel motor pulls hard to the redline at 5000rpm and you get a feeling of sustained thrust, similar to an airliner on a short runway.

Zero to 100kph takes a lightning-quick 7.47 seconds and 150 a scant 15.6sec. Hold onto the throttle for 30.9sec and you will be doing 200kph.

Of course, the biggest advantage of the diesel is in just how much more efficient it is compared to the petrol. This large barge needs only a litre of diesel to travel 6.5 kilometres in the city and that is very impressive all things considered.