BMW 7 Series 730i Review

Overall Rating

Very luxury, comfortable, beautiful looking classic car.

Expensive parts, some parts are hard to get, ZF automatic transmissions may make some troubles.

BMW E32 was produced from 1987 to 1994.
I bought my BMW 7 series 730I E32 few months ago.
I think it is the best ever looking 7 series Bimmer and one of the most beautiful full size luxury sedans ever built.
E32 came with 3 litre, 3.5 litre M30 inline six engines, V8 versions also available. The most powerful was the 300bhp V12 engine.
Most of versions could be ordered with manual and automatic transmissions, only V8 was available with 5 speed automatic transmission.
My version comes with ZF 4HP-22E four speed electronic transmission. Sports mode, economic and manual programs are available. Usually shifts are smooth, but sometimes transmission reminds about its age by kicking from 3 to 2 speeds. The transmission already was rebuilt on my car that made less than 240,000 km in 18 years.
M30 engine has chain driven timing; it is 12 valve straight six. Most of torque and power is available on mid rpm - practical for everyday traffic. According to service center, where I take care on my car, the engine is very reliable and can go over 500,000km without rebuild.
Wooden interior with leather coated seats, is very impressive when new. But with time, leather becomes dry and cracks especially black finish in a worm country.
Seats are very comfortable, there is a lot but not to much space for the driver - exactly like it shall be in real driver's car. Standard wheelbase version has enough place for rear passengers, but more space for legs would be appreciated. Long version has 10cm extra space on the rear seat.
If you are planning to be a passenger, you shall take the long one, but if most cases you prefer to be a driver, standard wheelbase is a very good choice.
My car is equipped with some extra features, like sunroof, trip computer, automatic stability control and electronic automatic transmission.
Most versions are fully equipped with electric windows, electric mirrors and etc, but some versions were available for order with mechanical windows and cloth trim.
Most luxury version called Highline, it was long wheelbase version with fridge and most of panels were coated with leather, it had double windows and wooden tables for rear passengers. Phone, fax, TV and etc were available for order as well.
Car has textual display on the dashboard; it displays messages like "release handbrake", "door open", "oil pressure" and etc. There is a gauge that shows current fuel consumption and some standard gauges, like rev counter, speedometer, water temperature and fuel level.
After Alfa Romeo 164, some gauges are missing for me: voltmeter and oil pressure.
Fuel consumption is O.K. for a full size heavy and luxury car.
My car's average consumption is about 12 liters for 100km.
E32 is really nice for driving; the ride is smooth and quiet. Great insulation of the road noise.
I really love and enjoy driving my Bimmer 730 E32. It is a real beauty on the road. The pleasure is not only the feeling on the road, but special aura that only a real Bimmer has.
It is a bit expensive in the service; such car requires high quality original parts for the best result.
E32 gets old, but it is still a very luxury car, prices are getting lower on used cars, but to buy one, you still shall have some extra money for an expensive service and fuel consumption.
Also, some parts are getting harder to find, shipment may take some extra time.
I can recommend the car only for real luxury Bimmer fans.