G12 BMW 7 Series plug-in hybrid officially introduced in Malaysia – 740Le xDrive, locally-assembled, RM599k

G12 BMW 7 Series plug-in hybrid officially introduced in Malaysia – 740Le xDrive, locally-assembled, RM599k

BMW Malaysia has launched the BMW 7 Series plug-in hybrid in the country. The PHEV variant of the sixth-gen luxury sedan arrives here in its 740Le xDrive range-topping guise, and is eventually set to be the only G12 on sale locally, taking over from the 730Li and 740Li petrol models that were launched last year.

No difference in overall dimensions, the hybrid measuring in at 5,238 mm long, 1,902 mm wide and 1,479 mm tall, with a 3,210 mm-long wheelbase, which is exactly the same as the petrol Li variants.

Figurative differences are with kerb weight and boot volume – the 740Le xDrive tips the scales at 2,015 kg, which is 170 kg more than the 740Li (1,845 kg), and because of the need to accomodate the battery in the scheme of things, boot capacity is 420 litres, a reduction of 95 litres from the 515 litres available on the 740Li.

Only a few items help distinguish it from the petrol 740Li from an exterior viewpoint. Aside from the obvious model badging on the rear trunk lid, the hybrid is identifiable by eDrive markings on the C-pillar and i logos on both front fenders as well as the unmissable flap cover of the charging port, located on the front left fender. The kidney grille bars with blue accents seen in foreign markets is not to be found on the local car.

The rest are tucked away or to be found inside the car. Under the bonnet resides an engine cover with a central blue strip and eDrive lettering, while interior items consist of eDrive door scuff plates and an eDrive mode selector switch on the centre console, along with associated readouts in the instrument cluster.

The 740Le xDrive is powered by a B48 2.0 litre BMW TwinPower Turbo four-cylinder unit offering 255 hp (or 258 PS) at 5,000 to 6,000 rpm and 400 Nm at 1,550 to 4,400 rpm, identical to the B48 found in the petrol 730Li.

A supplementary synchronous electric motor – which is integrated into a ZF-sourced eight-speed automatic transmission with Steptronic -[offers a maximum output of 111 hp (or 113 PS) and 250 Nm of twist, both from zero to 3,170 rpm.

Total system output is 322 hp (or 326 PS) of power and 500 Nm of torque. The former is identical to that running off the 740Li’s B58 3.0 litre inline-six, but the hybrid has 50 Nm more torque (450 Nm on the 740Li).

Performance figures for the 740Le xDrive are a 0-100 km/h time of 5.3 seconds (0.3 seconds faster than the 740Li), while top speed is 250 km/h. The hybrid can travel up to 140 km/h in electric-only mode, and operating range with the specified 19-inch wheel option is put as 41 km on a NEDC cycle.

As for the lithium-ion battery, the refrigerant-cooled 351 volt pack has a gross capacity of 9.2 kWh (net capacity, 7.4 kWh), ahead of the 9.0 kWh on the X5, for example.

In Europe, the automaker lists charging time for the car – with a BMW i Wallbox – as being approximately two hours and 40 minutes running a Level 2 charge rate of 3.7 kW (16A/230V line). BMW Malaysia, meanwhile, quotes that charging time to full capacity with a BMW i Wallbox can be done under five hours. The car can also be charged via a household three-pin power socket with a home charging cable supplied with the car.

Besides Driving Experience Control, which offers Comfort, Sport, EcoPro and Adaptive drive modes, there are three eDrive operation modes. As standard, the default setting is Auto eDrive, which utilises both engine and electric motor for movement, and adjusts how the hybrid function intervenes. The next mode is Max eDrive, in which the car runs on pure electric power, the range and duration being dependent on the available level of charge in the battery.

The last is Battery Control. With this, the car runs on engine power alone and enables the battery’s level of charge to be replenished or kept for use later on in urban surroundings. It allows the charge of the high-voltage battery to be set manually, and a value between 30 and 100% of maximum charge can be targeted.

Standard equipment specification for the local 740Le xDrive essentialy mirrors that of the 740Li, including how it’s dressed. The hybrid comes with a Design Pure Excellence exterior and interior package, with Nappa leather quilted upholstery and a Poplar Grain Grey fine-wood trim finish.

The kit list, meanwhile, includes two-axle air suspension with automatic self-levelling and Dynamic Damper Control, BMW Laserlight headlamps and the same 19-inch five twin-spoke 630 alloys (with 245/45 front and 275/40 rear tyres) found on the petrol variant.

Also on, a Sky Lounge panoramic glass roof, a BMW Display Key (which now displays eDrive-related info), a 16-speaker, 600 watt Harman Kardon sound system with nine channels of amplification and a rear entertainment system with two 10-inch display screens operated via a BMW Touch Command seven-inch touchscreen tablet.

There’s also a ConnectedDrive navigation package, a six-colour Ambient Light interior lighting system, an iDrive operating system with a touchscreen function for the Control Display, smartphone integration with wireless inductive phone charging capability and a gesture control feature.

Safety kit includes eight airbags (front and side, head/curtain for the front and rear seats), Isofix child seat mountings in the rear and an Active Protection System.

As for driving assistance systems, Driving Assistant Plus system throws in lane departure warning, lane change warning, pedestrian collision warning, crossing traffic alert (front and rear), active cruise control with a Stop&Go function, steering/lane control assistant and lane keeping assistant with active side collision protection.

Other items include a head-up display, parking assistant, automatic parallel and perpendicular parking as well as surround view. As for exterior colours, four are available for the 740Le xDrive – Black Sapphire, Imperial Blue, Mineral White and Sophisto Grey.

G12 BMW 7 Series plug-in hybrid officially introduced in Malaysia – 740Le xDrive, locally-assembled, RM599k

With hybrid tax incentives, the locally-assembled 740Le xDrive gets an import and excise reduction of RM255,000 off its RM853,800 recommended retail price – it’s priced at RM598,800 on-the-road without insurance, and comes inclusive of a five-year/unlimited mileage warranty.

Comparatively, the 730Li was priced at RM598,800 and the 740Li went for RM788,800 when they were first introduced in January 2016. The new 7 Series variant directly competes with the Mercedes-Benz S 400 L Hybrid, which retails for RM598,888.

Read our 740Le xDrive plug-in hybrid drive report, and compare the specifications of all the G12 7 Series models on Carbase.my

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Anthony Lim

Anthony Lim believes that nothing is better than a good smoke and a car with character, with good handling aspects being top of the prize heap. Having spent more than a decade and a half with an English tabloid daily never being able to grasp the meaning of brevity or being succinct, he wags his tail furiously at the idea of waffling - in greater detail - about cars and all their intrinsic peculiarities here.

 

Comments

  • Raybrig85 on Apr 19, 2017 at 9:07 pm

    The Ultimate has Arrive !

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 19 Thumb down 2
    • K Kinte on Apr 19, 2017 at 10:15 pm

      Nobody will buy the 730li and 740li now. The RV will collapse soon. 1 or 2 yrs time, you can buy a good BMW 740li for RM200k, down from RM799k

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 47 Thumb down 21
      • AutoFrenz (the original) on Apr 20, 2017 at 12:18 am

        Tell me kunte or kinte…is there anything good about anything…pity you…you lead such a miserable life…never ending complaints…cheer up a bit…enjoy life…you too deserve to be happy like all of us jovial people here…btw its just a car…no need to be so stressful discussing about something so petty…get a life…cheers

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 35 Thumb down 38
        • He is truly a keyboard warrior; plenty of bark, in reality no bite. Plenty to say, but nobody wants to listen. In time, he will perish. Remember Sam Loo?

          Like or Dislike: Thumb up 10 Thumb down 35
          • Well said.
            plenty of bark, in reality no bite Msia G.

            Like or Dislike: Thumb up 4 Thumb down 2
          • Cendol on Apr 20, 2017 at 10:47 am

            BMW selling like hot kuih. MALAYSIA is on track to become a high-income country.

            Like or Dislike: Thumb up 6 Thumb down 1
          • foreign overlord on Apr 20, 2017 at 6:03 pm

            OMG why dashboard design is same since yesteryear?

            Sack the design…oh wait!

            Like or Dislike: Thumb up 3 Thumb down 3
      • Buy lah no one is stopping you

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 24
      • Michelle Foo on Apr 20, 2017 at 7:50 am

        Do you ever get sick with all repeated posts from you? Look for doctor before too late

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 7 Thumb down 14
      • hazzif on Apr 20, 2017 at 7:59 am

        people who buy this car never look at resale value dude. its just for status and tax exemption.

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 11 Thumb down 10
      • Heng Lee on Apr 20, 2017 at 1:08 pm

        Why would someone think that anyone who can afford to buy a car like this from a showroom is remotely interested in “RV”?

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 6 Thumb down 3
  • Jacaranda on Apr 19, 2017 at 9:08 pm

    BMW 730Li how much

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 1
    • 24hipster on Apr 20, 2017 at 10:11 am

      If you can buy this brand new BMW 7 Series at 40.
      It means You’ve made in life.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 13 Thumb down 1
  • heybadigol (Member) on Apr 19, 2017 at 9:24 pm

    So it is priced exactly the same as the petrol only 730i, but with more goodies (at the expense of boot space). But it is really AWD? Kinda weird considering there’s no snow here, only rain.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 8
    • seancorr (Member) on Apr 20, 2017 at 12:15 pm

      With AWD you will never be afraid of going fast into corners even with heavy rain. That’s the beauty of the Xdrive. As for the goodies, it’s basically a 740Li but with a smaller engine n and electric motor. Wait another year and one could find a demo unit for around 500k

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 6 Thumb down 0
  • Gupta on Apr 19, 2017 at 9:31 pm

    Mercedes-Benz S-Class. period

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 13 Thumb down 20
  • Mikey on Apr 19, 2017 at 9:37 pm

    Since PT.org said the 740le directly competes with the Mercedes-Benz S 400 L Hybrid, how many here will choose the BMW ?!
    Like for BMW
    Dislike for Mercedes

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 92 Thumb down 71
    • Mikey on Apr 20, 2017 at 8:58 am

      Looks like Merc is leading at the moment. No wonder the sales figure is with Merc.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 4 Thumb down 8
      • Stupid Mercedes Dash on Apr 20, 2017 at 9:53 am

        I just can’t wrap my heads around that ugly dash cluster on Mercedes though…

        At least do something more than just slapping two screen side by side, so ugly.

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 1
      • pengayuhbasikal on Apr 20, 2017 at 9:59 am

        S400 owners prefer to be chaufeurred.
        740le owners prefer the drive.

        So in reality, how many CEOs & Tycoons out there prefer to drive themselves?? Deswai…

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 22 Thumb down 0
  • This is it. 740 Le xdrive >>> S400h:

    1) Rarity factor
    2) Boss in a smart suit, quietly luxurious and classy instead of shout-out-loud-the-boss-is-here
    3) It’s a turbo hybrid, S400h is a naturally aspirated hybrid
    4) Really, chics dig this more. They like merc too, but it’s like i-like-your-money more kinda like, if you know what i mean

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 18 Thumb down 14
  • Tax the rich… oh wait, is this CKD?

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 17 Thumb down 9
  • Woot Woot on Apr 19, 2017 at 9:59 pm

    S400h any day!

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 16 Thumb down 21
  • Would be nice if there is 740e for 498,888

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 16 Thumb down 4
  • Silver66 on Apr 19, 2017 at 10:26 pm

    Anthony: Does it come standard with the (Executive Lounge?) centre console between the rear seats, making it a 4 seater? It appears so in the picture but is not listed in the spec sheet.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 6 Thumb down 1
    • No it doesn’t, what you see if the pictures is just the centre arm rest. The executive lounge would be totally separated seats.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 6 Thumb down 2
      • Silver66 on Apr 21, 2017 at 12:05 am

        When I read this article last night, Paultan.org used photos from their test drive in Munich. Now they’ve updated the article with actual photos from the launch.

        If you look at their Munich test drive article, you can see that rear seat is separated by a full console, not an arm rest.

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 6 Thumb down 0
    • BowArrow on Apr 20, 2017 at 11:53 am

      I remember even S500 does not have centre console between the rear seats in malaysia , it seems malaysian don’t get all the goodies compare to other market

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 3 Thumb down 1
  • Pity those who bought the 730Li & 740Li. Same / lower price but;
    -Cheaper road-tax
    -Better FC
    -Laserlight highbeams
    -xDrive
    -More power

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 4 Thumb down 1
  • Semi-Value (Member) on Apr 19, 2017 at 10:32 pm

    nice…but lesson learnt from bmw…don buy the usual spec models…cos eventually the e model will come up with better spec and better price lol

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 35 Thumb down 0
  • Agent001 on Apr 19, 2017 at 11:21 pm

    Now where does this put owners who bought the 730Li and 740Li less than a year ago?

    Where would the RV of their cars go?

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 3 Thumb down 0
  • hafiz on Apr 20, 2017 at 5:02 am

    Paultan please make an article comparing both 740Le & S400 hybrid

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 14 Thumb down 1
    • Freeloaderz on Apr 20, 2017 at 10:27 am

      Articles 740Le & S400 hybrid r there.
      compare ownself

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
      • hafiz on Apr 20, 2017 at 2:06 pm

        yes of course, i can put both articles side by side n compare the numbers. but paultan can make it better by having both cars at hand, drive them & comment about pros & cons

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • How far can drive on fully charged battery only?

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 0
  • Dpillai on Apr 20, 2017 at 7:47 am

    Well, at the same price with the Mercedes, the 740Le does stand a chance. It won’t be able to pose a threat to the ultimate towkay car.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 3
  • Leafable on Apr 20, 2017 at 8:27 am

    Tax exempted? I don’t think so. It sell for RM450k for the same spec in the UK with 20% GST. Wheres the RM150k came from? Thats a big profit isn’t it?

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 15 Thumb down 0
    • Ur right. Thats where the profit went to. But then not like the towkay owners actually care.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 11 Thumb down 4
  • Looks good, priced to please thanks to incentives.

    My problem is that too many people that I know that are using the 330e have had their replacement car more than their e cars. Seems to suggest that BMW Malaysia has not been able to sort out their issues with the e here.

    Any thoughts?

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 3 Thumb down 1
  • sohai on Apr 20, 2017 at 10:12 am

    Maybe is just me, but the interior just doesn’t feel as special as the S Class.
    the design language is getting old for BMW.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 1
  • Madani on Apr 20, 2017 at 10:16 am

    Pembangunan kenderaan cekap tenaga (EEV), dan pembukaan industri automotif kepada pelaburan asing yang lebih berkualiti, akan menjadi perhatian utama dalam semakan semula Dasar Automotif Negara (NAP).
    Industri akan terus diliberalisasi bagi menarik lebih banyak pelaburan langsung asing (FDI) daripada pembuat auto antarabangsa, terutamanya sebagai hab eksport bagi rantau Asean.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 4
  • Leafable on Apr 20, 2017 at 10:16 am

    Don’t buy the 530i they will bring in the 530e next few months.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 6 Thumb down 0
  • Ahmad Tarji Khan on Apr 20, 2017 at 2:58 pm

    May I know what is the fuction of the battery? Can the car be used even when the lithium battery is 0%? Just asking..

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 1
  • Ollie on Apr 20, 2017 at 3:54 pm

    Gov willing to forgo Rm255,000 for this 7series?

    How about cheap everyday hybrids? Nothing?

    More Rons.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 0
  • It doesn’t even have BMW individual options? Why can’t I spec a nappa leather roofliner? Absolutely ridiculous.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • John wong on Apr 23, 2017 at 9:33 am

    Mr Paul Tan, please use yr investigative skills to find out why the tax incentive for 740Le is Not cheaper than 730Li? Unlike X5 40e is cheaper than X5 35i

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 4 Thumb down 0
 

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