G70 740i Test Drive Impressions Review (From a G12 M760 Owner)

So I brought my vehicle to the dealer for services & repairs and saw the brand new G70 7 series on the lot. Since the car was available and I also got enough spare time, why not go for a test drive? I am not sure how many new 7 dealers are getting, but I am happy that they didn’t make things complicate for a test drive. Just a simple form to filled and bang, sales hand us the key and we are good to go. Since it was a very new car, the salesperson hope us don’t take it too far away. We definitely listened to him and tried to make things easy for both. In the end, we got about 10 minutes of drive on public roads. Although the time was short, but the new car is so different than the old one that 10 minutes of drive already gathered enough info / feelings for me to share, here they comes:

1. Exterior: G70 Wins. Many people hate the new design, but I am not one of them. I think the new 7 looks better than our G12. The whole car is bigger and the tall & huge grill just make it looks even bigger and aggressive. It looks so special and commanding almost to the point of a RR Ghost. Overall the G70’s exterior definitely serves its flagship role better than our G12. Unfortunately I didn’t have the G12 parked next to it. But I’ve seen pictures online with two cars park ed together. The new G70 makes our G12 (especially pre-LCI) looks like a 5 series.

2. Interior: G70 Wins. The car we tested wasn’t highly optioned. I believe the MSRP was 102K or something. There was no fancy TV, first-class rear seats (actually this specific car’s rear seat can’t even be adjust), or the diamond 3D stereo . But even at this trim, the interior is great. First of all, the design is light years ahead. Unlike the G12 (which borrowed a lot of its interior design, layout, and buttons from the F02), the G70 borrowed nothing from the G12, every single piece in this interior was new and amazing(especially the diamond looking ambient light strip). Secondly the build quality, fit, and finish are better. Although G12’s interior quality wasn’t bad, the new car brought it to a new level. Third, the material is better. Base vs. Base, the new car’s “Veganza” material feels much higher quality than the old entry level Dakota (or whatever leather). It was soft and smooth, almost as good as the Nappa.

3. (Seat) Comfort: G70 wins. G70’s seats blow G12’s seat out of the water. It was so much softer and more comfortable, truly felt like a luxury sofa. In contrast, G12’s seats were no where near as soft or comfortable. Comfort-wise, I believe G70’s seats can easily compete with the new S-Class (can eventually surpass). Also, rear seats’ position were better in this car. It gave a sense of fall into a soft sofa vs. G12’s siting on a high chair.

4. Ride: G70 wins. The car was on 21″ wheels and it was noticeably smoother than my 20″ (both are not on run-flat). Most importantly, the car behaved much better when hitting a pothole. At the same time, the car wasn’t as floaty as the G12 in Comfort Plus. Insolation on this car was also better (noticeable, but not by much).

5. Handling: G12 wins. The G70’s suspension set up was better. It did control the body-roll better. However, this car’s steering was super light, super loose, and super dead. It made me feels like I am playing a simulator. The steering was numb and indirect. The car took time to react to steering input, and I had no idea where my front wheels are going. Although my M760’s steering was also a bit numb, it was fast, direct, and have a hefty feeling. It felt like a performance car’s steering compare to G70’s (maybe the 4-wheel steering helps?). Compare to the new 740, driving the M760 still feels like a driving a car instead of a simulator.

6. Drivetrain: I can’t compare the engine since I got the all mighty V12, but the new 740 was very good for what it is. The engine was smooth and linear. The power was more than enough (can even be peppy if you put it in sport). The 48V mild hybrid made the throttle feel superb. The transmission was even more smoother than before.

7. Something I don’t like about the car: The iDrive 8 system. It was so complicated, almost like an Android tablet. I must went over awful amount of apps on the menu to find an adjustment such as the lumbar support. It is just so so so complicated. Another thing I wasn’t impressed was the BowerWilkins Surround Sound system. It behaved just the same as my M760’s BW. From a driver’s perspective, sound was coming from the very front and there was no surrounding feeling. I guess I may change my opinion after I spend more time play with the stereo on this car…

8. Other random findings: I felt the interior space of G70 was narrower than G12’s. Not sure if it was because of the car being taller…

Overall, I am super impressed with the car. I’ve driven W223 and new A8 (both in 6 cylinder base trim) already and I always felt like the G12 wasn’t on the same level as those two. It was just not as comfortable. But with the G70, things have change. It is much more comfortable than the previous 7, and has a much better exterior and interior than its competitors (A8’s interior is just out of fashion, W223’s interior quality sucks, and both look boring from the outside). Also, pricing on this vehicle is reasonable as well compare to S-Class. I have high expectation on this car’s sale and I think it is the best 7 series in the past 20 years.