2019 BMW 7-series review – more talented than its image might portray - Performance and 0-60

All versions of the new 7 are brisk, without any overweight efficiency-biased plug-in hybrid or four-cylinder models left in the British line-up. The tardiest 7, the 730d, as a result still reaches 62mph from rest in 6.1sec, while the 740d xDrive does the same sprint in 5.3sec and the 740i in 5.5sec. Meanwhile, the rapid 750i does the sprint in just 4.0sec dead. BMW has taken longer getting the M760Li back into the UK, with updated acceleration times still absent for the new flagship – we’d hazard a guess this might have something to do with it being slower on paper than the 750i.

As a result, all 7s feel well endowed and unstressed, and in some cases build on that with a startling amount of potency. The 750i, specifically, not only feels good for its 523bhp, but could easily be producing more, with borderline M5 levels of performance.

> Click here for our review of the BMW 750i

The diesels are strong, but extend them any further than what feels comfortable and their limitations become clear, lacking the oddly satisfying linearity that Mercedes-Benz has engineered into its new straight-six diesel. The V12 M760Li has yet to arrive in its latest form in the UK, although we’re interested to see how much faster, if at all, the new V12 flagship feels now after having its wings clipped.