The Ultimate Shifting Machine

The automatic transmission of BMW’s new 740i is heard more than felt, reaching the ears as a soundtrack rather than shaking the senses by its mechanical gnashing.

Apply the gas and first gear--a little lower than most--transfers power to rear wheels and the road without a hint of a lurch or a slap.

Shifting into second--closer to first gear in other cars--is another seamless change. Then moving up the scale through four gears and into overdrive fifth is a series of aural, barely perceptible transitions.

BMW’s exacting selection of gear ratios is a major element to the silkiness. Then there’s the perfection of electronic controls when the transmission is in motion.

One control automatically retards ignition when changing gears and stills mechanical heaves associated with less sophisticated transmissions. Additional smoothing is provided by super-sensitive computer monitoring of the powertrain with a capability of picking through one million data bits per second.

The result is the ultimate shifting machine, superior even to Lexus and Infiniti, which have long shared the mountaintop in this business of automatically transmitting engine rotation into forward motion.

And this is a triple-gait transmission--with one program for standard driving and two additional, automatic modes selecting optimum gearing and shift points for sportier moments or when driving on wintry surfaces.

The transmission, however, isn’t the best of this Bimmer.

For the 740i--replacing last year’s 735i--is equipped with a new 32-valve, four-cam V-8 engine developing a very healthy 282 horsepower.

It is almost 40% more powerful than the 735i with its inline-six--no longer the engine of choice among mid-size luxury cars except Jaguar--and very close to the power BMW squeezes from the V-12 engines of its flagship cars.

The mostly aluminum V-8 gives this two-ton, four-seat, leather and walnut-lined chunk of luxury better acceleration than the biggest and best from Lexus and Infiniti. It runs out faster than Mazda’s 929, a Bentley Turbo and anything from Audi.

But don’t see the 740i as an enormous threat to Lexus and Infiniti.

Once more, a veteran and respected German auto manufacturer is tripping over its own price tags. BMW wants $54,000 for the base 740i while the Lexus LS 400 and the Infiniti Q45--both V-8 powered in silk suits--cost $10,000 less.

Yet BMW could well munch into Mercedes. There, the V-8 competition starts at a whopping $78,000.

The 740i certainly feels, handles and smells more like a Mercedes than any Japanese luxosedan.

There is a heavy, solid quality so typical of a nation known for the weighty bratwurst, bock and Wagner. Despite speed-sensitive steering, the handling is more deliberate than most because these are cars bred for autobahn cruising at 100 m.p.h. where steering becomes lighter, twitchier.

And unlike Japan’s luxury ninjas, the 740i has a soul dotted with imperfections and tiny eccentricities that establish personality.

Lord only knows why BMW doesn’t join this decade and install some cup holders in the car. Or fit interior releases for the trunk lid and filler cap flap.

On our cranberry test car, closing the trunk lid required a passing grade in upper body strength which left permanent palm prints on the deck. Key starts were a slight jiggle. We were never able to figure out a center console switch for the Sport transmission mode when that function was activated quite effectively by selecting fourth gear.

The styling is somewhat stolid, a little squared-off and reflective of BMW’s 2-year-old reshaping, which should be change enough for this century. The kidney grille is still there, although widened until it looks more like a divided liver.

All of this, however, translates to Bavarian Motor Works classicism. European customers--also American customers for European cars--simply do not appreciate companies mucking around with automobile designs they have endorsed by years of repeat purchasing. And now you know why Rolls-Royce has been building Grecian radiators for almost a century.

Frankly, yesterday still works beautifully inside the 740i.

The leather upholstery is supple, aromatic and presents the perfect prosecution case against vinyls and velours. More than a touch of burl walnut enhances the dashboard and all doors, and there’s a richly polished expanse around the gearshift.

Wood accents, of course, are common among luxury cars. BMW delivers a mild gotcha by walnut containing a contrasting wood inlay.

The 740i is thoroughly equipped with all the extravagant options--anti-lock brakes, central locking, 10-way power seats with three memories on the driver’s side, dual and automatic climate control, power sunroof that operates with the ignition off, driver and passenger side air bags, and hard wiring for CD and cellular phone--as standard equipment.

Instruments are analog, dead ahead and unobstructed by a telescoping, but not tilting steering wheel.

Every other control--with the exception of a side-mirror adjustment button set into the door pull, which then acts as a pistol grip--seems to be exactly where BMW has been placing them since the 3200 CS coupes of 1965. Which, incidentally, were the last BMWs to carry V-8 engines.

With the new V-8--not forgetting its blancmange-smooth transmission--any major styling and interior changes for the 1993 740i would have been big time overkill.

Accelerating from rest or hoofing it in the mid-ranges to find freedom ahead of interstate clutter, this engine is a beast unleashed. By comparison, it has more horsepower on tap than a Camaro Z28, Ford Taurus SHO, Mazda RX7, Acura NSX or Porsche Carrera.

This ability to proceed comes with all the right equipment for stopping--12-inch discs braking alloy wheels wearing tires rated for top speeds in excess of 150 m.p.h. There’s also a well-bred suspension geometry to make this car an enormous bundle of safe and stable fun.

But it’s also a mite expensive, owing to a gas thirst good for a $1,300 guzzler tax. Which the customer pays.

In the end it’s a coin toss.

Heads or tails?

BMW or Mercedes?

No question the Mercedes is better engineered to higher levels of price and snob appeal.

There also is no doubt that BMW is much more a driver’s car and tuned closer to stop and start travel, surface street commuting, 65-m.p.h. speed limits and other realities of today’s urban driving.

1993 BMW 740i STE COST: * Base: $54,000 * As tested, $57,500 (includes leather upholstery, passenger and driver-side air bags, cruise control, heated and power seats, automatic dual air conditioning, power sunroof, central locking, alarm, walnut accents--and gas guzzler tax.) ENGINE: * 4.0 liter, 32-valve, V-8 developing 282 horsepower. TYPE: * Four-passenger, rear-drive, mid-size luxury sedan. PERFORMANCE: * 0-60 m.p.h., as tested, 7.5 seconds. * Top speed, electronically governed, 149 m.p.h. * Fuel consumption, EPA city and highway, with automatic, 16 and 22 m.p.g. CURB WEIGHT: * 4,002 pounds. THE GOOD: * Five-speed automatic smoother than Baskin-Robbins. * V-8 engine more powerful than some exotic sports cars. * European heft, German quality, Bavarian soul. THE BAD: * More expensive than Lexus and Infiniti. * A gas guzzler. THE UGLY: * Still looking.