2005 BMW 7 Series (E65/E66) 730Li 6AT RWD (258 HP)

Vehicle Overview

BMW refreshed its flagship model, the 7 Series, in 2005, enhancing both the look and the powertrain of its vehicle, and became Euro 4 compliant.

Despite its polarizing design, the BMW 7 Series (E65/E66) was the best-selling 7 Series of all time. While some argued that this was due to the incorporated technologies, others might say that it was the design that grabbed the attention of new kinds of customers, who didn’t really enjoy the classic look of the 7 Series anymore.

To silence more voices that screamed against Chris Bangle, who led the design department even though he didn’t create the car’s look, BMW drastically improved the 7 Series’ look. At the front, the double-curved line on the headlamps’ bottoms was not as shocking as before. Instead, it was more like a slight, double-waved line. Another important upgrade was for the rear end, where there were changes on the taillights and the panel, making them look smoother.

Inside, the carmaker introduced a new generation of the infotainment system, dubbed iDrive, and provided more features apart from just connecting the phone via Bluetooth and navigation. It was standard across the range. The revolutionary turning knob between the front seats allowed access to more functions. A pair of buttons for switching gears was installed on the steering wheel’s rim, depending on the options. As before, the E65 offered enough room for four passengers, while the long-wheelbase version, named E66, provided Business-class-like legroom.

Under the hood, BMW offered new or enhanced engines, including the 4.8-liter powerplant also found in the X5 4.8is version. The six-speed automatic transmission was the only option on the entire range.