Hunting for a decent used BMW with proper luxury credentials? Chances are you're only considering a 3 Series or 5 Series, but what if we told you that you could step up to a 7 Series for only a little extra cash?
A 3 Series or 5 Series estate won't cost much less than a comparable 7 Series saloon: a 2018 730d with 52,000 miles is stonking value at £20k, for example, while a 530d of similar vintage and condition could nudge £17k.
It feels a good bit more special, too. Open the driver's door and you will see a badge on the B-pillar proclaiming a 'carbon core'. It's not a full, i8-style tub but a steel and CFRP structure that, together with a mostly aluminium body, keeps rigidity up and weight down (to as low as 1755kg) - which is great news for dynamics and efficiency.
Admittedly the interior could have been a bit jazzier, but liberal use of leather and metal throughout still bolster the 7 Series' premium cachet-and it has aged well too.
Even in short-wheelbase guise the 7 Series is a whopping 5.1m long, and it's commensurately capacious inside, with a boot that rivals many estates' for outright capacity, at 515 litres, and a mile of rear leg room.
The long-wheelbase car (badged L) is 140mm longer, and all of that is felt in the rear seats. It is even more spacious than the equivalent stretched Mercedes-Benz S-Class.
Two options are key to maximising the richness of the passenger experience: the Executive Package and the Rear Seat Comfort Package. You will often find them specified together, in which case look forward to heated and massaging 'comfort seats', multimedia screens and a tablet to control just about everything you might need from the back, from the ferocity of your massage to the channel of the digital television - which can also be used to browse the web.
On the road, the biggest weakness of the 7 Series is exposed. It's no S-Class, that's for sure, producing more wind, road and suspension noise and serving a less cosseting ride. It's still deeply impressive, but the disparity is big enough to notice.
However, if you're not being chauffeured, you might prefer the extra poise offered by the BMW's stiffer suspension. Cars with Active Steering have a rear axle that turns against the fronts at low speeds for better agility or with them on the motorway to improve stability.
Most sixth-generation 7 Series (codenamed G11 or G12 in L form) are 730d (261bhp) or 740d (315bhp) variants, which is handy because this is a cruiser that's best served with a diesel engine. The 3.0-litre 'B57' turbo straight six is a quiet and torquey lump, and owners reckon 45mpg is achievable, making for a range of more than 800 miles.
