Does the person who scoffs at the notion of a luxury diesel powered car still exist? Or has he - for it's been an exclusively male preserve - been consigned to the annals of history, gathering dust in a corner alongside the vinyl roof, the four speed gearbox and the cross ply tyre? If doubt ever existed, the BMW 730d represents the hammer that is driving the last nail into that particular coffin.

Diesel engines have been chipping away at the unconquered market sectors for some time and diesel coupes and convertibles are now an established part of the automotive landscape. Mercedes proved with the S320CDI that just because buyers were well heeled enough to afford a luxury car, it didn't automatically mean they'd willingly want to get ripped off every time they pulled into a filling station.

BMW also found this out when they transplanted their excellent 3.0-litre diesel engine into the latest generation 7 Series, the 730d derivative quickly becoming one of the best selling derivatives in the Range. To maintain its popularity, the 730d engine has been extensively revised and it now benefits from an all-aluminium cylinder block that reduces the weight of the engine by 25kg. As a result of this weight reduction and BMW's new third-generation common rail diesel technology (that includes piezo-injectors, a faster and more efficient form of injection), power is increased by 12 per cent to 228bhp at 4,000rpm while torque is four per cent higher at 520Nm, developed between 2,000 and 2,750rpm.

That takes this 148mph car well clear of its closest rival, the aforementioned Mercedes S320 CDI, which can manage just 204bhp and is nearly half a second slower from rest to sixty (8.2s as opposed to 7.8s for the BMW). Power is still deployed through a six-speed automatic gearbox, the 730d having been the first diesel car ever to feature such technology. But what about those controversial 7 Series looks? Well they've recently been toned down. The super observant may spot that the front grille and bumper have been subtly altered along with the headlamps though that unorthodox 7-Series shape remains largely intact. If you like a longer look, however, the 730d is available in long-wheelbase form.

"As you'd expect from BMW, the driving characteristics are predictably superb."

BMW claim that the enhancement of the bonnet's power dome gives the car a more powerful face, and the more boldly contoured bonnet does look a good deal more like the 5 Series, which can only be good. Previously, the front of the 7 was a rather character-free zone, the broad, low mouth resembling a filter feeding shark. Modified tail lamps and bumper assembly are the main changes at the rear while at the sides, there are more pronounced side sills to give the car a more contoured and planted look. Four new paint schemes have been added to the palette and the 18 and 19-inch alloy wheels have been redesigned.

So what's it like on the move? Well, there's a rumble on start up but after that, there's very little of the unholy trinity of either noise, vibration or harshness emanating from the big oil burner up front. The automatic gearbox is a willing partner reacquainting you time and again with the intoxicating rush of the 730d's torque. It feels devastatingly muscular, especially when the gearbox kicks down for an overtaking manoeuvre. Really persist with a gear and the engine note will build but with all the power low down there's very little to be gained in winding the car up towards 4,500rpm.

As you'd expect from BMW, the driving characteristics are predictably superb. Dynamic Drive Control is an electro-hydraulic system that does clever things to the anti-roll bars of the 7 Series, artificially dictating the amount of body roll - none at low speed and a few degrees off kilter during more enthusiastic cornering to remind you where the electronics give way to sheer physics. Drive like this and you'll appreciate the Sports suspension setting. At first you'll be disappointed, the syrupy ride quality making the 7-Series seem a trifle bloated, but as soon as you encounter a corner the dampers up their game, keeping everything taut and resolved with just enough information flowing up the steering column and through the chassis to keep you appraised of what the tyres are up to. Switch into Comfort mode and you'll breeze effortlessly over the sort of scabby surfaces that constitute the British road network. The weight of the diesel engine never conspires to introduce an uncouth element of understeer to the equation either.

If there is a problem with the 730d, it's purely down to its cannibalistic tendencies. The data would suggest that this diesel 7 Series is mopping up many sales from more profitable 7 Series petrol products. That may well be the case, but it's relatively inconsequential in comparison to the profitable impact the 730d has had for BMW in the luxury car sector as a whole. And there you have it. You've just read the first 7 Series road test that mentions neither the bootlid nor the iDrive system. This diesel gives everyone plenty of other things to talk about.

TOP 2 7 SERIES DEALS

The results below show the top 7 SERIES deals on buyacar

	BMW 7 Series 730d SE 4dr Auto (Pre-model) Saloon
	ETR	Mthly	Saving £3,779	Price £48,076
	BMW 7 Series 730d Sport 4dr Auto (Pre-model) Saloon
	ETR	Mthly	Saving £4,109	Price £51,371