Smaller Delights

The 7 Series gets a 2.0-litre engine for the first time, and the driving experience is no lesser because of it.

- Ben Chia

Singaporeans generally like the idea of a big car with a small engine. The small engine part is down to our road tax structure, which is still based on engine capacity, while the big car part, well, that’s down to the Asian ‘bigger is best’ mentality. Basically, the bigger your car, the more you can show off to your neighbours/friends/everyone else. It doesn’t matter if it is powered by a wheezy engine underneath. It’s the physical size that matters

But perhaps even that philosophy has its perceived limits. While in theory, the smaller the engine, the better, it also has to be reasonably proportionate to the car’s size. Put a 2.0-litre engine into a car like the 7 Series, and you’ll get questions like, “Is there enough power to move this thing? Are you sure it doesn’t feel slow?”

Well, if the new 730i is anything to go by, then there is really nothing to worry about. Yes, this car has an engine that is the same size as an average Toyota Camry. But take the 730i out for a drive, and if it wasn’t mentioned to you, you’ll honestly find it very hard to tell that this car has a 2.0-litre engine.