BMW's Fantastic Flagship

The BMW 750Li has it all: luxurious comfort, dazzling engineering, elegant looks, and a powerful V8 engine

by Thane Peterson

Editor's Rating:

The Good: Handling, interior, technology

The Bad: Complicated iDrive electronic controls, relatively high price

The Bottom Line: The top choice of luxury sedan for those who really love to drive

Reader Reviews

• View Slide Show

Up Front

There are days when I feel like the luckiest guy in the world. The last time it happened was when I recently found myself cruising along the Interstate in a BMW 750Li on a bright, sunny afternoon with Sirius satellite radio featuring rare vintage tracks from John Coltrane and Thelonious Monk. The car just floated along, as silent and smooth as a dream; the music played quietly in the background with virtually no intrusion from engine or road noise.

Luxury cars don't get any better than BMW's flagship 750Li. I hadn't spent any significant time in a 7-Series sedan since the previous generation of the car, the 745, and I was surprised by how easily the latest generation of BMW's roomy, top-of-the-line sedan outpaces newly redesigned competing models such as DaimlerChrysler's (DCX) Mercedes S550 and Toyota's (TM) Lexus LS 460 (see BusinessWeek.com, 5/10/06, "The New S550: Sportier, Sexier, More Expensive" and 2/14/07, "Lexus 460: More Luxury for Less"). Much as I like those cars, I'd take the Bimmer in a heartbeat if offered the choice.

What's surprising about that is that the 7-Series last got a major redesign in 2002, when the 745 was introduced, though it was freshened up in '06, when it was renamed the 750. There's something to be said for BMW's philosophy of continuous improvement because, even without a major redesign in five years, the 7-Series remains one of the most technologically advanced models on the market. Standard gear includes everything from self-drying antilock brakes and speed-sensitive steering to 20-way power-adjustable front seats, a navigation system, and power-folding exterior mirrors.

The 7-Series comes in three trim levels. The "entry level" (if you can talk about an entry level in this penthouse-price market segment) is the 750i, which starts at $76,575. The 750Li is essentially the same, except that it's five-and-a-half inches longer and starts at $79,675. Both the 750i and 750Li are powered by a 4.8 liter, 360-horsepower V8 engine.

If you're into wretched excess when it comes to speed and fuel consumption, the third version of the 7-Series is the 760Li, which has a 6.0 liter, 438-horsepower, 12-cylinder engine and starts at $125,075, including a $1,700 gas-guzzler tax. In addition to the bigger engine, the 760Li comes standard with all sorts of gear that's optional on the other two models.

Major options on the 750Li are too numerous to list but include such things as a sport package that adds 20-inch alloy wheels and a sportier suspension system ($3,000), active cruise control ($2,400), a night-vision system that "sees" 1,000 feet ahead after dark ($2,200), rear-seat entertainment ($2,200), and a luxury seating upgrade that gives you a heated steering wheel, heated and ventilated rear seats, rear window shades, and other upgrades ($2,200).

The priciest option is the $11,000 "Individual Composition" package, which allows you to tailor the exterior and interior by choosing among various fancy metallic paints (Ruby Black, Metallic, etc.), wood trims (Piano Black, Walnut, etc.) and types of leather upholstery. You also get a special illuminated "Individual Composition" doorsill (a garish and tacky add-on I'd rather do without).