The Cadillac of BMWs (with a V12 engine that is!)

Author's Rating:

Pros: Comfortable seats, ALL the bells and whistles, Smooth, smooth, smooth, Very quiet, Build Quality

Cons: iDrive, Column shifter, Some materials weren't up to the price tag

The Bottom Line: 
This is the most comfortable riding BMW in the world. Some of the technology is over the top. Build quality is excellent and the V-12 is smooth, quiet, and fast.

Author's Review
I took a 30 minute test drive as the driver and a 30 minute drive as a passenger during the BMW Susan G. Komen Ultimate Drive.

Overall the car was a piece of art. The engine was dead quiet even under full throttle. Wind noise was non-existent and all road imperfections were nicely smoothed out.

This is a big car and it drives that way. The steering felt very un-BMW like. Not firm at all. It was kind of a shock after driving a 540i. The car handled reasonably well. The biggest handicap is weight. You couldn't toss this car around like you could smaller BMW's. When the 760Li is thrown into a corner, you can feel all the weight transfer to one side. The BMW traction device worked like a charm and kept the car on course. It never became obtrusive.

The seats in this car are excellent! While I felt the 540i's were too firm, the 760Li's are just right. They offer seat heaters, coolers and massagers. To move the seat, you pressed a button that was a picture of the seat (there were 4 buttons in all). Once the button was pushed it would light up. Then you used a controller to move that portion of the seat to where you want it.

If you will be carrying passengers around, then this is the car for you. The back seat is huge. The leg room is limousine like and the rear seats are as comfortable as the fronts. This model also had adjustable seats in the rear, so the rear passengers can set there own seat temperature.

The 760Li uses a 6.0 liter V-12 engine that puts out 438hp and 444 lbs of torque. This is one smooth engine. BMW states that the 760Li does 0-60 MPH in 5.4 seconds. I did one 0-60 run and it felt slower that the 540i. I realize this was just the seat of the pants feel. The reason for this is that the V-12 is so smooth and quiet that it really doesn't feel as if you've really pushed it too hard when you reach 60. This is a fast car, but in a smooth quiet kind of way. In the 540i, when you pushed the accelerator to the floor, you could feel the engine working, in the 760Li, your only clue are the G's you feel against your body and the rapidly climbing speedometer.

The build quality was excellent on this car. The driver and passenger are surrounded with fine wood and leather everywhere. The only negative comment I could come up with is that the plastic that simulates brushed aluminum around the a/c vents felt a little cheap. Other then that, everything else felt first class.

The biggest drawback to this car is the iDrive system. In the hour that I was in this car, I still couldn't figure out how to turn off the radio. It's a fussy system that is almost impossible to use while driving. Towards the end of the drive, I was really wishing for a normal radio. Once mastered, I'm sure the iDrive is quite nice; however, I think it should be relegated to handling car settings and navigation aid. Give the driver back a normal radio!

This BMW came with a 6-speed auto that almost always put the car in the gear I wanted. However, BMW only provides you with a column shift that lets you select: Park, Reverse, Neutral and Drive. You can't select what gear you're in like all other BMWs. This is another flaw that needs addressing. The transmission shifter needs to be mounted on the floor and give the driver the option to shift it on his/her own.