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When is a car both exhilarating and frustrating at the same time? When it’s the BMW 760Li. Hold onto your hats, because this is a $118,900 car.
You expect a lot for a price like that, and you get it. Start with the smooth-as-silk 438-horsepower V-12 engine, which can carry this 4,872-pound baby from a standing start to 60 mph in just 5.4 seconds. It’s so quiet you don’t always know it’s running. Trust me on that one.
Of course, you pay the penalty of poor fuel economy – just 15 mpg in the city and 22 on the highway. It’s unlikely 760Li owners will worry too much about fuel costs, however. Most will only occupy the throne-like rear seats. From that imperial post, with legroom tailor-made for Shaquille O’Neal, you can control the stereo and climate control (with humidity sensor), access the champagne flutes from the between-seats icebox, raise and lower the built-in privacy shades, make deals on the voice-activated phone and watch a DVD of the recent board meeting. If the Maybach has a competitor in the U.S., this is it. About two-thirds of 7-series sales are the long-wheelbase "L" versions, so there must still be plenty of millionaires out there.
In what is perhaps a tribute to the days when chauffeurs waited outside, regardless of the weather, the 760Li’s driver’s seat lacks rear travel.
It’s best to read the owner’s manual before you set out, because this vehicle is numbingly complex – in a mostly good way, of course. But just setting off can be a challenge. Push the fob-like object into the hole, then punch the start button. (Remember, that engine is really quiet!) Pull the tiny shifter for the six-speed automatic transmission forward and down to drop it into drive.
You’re off, but don’t forget to push the iDrive button to accept the navigation legalese. A few more pushes will actually bring you in the vicinity of choosing a radio station. The voice command system seemed dubious of my prompts in English, but maybe it will like you better.
Stopping also poses challenges. You don’t select "park," but hit the start/stop button, which also cuts the engine. But then you notice the windows are down and the sunroof open and you have to start the engine again to close everything up. All the while, the AM radio is shrieking at you because you’re in the wrong iDrive screen. I did all of this and then accidentally mistook the wiper control for the shifter, spraying myself with fluid through the open windows. Ah, luxury!
Did I say $118,900? That’s the manufacturer’s suggested retail price, but there is a host of add-ons you’re sure to like, including the $2,200 adaptive cruise control (a cool feature, admittedly), the $1,100 cold weather package that includes a heated wheel and seats (I think those should be thrown in, don’t you?) and a $1,000 convenience package featuring my test car’s remote-operated trunk lid. Go for the rear-DVD package and another $2,200 goes on the bottom line. With a loaded 760Li, you can probably come within striking distance of $150,000.
On the road is where the big BMW really shined. The car reminded me of the old, long-wheelbase 450 SEL 6.9-liter Mercedes, probably the fastest regular production sedan at the time. There was 286 horsepower on tap and, despite the 6.9’s size, it was quite agile on the road. If they could just fix a few of the high-tech quirks, the 760Li BMW would be one worthy successor.
