Motor Trend - First Drive: 2010 BMW 760Li
John Dillinger, the Chicago gangster, passed away 75 years ago this month. It was he who was said to have written to Henry Ford to compliment him on the excellence of his getaway cars. Okay, the letter, in the Henry Ford Museum, is now thought to be a fake, but were Dillinger still with us, we'd suggest a BMW 760Li might be the perfect replacement for the aging Dearborn jalopy.
For the rest of us, it's a little hard to spot the point of the 760Li. Does anyone consider the current top Seven, the twin-turbo V-8 750Li, too slow? Too unrefined? Doesn't BMW look a little flat-footed for launching such an engine into today's constricted market?
Well yes, the engine (it's pretty much all-new) was given the go-ahead in better times. Times when it was envisioned the now canceled -- or at least stalled -- concept CS coupe would have provided another home for the V-12.
But on the other hand, the BMW engineers don't hide the fact that much of the base engine and its production line are shared with the unit in the forthcoming Rolls-Royce Ghost, which helps defray the cost. And of the 760i and 760Li, global output is expected to be a respectable 10,000 units annually. That's not a bad little trade. About a quarter of those BMW V-12s will go to the USA and another quarter to China. You read that right: equal sales for the USA and China.
But who are those buyers? People who want the best, says BMW. And if the opposition -- Mercedes, Audi, Bentley -- offer 12-enders, then BMW, the world's most admired engine company, can't be absent. To ensure it's a technology showcase, this direct-injection unit has two turbos -- one for each bank -- and it's hooked up to a new ZF eight-speed automatic transmission.
It's a powertrain that doesn't kick you in the back like a BMW M car, but can furnish even this 4800-pound carriage with a surge of serene performance. And I guess if you went for an armored bodyshell, as many 760 buyers surely will, the power and torque will be much appreciated, as doubtless Mr. Dillinger would posthumously attest.
On the autobahn, the 760Li is magnificent. The engine merely whispers, its efforts drowned by the wind and road roar, and they in themselves are subdued to near-subterranean levels. And at any normal speed, the chauffeur can get all the acceleration he needs without straining the engine beyond the point in its load map where it's to all intents and purposes silent.
Much of the 760Li's ultra-high-speed comportment stems from the Integral Active Steering. This integrates same-phase (at speed) or counter-phase (maneuvering) rear steering into the programming of the active front steering. Unfortunately the steering is horribly gluey at more normal speeds. For America, it's a technology too far.
And, boy, this car is a tech-fest. You can alter the setup of the engine response, transmission shift points, adaptive dampers and adaptive anti-roll bars through a rocker switch on the tunnel. Phew -- no need to go iDrive menu-diving any longer.
But only the Normal setting feels harmonious. In Comfort, the soft damping can't control wheelhop, and in Sport, there's an agile car waiting to come out, but the artificial steering suppresses your urge to find it, and the ride becomes too wooden to allow good traction.
Besides, this is a limousine. Its owners can afford a Z4 for the canyon roads.
The new eight-speed transmission is attentive and smooth enough, though of course with all those ratios to choose from, it can seem busy. We put it to engineers that given the V-12's vast torque spread, any more than five ratios is overkill. They agreed, but said that the eight-speeder lets them peg the top ratio very high for better fuel economy.
The 760's cabin shows a move away from the austerity of recent big BMWs. A welcome move, we'd say. The headliner is Alcantara and leather, and the switchgear can be had with black ceramic touch-points. The wood trims are less plastic-like, and the graphics of the TFT panel behind the main dials are superbly resolved.
At the rear, the two outer seats recline and tilt, and each passenger gets his own screen, audio, and three-way climate control with separate rear A/C compressor. So long as the suspension is set to normal, it's close to benchmark refinement. Maybe a Benz S-Class is nicer: You'd need to go back to back to tell. Anyway, you could get seriously dug in here.
And that's the right use for the 760. It's not a driver's car. But oddly it comes with a load of technology that implies it wants to be. Treat it as the Ultimate Riding Machine.
2010 BMW 760Li review and photos - 2010 BMW 7 Series first drive - Motor Trend
M
That's available on all the other 7er models too, if you order nightvision...
