2006 BMW 750 Review (continued)
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Driving Impressions

Body style and computerized interfaces aside, when it comes to driving dynamics, there's no controversy. BMW's 7 Series has been widely lauded for its outstanding performance and ride, and almost everything about the 2006 BMW 7 Series is top notch.

Heading the list is the car's wonderful, magic-carpet ride. The high-tech suspension smoothes out bumps, even speed bumps, to a point of astonishment. It's incredibly comfortable, yet the driver does not feel completely isolated from the road. It senses when it's being driven hard, instantaneously re-tuning itself appropriately for improved handling, and then adjusting the other way when the going gets easy and relaxed on long, inter-city trips.

BMW's Active Roll Stabilization uses computer-controlled, two-piece anti-roll bars to increase roll resistance in hard cornering and keep the body flat in turns. It's as if on entering a turn, the inside tires lift to keep the car level, which is, in effect, what actually happens. At the same time, the system maintains enough suspension compliance to keep the tires planted on the road. Bumps in the middle of a high-speed corner do not upset the handling balance one whit. Several factors are at work here: a near-perfect weight distribution of 50 percent front to rear (helped by lightweight aluminum hood and front fenders), which means neither end of the car is more prone to slide than the other; a highly rigid chassis that allows precise suspension tuning; and minimal unsprung weight, thanks to lightweight aluminum wheels, brake calipers and aluminum suspension components.

Remember, weighing more than 4900 pounds, depending on equipment, the 7 Series is not a small, lightweight car. But in some respects it feels smaller than it is. The electronic stability control makes adjustments to maintain handling balance whenever grip is lost to any one tire. By applying braking force to individual wheels and, when absolutely necessary, reducing engine speed, it almost seems to bend the laws of physics. Just steer this thing where you want to go and the 7 Series takes you there. We felt this on a fast, greasy corner, flat-out over a crest that unweighted the suspension. All four wheels lost grip, but we simply motored around the corner, drifting just slightly wide of the intended line, never lifting off the accelerator pedal or making any adjustments in the steering. No special action was needed. The car did all of it. The anti-skid system is transparent, in that you can't feel it kick in and out. BMW's system is less obtrusive and more performance-oriented than similar systems found in Mercedes and Lexus automobiles.

Steering a 7 Series sedan is a joy. The rack-and-pinion steering is super sharp and precise. It's very light at low speeds for parking lots, but firms up at higher speeds for improved driver feel. It also steps up response by 10 percent as the wheel is turned off center, which means that the more you turn the wheel, the faster the car responds. With this steering system, it's easy to drive with extreme precision on winding roads at high speeds, placing the tires exactly where you want them. When hitting bumps, there's little or no kickback to the steering. Our only reservation about this system, and it's a minor point, is that it's so sensitive to road speed that accelerating in the midst of a tight turn occasionally catches it out, leaving the front wheels more sharply angled than optimal.

The V8 and V12 drivetrains are absolutely silky when cruising around. The six-speed automatic is extremely smooth, yet it's among the most responsive we have ever experienced. Hit the accelerator pedal and the transmission drops a gear or two without any of that hesitation found in so many automatics. The additional gearing of the six-speed allows a lower first gear for quicker performance off the line, closer ratios in the middle gears for better mid-range response, and taller top gears for improved fuel economy. Frankly, we found the Steptronic feature superfluous. With a transmission as responsive as this one, manual shifting seems more of a toy than anything else. Just put it in Drive and control the transmission with your right foot.

The 4.8-liter V8 engine is a delight, very smooth when cruising, but ready and willing to play at the edges when asked. Combine the smooth drivetrain with the smooth ride and the 750i feels deceptively slow. This car feels so smooth cruising at 80 to 100 mph that it's almost more comfortable to drive in traffic, as then you can easily see when you're turning into a ticket magnet. For the same reason, you're likely to find yourself coming into corners carrying more speed than you realized, then having to get on the brakes a little harder than originally planned. Unlike in most cars, this isn't a scary thing, though, because the 7 Series almost never loses its composure. Just kind of a Whoa, Nellie! Slow this baby down." This combination of outstanding dynamics and deceptive travel speeds says something about both the joy and the trepidation in a car as capable as the 7 Series. Put more simply, watch your speed in this car, because you just may find yourself having too much fun.

The same goes for when you're sitting at a stop light, impatient to get on your way. Punch the accelerator and the 750i leaps into action, almost too quickly if you're not paying attention. BMW claims a 0 to 60 mph time for both 750s of just 5.8 seconds. The V8 in the 2006 750i is rated at 360 horsepower, up 35 from the '05, and 360 pound-feet of torque, up 30 from the '05. It earns an EPA-estimated 17/25 mpg City/Highway, giving up 1 mpg from the '05. Its sophisticated Valvetronic system has eliminated the throttle completely, eliminating pumping losses for improved efficiency by letting the valves, which benefit from BMW's double VANOS variable timing, control the airflow through the engine. For 2006, the V8 trades the previous engine's infinitely variable intake system, which optimized power across the engine's rpm range, for a two-stage setup, one of which is tuned to low-to-medium engine speeds, the other to higher rpms. BMW says the larger engine's increased torque lets this less sophisticated system do the same job and as well as last year's more refined system. We're not persuaded, as the acceleration on the 2006 750i was not as linear as on previous models, with a perceptible transition between the two intake stages. It still scoots, but just not as silky as before.

If pure silk is what you want, try the V12. The 760Li was launched as a 2003 model with a 6.0-liter, V12 engine that shares its basic architecture and most of its technology with the V8. For 2004, BMW introduced the sportier 760i with the shorter wheelbase to the North American market. The V12 engine added an innovation of its own: direct fuel injection, which delivers fuel directly into the cylinders, rather than to intake ports on the cylinder head. This improves power and reduces emissions. The V12 generates 438 horsepower and an impressive 444 pound-feet of torque. The V12 is turbine smooth, and whisks the sumptuously luxurious 760i from 0 to 60 mph in just 5.4 seconds, while earning an EPA estimate of 15/22 mpg City/Highway.

The 7 Series can stop in a big hurry when necessary. Massive, ventilated disc brakes, among the largest and most powerful BMW has ever used, are fitted with aluminum calipers at all four corners. Electronic brake proportioning ensures that the meaty tires are making best use of all available braking traction by transferring braking force to the tires with the best grip. Dynamic Brake Control reinforces the driver's pedal effort in emergency braking to help the car stop in the shortest possible stopping distance, even if the driver mistakenly relaxes pressure on the brake pedal. The underlying electronics, however, are less than ideal, at times keeping the brakes applied longer than we wished as we rolled to a stop at an intersection. The Automatic Hold feature worked as promised, however, holding the car at a stop on a slope until the driver presses on the accelerator pedal, and setting the parking brake when the car is turned off. The feature can be switched on or off using the iDrive menus."