Seventh Heaven _
Any time I get in a new BMW, I’m amazed at how certain things take me back to my childhood and teenage years and my dad’s ’85 735i. From the amber-on-black dash displays to the integrated computing power, everything about it was leagues ahead of everything I knew about cars at the time. Like a boss, I drove it for an entire summer before going off to university in the fall of ’96 when it was sold.
The 7 Series is still great, and even more technologically-advanced as far as cars go. My 740Li tester is equipped with numerous driver assist systems, including night vision with pedestrian detection and head-up display, and comfort features like driver and passenger massage, and even office and smartphone integration to barely scratch the surface.
Three or four different drivers can save their steering wheel, mirror and a seemingly infinite number of seating positions along with an uncanny selection of convenience settings accessed via BMW’s iDrive controller. The display is huge, and boasts split-screen functionality to gain access to everything and anything that has to do with the car and configuring it exactly how you want it.
Three BMWs put to the test
With all of its smart do-dads and creature comforts, the 7 Series has been delivering automotive luxury in spades for decades. But it’s also capable of some serious ass-hauling depending on which trim you go for. The 315-hp twin turbo inline-six in the 740 and ActiveHybrid models propel the cars to 100 km/h in under six seconds while the 750 and RWD-only 760 get the 445-hp V8 and 535-hp V12 engine, respectively.
Both engines will do zero-to-100 km/h in about 4.5 seconds, and are too much for some drivers who think they’re Frank Martin in “The Transporter” to resist. (Finger pointed squarely at the dickhead driving the slate-coloured 750Li I witnessed weaving in and out of evening rush hour traffic, cutting people off and narrowly avoiding causing a couple crashes on the QEW West during one commute.)
I guess the package had an expiration date, but I digress because the car is awesome whether you’re the driver or a passenger. Either way, the 740Li will take care of you like you’re family.
To read about the BMW X1 and the bodacious M6 Coupe the entire feature “Three BMWs put to the test,” please visit the PRN IGNITION website.