Test driving the new BMW 750Li xDrive

Europe and England in particular is the vortex out of which pop luxury cars unless of course you are talking about the Lexus which is JapaneseThe latest BMV Series 7 has shed 85 kg owing to its light carbon core construction PicsBMWThe big three Germans mdash Audi BMW and Mercedes mdash constantly try to outdo each other with their flagship models In the past BMWs 7 Series lost out to the competition in ride quality and luxury as previousgeneration cars were focused more on driving dynamics than on comfortable ride quality it was a drivers carThe global drive of the new 7 Series was held in upstate New York about halfanhour by chopper The drive was split into two 100 kilometres on the road and a track driving experience on the private Monticello circuitBMWs newest offering looks imposing with its upright stance and powerful presence at the front end It is the first car from BMW to feature an active kidney grille with a visible airflap control which comes into play only when increased cooling is required otherwise it remains shutThis improves the aerodynamics as well as giving the front end more style due to the extra number of bars on the large kidney grille The headlight units merge into the grille while the light graphic of the familiar BMW circular headlights is levelled off at its upper and lower edges giving the car a purposeful and focused lookThe hood is honed perfectly to fit in with the form of the kidney grilles upper section The lower air intake stretches wide across the front end the chrome in the outer edges of the intake and the horizontal contours of the LED fog and the full LED lights underline the cars broad stanceUnder the hood is a 5litre twinturbo V8 petrol with 450 PS on tapThe door handles are incorporated into the character line which now takes the form of a double swage line For the first time the wraparound side window frame uses a singlepiece element elegantly incorporating the Hofmeister kink Airvents on the front fender spawn a chrome trim strip which runs along the lower edge of the doors and its horizontal form accentuates the cars finely balanced look and low centre of gravityThe prevalence of outwardcurving surfaces gives the new 7 Series a powerful stance from the side on The new car has shed 85 kg owing to its carbon core construction The use of carbonfibre steel and aluminium makes the bodyshell lighter and stiffer at the same timeTaillights feature LED technology and the two Lshaped light units are connected by a chrome bar extending the full width of the bootlid and the rear apron features exhaust tailpipes framed by chrome surrounds adding luxurious details to the body of the new 7 SeriesThe interior oozes BMWs standard of quality in fact it sets a new benchmark in luxury and comfort This is the first car in the world to have gesture control You can increase and decrease the volume of the music system or change the track or the radio channel with a twirl of your finger The display key gives the range of the car according to the fuel level as also when service is dueThe upholstery is made from the finest leather and as the seats lithely accommodate you they have massage functions for further relaxation The increased legroom at the rear is classleading and gives you the feeling of sitting in an armchair The rear passengers get a seveninch touch command tablet The Bowers amp Wilkins BampW music system is topoftheline and it is worth experiencing the quality of sound reproductionThe front suspension is double wishbone with fivelink rear suspension The standard inclusion of front and rear selflevelling air suspension endows this car with the ride comfort of a luxury sedan The advantages of the air suspension in the front and rear are enhanced thanks to the standard dynamic damper control system The electronically controlled dampers improve ride comfort and add to the dynamic handling qualities of this car The braking is taken care by four ventilated discsNormally manufacturers dont invite people to drive their luxury sedans on a racetrack but BMW is different they wanted to show the dynamic capability of the car On the racetrack in sportmode the new 7 feels like a sports sedan You can throw it round corners and it will hit all the apexes without a fussThe loss of weight and body stiffness is evident on the racetrack On public roads where the road surface reminded me of conditions back home the 7s ridequality and cabin insulation were topclass The moment you touch the throttle pedal the V8 propels the car with a whoosh and the headup display turns red telling you that you are over the US speed limit of 55 mph 88 kmh The new 7 Series has redefined luxury and dynamics at the same time and has set a benchmark for the competitionBMW 7 Series EvolutionE23 19771986 BMWs first luxury sedan to use the 7 nomenclature It replaced the fourdoor version of the New Six E3 More than 285000 were built over the 10plus year lifespan the longest for any 7 SeriesE32 19861994 Secondgeneration 7 Series brought in traction control an integrated telephone and fax machine and even a wine cooler Lang longwheelbase model or L made its first appearance 750iL was the first car in the world to have highintensity discharge headlampsE38 19942001 With the thirdgen 7 BMW became the first in Europe to offer integrated satellite navigation Its flagship was the 750iL Armoured that featured in the Bond film Tomorrow Never DiesE6566 20012008 Chris Bangle brought a radical change in design to the fourth 7 iDrive made its first appearance Hydrogen 7 the hydrogenpowered version E68 was introduced and only 100 were producedF0102 20082015 First 7 to feature an eightspeed automatic transmission allwheel drive and doublewishbone front suspension All engines were TwinPower Turbo units Secondgeneration iDrive touchpad interface introduced