BMW’s lavish flagship, the 2016 750i xDrive sedan, came my way recently – the most expensive auto I’ve driven in the past 30 months. In redesigned form, it is the 7 series’ sixth generation.
As the law of averages sometimes dictates, the big, expensive Bimmer’s delivery was followed by a pair of inexpensive Scions, both priced below $20,000.
A similar incidence of such an extreme difference in price and size of review models occurred at Christmastime, when the impressive ’16 Honda Civic was overalapped by the Mercedes-Benz S550 four-door sedan.
Comparing a Mercedes against the BMW is always interesting; they’re fierce, age-old German rivals.
The full-size Mercedes sedan showed up with sticker price of $128,935, and, wouldn’t you expect it, the BMW topped it by $310 at $129,245.
Jan and I last Saturday evening drove the BMW to a northern area of Denver for dinner. With a 4.4-liter, twin-power turbocharged V-8 engine and 8-speed automatic transmission, the 750i, with all-wheel drive, performed every bit as smooth and responsive as did the Mercedes S550 sedan in December.
What a driver’s delight – the 445-horsepower V-8 (480 lb.-ft. of torque) will perform in five driving modes opted by the driver, from Comfort to Eco to Sport to Sport Plus, and an Adaptive mode, which in adapting settings to suit the driving style and situation, the suspension firmness, steering response and shift patterns are adjusted for the big sedan.
At a popular restaurant, we grabbed the last parking spot in a large lot and on my side it was tight against a thick hedge. After squeezing out the driver’s door, I brushed past the hedge’s edges to get to the door of our destination.
Had our review model been equipped with BMW’s newest major feature, self-parking, I could have avoided that. In a tight-park situation, the driver may step out of the BMW, and with a special key fob direct the car to pull into the narrow space and park itself. Then, on returning to the parked BMW, the key will direct the car to back out of the space, the driver steps back into the cabin and heads home.
Highlighting the interior are diamond-quilted white nappa leather seats and soft pillows on the rear headrests.
A solid tray, tied to a metal arm, will lift from the rear center console and swing over in front of the right rear passenger, whose seat can be reclined. The passenger, if only he and the driver are traveling, may push a switch to move the front passenger seat forward and direct a footrest to rise from the seatback. The rear-seat passenger is able to stretch out in comfort for the ride.
Much of my driving was in Sport mode, and the V-8 delivered an average of 20.1 miles per gallon. Many buyers of the BMW 7 series opt for a 320-hp, turbocharged, 3.0-liter 6-cylinder engine.
A few of the dozens of high-end options boosting the BMW’s price to $129,000 are night vision with pedestrian detection, front and rear heated and cooled ventilated seats, power side and rear window shades, Bowers & Wilkins sound system. To increase volume of the audio system, circle a finger to the right; circle left for lower volume.
With press of the key fob when approaching the sedan at night, light is splayed on the ground beneath the doors’ area, illuminating the path. And, not to be outdone by Mercedes, in a small sealed bag in the center console storage compartment is a cigarette lighter.
Almost 200 pounds of curb weight was cut from the 750i through the use of carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic and high-tensile steel.
Here are the specifications for the ’16 BMW 750i xDrive sedan:
- Capacity 4 passenger
- Wheelbase 126.4 inches
- Length 206.2 inches
- Width 74.8 inches
- Height 58.2 inches
- Curb Weight 4,610 pounds
- Track 63.7 inches front, 64.8 rear
- Ground Clearance 5.3 inches
- Turn Circle 42.3 feet
- Drivetrain All-wheel-drive
- Engine 4.4-liter twin-power turbocharged V-8
- Horsepower/Torque 445/480
- Transmission 8-speed automatic
- Steering Servotronic power-assist
Fuel mileage estimate 16/25 - Fuel mileage average 20.1
- Fuel Tank 20.6 gallons, unleaded premium
- Wheels 20-inch
- Tires Pirelli 245/40R20
- Trunk Volume 18.2 cubic feet
- Warranty 4 years/506,000 miles basic, powertrain
Competitors Mercedes-Benz S550, Audi A8, Porsche Panamera, Lexus LS460, Jaguar XJR Supercharged
Assembly Plant Dingolfing, Germany
Parts Content U.S./Canadian 5%, Germany 60%
Base Price of Lowest Model $94,400; Base Price of Review Model $97,400; Destination Charge $995; Sticker Price $129,245.