2009 BMW 7-Series

Standard across the new 2009 BMW 7 Series range, dynamic damper control allows drivers to select between comfort, standard, and sport shock rates.

Part of the optional Camera Package, this idea was borrowed from the Rolls-Royce Phantom. Small camera lenses are mounted on the side of the car, close to the front-wheel opening. They allow the driver to see traffic coming from both directions when easing out of a narrow side street or driveway, and can help with parking.

A newly developed and optimized GPS nav system with high-resolution 10.2-in. monitor (this is also the iDrive control display) is standard in the new 2009 7 Series. The nav system offers all the usual features, plus a 3-D map views that enhances guidance through mountainous or hilly country. At smaller scales, the screen will show 3-D representations of actual buildings, useful in urban areas. The new nav screen features beautifully refined graphics, and the revised iDrive system is more intuitive than before, placing a smaller multi-axis controller amid an array of menu buttons that can be differentiated by touch. It's easier all around to use, and it looks better, too.

Even so, the V-8 is a wonderfully innovative V-8 that shrugs off the 2009 BMW 7 Series' 4700-lb curb weight with a broad, robust torque band that stretches its peak 450 lb-ft of torque from 1800 to 4500 rpm. It also is indefatigable in its contribution to the car's top end due to an elastic 400 hp that peaks from 5500 to 6400 rpm. According to BMW, the sprint from 0 to 60 mph takes just 5.2 sec, but the number is meaningless because the effect of opening wide the throttle is relentlessly linear acceleration. A top speed of 150 mph may be modest by some standards, but getting there is so fluent and effortless it's silly to compare the 2009 7-Series' high-speed chops against the numbers posted by faster automobiles.

BMW claims this powertrain is the most efficient in its class, and though the EPA has yet to announce mileage figures, it'll definitely represent an improvement over the current V-8, not to mention the very thirsty BMW 7 Series' 6.0L V-12, which puts out 438 hp and 444 lb-ft of torque (less twist than in the new V-8).

The fifth-generation BMW 7 Series -- with less controversial styling -- has arrived. At the heart of the 2009 BMW 750i and long-wheelbase 750Li is a twin-turbo, direct-injection 4.4L V-8 BMW says will have class-leading fuel economy. The luxury sedan comes with a number of upgrades, but perhaps more important in a flagship vehicle, the 2009 BMW 7 Series sports streamlined styling.

With updated styling, lightweight construction, a new twin-turbo V-8, and tons of new safety, technology, and luxury features, BMW's latest flagship represents another significant -- though less divisive -- leap ahead.

Buyers who choose the 2009 BMW 7 Series over its Mercedes and Audi competitors typically prefer spending time behind the wheel; BMW is making sure its new 7-Series won't disappoint them. Both U.S. versions of the 2009 BMW 750i and 750Li feature the automaker's new twin-turbo, direct-injection 4.4L V-8 under the hood, which recently made its debut in the X6 SAC. Good for 400 hp and 450 lb-ft of torque (between 1750 and 4500 rpm) and mated to a six-speed automatic, the new 7 Series offers an improvement of 40 hp and 90 lb-ft over its predecessor. BMW claims it also will have class-leading fuel economy.

Beyond power and luxury, the 2009 BMW 7-Series also includes all the latest and greatest safety technology, with many systems that have never before been offered in a BMW. Apart from the usual array of airbags, the car includes extras such as active cruise control with the ability to come to a complete stop, lane-departure warning, blind-spot detection, night vision with pedestrian detection, and sideview and backup cameras. The company's head-up display is also available as an option.

What BMW has created is a car that no one can argue has not been vastly improved, and yet it will be just as polarizing as the one it replaces. Love it or hate it, give it this much: The new 2009 BMW 750i isn't resting on its laurels.

BMW has deconstructed iDrive in order to redesign it. CD, radio, phone, and navigation system buttons now surround it, and there are "back" and "option" buttons to get you quickly out of the current menu. Control the climate with dashboard buttons, and program eight separate "favorite" buttons for whatever you want. AM/FM buttons are now separate, and the old north/south/east/west screen controls have been replaced with simple line-item lists of phone numbers, radio stations or nav controls. The interface on the new 10.2-in., 1280x1040-pixel screen has a vaguely iPhone look.

Although the numbers on the badge haven't changed, the V-8 under the hood has. Replacing last year's 360-hp, 4.8-liter V-8 is the 4.4-liter twin-turbocharged and direct-injected V-8 first seen in the X6. The force-fed V-8 produces 400 hp and 450 lb-ft of torque, making the 2009 BMW 750Li significantly more powerful than the 2008 750Li-and quicker than even the 6.0-liter, V-12-powered 760Li, which now has been dropped. According to BMW, the 750Li is only 0.5 second behind the screaming M3 in the sprint to 60 mph. In contrast to the raucous M3, however, the 2009 BMW 7-Series pulls as smoothly as a Gulfstream V from standstill to top speed.

The dashboard itself is lined in a leatherlike material that looks and feels rich-although our early-production cars suffered from some bunching and gathering in the corners and around the vents. The cabin feels expensive and well-built, but with decidedly less sense of occasion than the interior of the glamorous Mercedes-Benz S-class. In fact, the same can be said about the entire BMW 750Li-it doesn't call much attention to itself.

With more gadgets, gizmos, bells, and whistles than your average electronics megastore, the 2009 BMW 7-series is as much about its electronics as it is about driving. The dreaded iDrive is gone at last, replaced by an all-new system that will let the 7-series driver actually concentrate on driving his or her Ultimate Driving Machine.

The twin-turbo V-8 exhibits some very noticeable lag off the line, but this is a seriously fast sedan-one that will likely outrun (or at least match the performance of) last year's V-12 760Li.

From behind the wheel, the 2009 7-series feels much smaller than it is. The electronic systems help in this regard, but pushing a long-wheelbase 750Li around the dry handling track, we were very impressed with its neutral balance, prodigious cornering grip, and strong brakes. Put DDC in the higher modes (like Sport Plus) and the steering ratio is quick, effort is high, and the big 7-Series turns in sharply and with no noticeable body control. It's no exaggeration to think you're driving something the size of a 5-series-or even a 3-series-when the road turns curvy.

New for 2009 is BMW's Integral Active Steering, which adds speed-sensitive rear-wheel steering and is included with the Sport package. The new Driving Dynamics Control selector is located on the center console and allows drivers to select between Comfort, Normal, Sport and Sport Plus modes. Each setting has its own characteristics for suspension damping, throttle response, transmission shift points, power-steering assist level, and Dynamic Stability Control mode. The safety technology ante has been upped with active cruise control that can now bring the car to a complete standstill, allowing it to be used in stop-and-go traffic. Other safety features of the 2009 BMW 7-Series include a lane departure warning, blind spot detection, a head-up display, automatic high beams, night vision (now with pedestrian detection), as well as side view and backup cameras. Side view cameras are mounted at the front corners and show the images in the control display when traveling at low speeds. Always searching for the most advanced solution to a problem, BMW has solved a dilemma caused by the abundance of technology in the 2009 7-series by including an electronic owner's manual accessible via, you guessed it, the iDrive interface.