7th Heaven
BMW unveils new 2018 flagship
One does not usually associate long-wheelbase V12 luxo-sedans with racetrack shenanigans, but here I am, hustling BMW’s new flagship M760Li xDrive around a track near Palm Springs. I mean, seriously, anyone who forks out $159,900-plus for this most sybaritic of conveyances will not be driving the wheels off it at their local track day. But this is BMW after all, and the folks here want us to know that despite this sedan’s dizzying display of tech, connectivity and ridiculous comfort, it’s still a BMW at the core.
Indeed, many owners of the M760Li will be spending most of their seat time aft, but in the event Mr. CEO pokes James in the back of the head with his Montblanc and says, “Dude, let’s switch it up,” he’ll find some fun behind the wheel.
A clue to this sedan’s athleticism is the M prefix, which denotes an M Performance vehicle. This group bridges the performance gap between regular BMWs and the hardcore M cars.
Barrelling down the straight, the M760’s twin-turbo 6.6-litre V12 bellows, its 610 horsepower and 590 pound-feet of torque making quick work of the car’s substantial mass. The braking zone comes up in a blink and the beefy binders have no problem shedding speed. Diving into the tight left-hander, the 760 cuts a clean arc while the tortured 20-inch Michelins register their complaints across hill and dale. There’s a lot of physics-defying tech going on here: air suspension, adaptive damping, rear-bias all-wheel drive, active anti-roll bars and rear-wheel steering.
Yes, it still feels like a very porky sedan, but one that has been hitting the gym hard. Straight-line acceleration borders on shocking; the 760 blows through the 100 km/h benchmark in just under four seconds.
This 6.6-L twin-turbo all-aluminum V12 has been around for a few years, but it gets thoroughly reworked with new internals, turbos, intake and exhaust. An air-towater intercooler perches on top of the intake manifold where it cools the charge coming up from the twin mono-scroll turbos. You’ll sense a bit of turbo lag when negotiating tight turn on the track, but in the real world this engine is the model of creamy, effortless power delivery and its well of torque seems bottomless.
Ah yes, the real world. Our morning drive took us over some tight, winding mountain roads around Palm Springs, and here the big lug felt reasonably agile, if a tad out of its element. Problem is, the steering is essentially numb, and that saps confidence if you’re trying to set up a brisk pace. Again, few buying the M760Li xDrive will be tackling mountain twisties in it. They’ll have a sports car for that.
It’s when we get down from the hills that the 760 comes into its own. Switching from the aggressive Sport (with its deliciously fruity exhaust note) to Comfort mode, it glides along in imperious isolation. The eight-speed ZF transmission is a seamless partner to the creamy V12, and blowing past the proletariat requires just a tickle from the right loafer. And it should be noted, these front seats are spectacularly comfortable.
Naturally, the M760Li xDrive is bristling with every tech, safety and connectivity system BMW has in its tool box. Standard kit includes a new-gen head-up display with optimized graphics, iDrive 5.0 with touch screen and a whole suite of driver aids that tie into a semi-autonomous driving system.
My wife has suggested on numerous occasions I could use some “Gesture Control” when driving in Toronto traffic, but the feature in this new BMW is of a different nature. Seeing its debut in the 7-Series, Gesture Control employs 3D sensors in the console to pick up pre-selected hand movements that will correspondingly adjust audio volume, accept or reject phone calls, select home address, among other commands. Cranking up the tunes with a finger twirl will certainly wow your passengers, but methinks BMW should offer a “401 app” that, when the proverbial bird is flipped, high beams flash and the horn sounds a highly offensive message in Morse code. Just sayin’.
The full rear-seat limo experience comes with the $10,000 Executive Lounge Tier 2. The right rear seat becomes the “Captains Chair” with a push of a button: The front passenger chair moves forward for max leg room and a flip-down foot rest is presented. The seat also reclines, is heated, ventilated and has a massage function. This package also bestows rear screens and work tables.
Arriving summer of 2017, the 2018 BMW M760Li xDrive is an impressively Jekyll and Hyde machine, with its dual personalities quickly called up by the Driving Dynamics Control switch. BMW’s aim with this immaculately presented saloon was for it to be all things to all (rich) buyers. In that, it appears to have succeeded.