The 2009 BMW 7-series is a welcome sight. While not an entirely handsome design–the large, pedestrian-friendly front end, with its jumbo kidney grille, can look bulbous from some angles, and the taillights are downright ungainly–the new 7-series retires the overwrought design of the car and is much easier on the eyes overall.
Powering the ‘09 model is a tuned version of the 4.4-liter twin-turbocharged V8 in the X6, turning out a maximum 402 hp, 42 more horses than produced by the 4.8-liter V8 in the ‘08 750i. Its 442 lb-ft of torque eclipses that available in the 4.8-liter by a whopping 82 lb-ft. All told, BMW says the new engine will propel the car to 62 mph from a standstill in 5.2 seconds.
The car also sports a standard Dynamic Driving Control function that allows for various levels of stability-control intervention and shock settings, from the softest comfort mode to a more aggressively damped and tail-wagging sport-plus setting.
There’s also an optional rear-wheel steering system, called Integral Active Steering, which aids in both low-speed maneuvers and high-speed cornering. At parking-lot speeds, the rear wheels turn up to three degrees in the opposite direction from the front wheels, which BMW claims shaves 28 inches from the car’s turning radius. At higher speeds, however, the rear wheels turn in the same direction as the fronts, making the car more responsive on curvy roads.
Perhaps the most exciting development is that BMW totally revamped its much-maligned iDrive system, throwing out everything familiar to the system but the jog wheel. Menus now flow intuitively from one to another, allowing for quick and easy access to stereo and navigation controls, while redundant shortcut buttons sit around the main controller wheel–including a much-needed back button.
Information is displayed on a large, 10.2-inch screen sitting at the top of the center stack, near eye level, and climate controls have been moved out of iDrive completely and are housed in a separate area on the center stack.
Look for the ‘09 750i and 750iL to begin rolling into showrooms early next year, with stickers starting in the mid-$80,000s range.
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