2020 BMW 750Li xDrivePeter Bleakney OVERVIEW Big grill marks big upgrades for BMW’s flagship sedan PROSmagic cloud ride and isolation, effortless urge, tech-for-days CONSnot much cabin storage, “Hey BMW” not quite ready for prime time VALUE FOR MONEYaverage WHAT TO CHANGE?More steering feel, cushier front seats HOW TO SPEC IT?avoid the Cooling Box The world may be crazy about SUVs, but premium German automakers still place the flagship crown upon their full-size luxury sedans. Up here in this rarefied air, its all about power, prestige, pampering and cutting edge technologies. A lot has filtered down from these lofty four-doors over the decades. Mercedes-Benz introduced the world to ABS (anti-lock braking) in the 1978 W116, and then ESC (electronic stability control) in the 1995 S600. The Audi A8 was the first mass market sedan with an all-aluminum structure, and BMW pioneered the modern car/driver interface with its iDrive in the 2001 7 Series.Jump ahead nineteen years and we have the refreshed 6th-generation 2020 BMW 7 Series, here in $126,400 750Li xDrive guise and optioned to the tune of $155,800. It still has a version of iDrive, but unlike its ancestor, this 7s quilted Merino leather chairs (both front and back) will cool and massage your backside six ways from Sunday. It will tickle your ears with spectacular Bowers and Wilkins audio, drive hands-and-feet free for brief stretches, park itself, slice through the rural darkness with laser headlights, and, oh yes, pick up its skirts and scoot like a kerosened cat thanks to the updated 4.4L twin-turbo V8 that now makes 523 horsepower and 553 lb-ft of torque, up 80 and 74 points respectively from last year. Isolation ChamberPerhaps most importantly, the 750Li xDrive wafts along in eerie silence not unlike a Rolls-Royce, which is no great surprise, as BMW owns Rolls and (shhh) this chassis underpins the current Ghost and Wraith. Helping in this regard with this tester is the optional Active Comfort Drive with Road Preview that uses GPS info and a stereo camera to predict upcoming road surfaces, and instructs the adaptive dampers, rear air springs and active roll stabilization to act accordingly. You dont so much drive on the road as over it, such is the sense of isolation. However, even in Sport mode, there is nary a hint of sport here, as the steering is Novocain numb and the chassis really has no appetite for anything other than gradual sweepers. Yes, it handles well and corners flat for such a big beast, but you wont be inspired to go there.You sure cant miss the 2020 7 Series cartoonishly engorged kidney grill (40 percent bigger, says BMW), and you cant argue it doesnt give the sedan some serious presence that it previously lacked. Other mid-cycle tweaks include recontoured hood, body panels, more upright (read: formal) chrome Air Breather vents aft of the front wheels and a light bar connecting the rear taillights.Modern yet familiar controlsWhile the other German flagship sedans sport acres of digital touch-screenage within, BMW seems to understand the importance (and safety) of maintaining tactile controls with its latest generation iDrive 7.0. There is still the familiar rotary control knob on the centre console that, with its push and nudge functions, allows the driver to easily navigate most duties without having to prod away at a touchscreen although the 10.2-inch screen does have touch function. Additionally, a row of preset buttons can be assigned to various tasks, be they calling up a desired radio station, phoning the reservation desk at your favourite steak house, or having the navigation guide you home.There are hard buttons for most HVAC functions, as well as for heating and cooling the seats, and firing up the massage. Yes, the dash design is a busy and not particularly cohesive, but build quality and material choice are unassailable.All Canadian 2020 7 Series get standard M Sport Package that really has nothing to do with sport in the go-faster sense it adds Anthracite headliner, M leather steering wheel, M pedals, illuminated sill plate, comfort seats and special black wood trim. Technological tour de forceHalf the game in these full-size execu-barges is one-upmanship in the gizmo department.Blurt Hey BMW at any time, and the car will do its best to cater to your every whim, be it adjust an onboard system, find a destination or tap the interweb for both useful and useless information. It is early days for these mobile voice assistants, so functionality can be hit and miss.One year of Apple CarPlay is included, but after that owners will have to pay a subscription fee to use it (wha???).The 7s new digital gauge cluster comes across all modern, showing the speedo and tach displayed as arcs on the sides of the screen, with the centre portion reserved for navigation info and the like. Its not as crisp as Audis Virtual Cockpit, nor as configurable.BMW’s signature Gesture Controls coolest
Origin: Car Review: 2020 BMW 750Li xDrive