German Car Zone

Nine months after it was launched, BMW’s fifth generation 7-Series gains a range topping V12 version, in the shape of the 760Li; also BMW’s most expensive production road car.

BMW 760Li - Road Test First Drive - Autocar.co.uk

LoL what a waste with a powerful engine

"For the most part the BMW’s V12 remains almost completely silent, whether at idle or low to mid range revs, and unless you have an awful amount of space available, you will rarely get the engine spinning much beyond 4000rpm"

The power will come in hand when the cars needs to get going with 4 big belly CEOs and four 30kg suit cases are loaded into the car.

Another review:

"For the new 7 Series we have a strong demand, some 12 percent of our customers want white, in this case sparkling white. For the plain white we had 9 percent, this is more stylish.”

"The 8-speed transmissions shifts like a knife cutting though butter. You do not notice it."

2010 BMW 760Li Review

From Autocar:

And as with some previous versions, the kidney grille is also more prominent, this time by increasing the thickness of the chrome surround rather than actually enlarging the grille itself.

Errrr... That's available on all the other 7er models too, if you order nightvision...

Of the many things we have to thank the Chinese for, this brand new BMW V12 engine is perhaps the most surprising. No, the unit wasn’t built in Beijing, it’s just that were it not for China’s insatiable taste for tasty limos you surely wouldn’t be reading this. A quarter of all the V12-powered BMWs built since 2002 ply their trade under the shadow of the Great Wall, while Europe moves on to smaller, more efficient engines.

So, is the new BMW 760i's V12 an inefficient engine?

God, no! It’s inescapably the most superbly crafted lump ever to pack this many pots, and claimed to be the most efficient V12 on the market. The figures back this up: power is up 22% on the previous BMW V12 (the new engine produces 544bhp), yet fuel consumption is down 5% (to a still rather scary 21.7mpg).

The engine is all aluminium, with the two banks of the Vee set at a 60deg angle, making room for the two turbos to sit on either side – the first time a 12-pot has ever used twin turbos, with high precision injectors and double-VANOS variable valve technology. The effect is one of effortless, seamless power and incredible refinement – floor it on the autobahn and you simple can’t imagine there’s such a huge lump working in front of you.

And what about the new gearbox?

It’s the first eight-speeder for BMW. Developed by ZF, it’s no heavier than a six-speed, and features uniquely designed cogs which allow the engine to skip gears fluently to minimise unnecessary work and friction. The box was designed with the V12 in mind, and it shows in the fluency of the delivery.……

BMW 760Li (2009) CAR review | Road Testing Reviews | Car Magazine Online

You've likely already seen one of the new BMW 7 Series, the 750Li with its twin-turbo 4.4-liter V-8. Nice piece, sculpted smoothly along its 199.8-in. length, looking quite stately and proud. And its power is impressive.

What if we told you, however, there's a version of the 7-Series that clips through to 60 mph as quick as an M5? And never loses that stately air?

This would be the 760Li, which swaps out the V-8 for a hand-built 6.0-liter twin-turbo V-12. Other important tech bits include direct fuel injection, VANOS cam adjustment plus those most important of numbers, 535 bhp at 5200 and 550 lb.-ft. of torque from 1500 rpm. Another important figure is eight, the number of gears in the automatic transmission.

As the 760Li is a BMW, we're sure you're not surprised to read that all this is quite seamless, from the first hum at idle to watching the speedometer needle pass over the 200-km/h mark (that would be 124.27 mph). Top speed is limited to 150 mph. Just as smooth is the manner in which the 760Li doesn't so much turn-in at a corner, but assume its way through. No drama.

There's little hint of this extra power outside. Wider chrome frames on the kidney grilles, unique 19-in. wheels, the V12 emblem on the side and dual, dual exhausts.

Added glitz inside includes V12 on the doorsill panels, Nappa leather, Alcantara headliner and burled walnut trim.

Add to the list everything from active steering (in-phase, counter-phase) to Active Roll Stabilization to power window shades to Active Blind Spot Detection. The list goes on underlining the car's equipment...and how the price gets to $136,600.

Pricey for certain, but a kick to get a rig this big to 60 so quickly...hey, want to go trolling for M5s?

What's Hot:

* That M5 acceleration
* Living room-like rear seat
* Exterior styling

What's Not:

* How about $136,600?
* iDrive better, not great
* Feels lithe, but it's a big boy

Cars to Compare:

* Maserati Quattroporte
* Mercedes-Benz S-Class
* Lexus LS
* Jaguar XJ
* Audi A8
* Bentley Continental Flying Spur


Road & Track Magazine - Driving Impression: 2010 BMW 760Li (7/2009)


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Oh wow...Bentley! That is impressive considering that I've only seen them compare Benz to RR and Bentley. BMW is getting the job done!

As for Lexus....I guess their talking about the LS600H. Really....I don't know anyone in their "right" mind who would pick the LS600H over BMW 760Li. I know I wouldn't. Then again I guess some people may favor Lexus.

John Dillinger, the Chicago gangster, passed away 75 years ago this month. It was he who was said to have written to Henry Ford to compliment him on the excellence of his getaway cars. Okay, the letter, in the Henry Ford Museum, is now thought to be a fake, but were Dillinger still with us, we'd suggest a BMW 760Li might be the perfect replacement for the aging Dearborn jalopy.

For the rest of us, it's a little hard to spot the point of the 760Li. Does anyone consider the current top Seven, the twin-turbo V-8 750Li, too slow? Too unrefined? Doesn't BMW look a little flat-footed for launching such an engine into today's constricted market?

Well yes, the engine (it's pretty much all-new) was given the go-ahead in better times. Times when it was envisioned the now canceled -- or at least stalled -- concept CS coupe would have provided another home for the V-12.

But on the other hand, the BMW engineers don't hide the fact that much of the base engine and its production line are shared with the unit in the forthcoming Rolls-Royce Ghost, which helps defray the cost. And of the 760i and 760Li, global output is expected to be a respectable 10,000 units annually. That's not a bad little trade. About a quarter of those BMW V-12s will go to the USA and another quarter to China. You read that right: equal sales for the USA and China.

But who are those buyers? People who want the best, says BMW. And if the opposition -- Mercedes, Audi, Bentley -- offer 12-enders, then BMW, the world's most admired engine company, can't be absent. To ensure it's a technology showcase, this direct-injection unit has two turbos -- one for each bank -- and it's hooked up to a new ZF eight-speed automatic transmission.

It's a powertrain that doesn't kick you in the back like a BMW M car, but can furnish even this 4800-pound carriage with a surge of serene performance. And I guess if you went for an armored bodyshell, as many 760 buyers surely will, the power and torque will be much appreciated, as doubtless Mr. Dillinger would posthumously attest.

On the autobahn, the 760Li is magnificent. The engine merely whispers, its efforts drowned by the wind and road roar, and they in themselves are subdued to near-subterranean levels. And at any normal speed, the chauffeur can get all the acceleration he needs without straining the engine beyond the point in its load map where it's to all intents and purposes silent.

Much of the 760Li's ultra-high-speed comportment stems from the Integral Active Steering. This integrates same-phase (at speed) or counter-phase (maneuvering) rear steering into the programming of the active front steering. Unfortunately the steering is horribly gluey at more normal speeds. For America, it's a technology too far.

And, boy, this car is a tech-fest. You can alter the setup of the engine response, transmission shift points, adaptive dampers and adaptive anti-roll bars through a rocker switch on the tunnel. Phew -- no need to go iDrive menu-diving any longer.

But only the Normal setting feels harmonious. In Comfort, the soft damping can't control wheelhop, and in Sport, there's an agile car waiting to come out, but the artificial steering suppresses your urge to find it, and the ride becomes too wooden to allow good traction.

Besides, this is a limousine. Its owners can afford a Z4 for the canyon roads.

The new eight-speed transmission is attentive and smooth enough, though of course with all those ratios to choose from, it can seem busy. We put it to engineers that given the V-12's vast torque spread, any more than five ratios is overkill. They agreed, but said that the eight-speeder lets them peg the top ratio very high for better fuel economy.

The 760's cabin shows a move away from the austerity of recent big BMWs. A welcome move, we'd say. The headliner is Alcantara and leather, and the switchgear can be had with black ceramic touch-points. The wood trims are less plastic-like, and the graphics of the TFT panel behind the main dials are superbly resolved.

At the rear, the two outer seats recline and tilt, and each passenger gets his own screen, audio, and three-way climate control with separate rear A/C compressor. So long as the suspension is set to normal, it's close to benchmark refinement. Maybe a Benz S-Class is nicer: You'd need to go back to back to tell. Anyway, you could get seriously dug in here.

And that's the right use for the 760. It's not a driver's car. But oddly it comes with a load of technology that implies it wants to be. Treat it as the Ultimate Riding Machine.


2010 BMW 760Li review and photos - 2010 BMW 7 Series first drive - Motor Trend


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