28 Nov 02
Besides these developments this lightweight all-alloy V12 features valvetronic, which does away with the power-sapping throttle butterfly flap in the throat of the air intake (for which read better efficiency) and variable valve timing (ditto). In its way, this engine is a masterpiece, and it's a shame that it will be sampled by so few. It is attached to a ZF six-speed automatic transmission that is also shared with Jaguar. But while this 'box works supremely well in the Jaguar S-Type, we found that occasionally the BMW would turn jolty when shuffling between first and second, and that its drive-by-wire throttle could jerk when you replied it in slow-moving traffic. Disappointing - at this price, you shouldn't experience jolts and jerks of any kind.
And what if you choose to steer the 760 yourself? Well, you'll be impressed by the luxury, the power, the quiet and the quality, and frustrated by the flawed logic of the i-Drive system, which accesses control, if you're lucky, of sub-systems like the climate control, the stereo, navigation, the phone, traction control and damper setting. BMW proudly points out that when you select 'Sport' damper settings the car stays in that mode even after you have switched it off, in contrast to earlier 7 Series', but many will consider that this improvement does virtually nothing to address the challenge of mastering i-Drive in the first place. It is a troubling system, though familiarity slowly erodes your bafflement.
But few will master using i-Drive when piloting a 7 at speed. Given the V12's potency speed is something that it will be hard to resist, even on twisty roads, over which the big 760Li acquits itself pretty well. Leave the dynamic stability control on and it will have plenty to do through tight bends eagerly charged - so much, indeed, that we once went sideways even when it was on. Occasionally, no amount of electro-trickery is going to stop the slither of a two-tonne limo. Switch it off, and it's amazing how easily the tail will break away in the dry. Few drivers will use their 760s like this of course, but the good news is that, with the DSC on, it can be hustled with some zeal and driver satisfaction. But it is no BMW M5.
Nor is it a substitute for the patrician charms of a Bentley or Rolls Royce. Then again it doesn't cost anywhere near as much either, and for those in search of a sleeker, more modern kind of limo, it does the job. And as a contender for the title of best four-door car in the world, a claim laid by many a V12 saloon in the past? Well, it doesn't quite do it. The ride isn't pillowy enough, its control systems are too confusing and its engine doesn't sound special enough. But this is a better big BMW than there's been in the past.
