By: IOL Motoring Staff
Munich, Germany - BMW has never built an M7, preferring to focus on effortless smoothness rather than sledgehammer performance for its luxury flagship.
This one, however, comes remarkably close. It's the Top Gun of the new 7 Series range, the 760Li xDrive. The 'L' tells you it's built on the stretched 7 Series platform, so it has all the luxury features of its lesser siblings - and then some - while the xDrive suffix denotes all-wheel drive, rear-wheel steering and a level of agility at odds with its plutocratic persona.
New BMW 7 Series luxury liner docks in SA
But what's not so clearly spelled out is what's up the sharp end - an all-new 6.6-litre V12 with Twinpower turbo induction that's rated for 441kW at 5500 revs and a tar-wrinkling 800Nm just off idle at 1500rpm.
That's fed through an eight-speed Steptronic auto transmission, specially tuned for close-to-the-red-line upshifts and no-hesitation downshifts, and a strongly rear-biased all-wheel drive, to take this two-and-a-half-ton luxury liner from standstill to 100km/h in 3.9 seconds, and on to an electronically limited 250km/h - or 305 if you've specified the optional M Driver's Package.
The standard-issue Executive Drive Pro suspension has active roll stabilisation to minimise body movement, while negative acceleration is entrusted to 480mm ventilated discs and M Sport callipers finished in metallic blue with M badging, set behind 20 inch M Sport rims in dark metallic grey shod with low-profile 245/40 front and 275/35 rear performance tyres.
SHE'S GOT THE LOOK
All the 760Li's brightwork is finished in dark satin chrome, including subtle trim elements on the front splitter, side skirts door handles, air intakes and side mirror housings, with 'V12', 'M' and 'xDrive' badges in matching finish in appropriate places.
There's more M Performance trim inside, starting with an M leather steering wheel carrying pearlescent chrome multifunction buttons and shift paddles, M pedals and drivers footrest, illuminated 'V12'-badged sill plates and a special speedometer dial with a '760Li' logo that reads to 330km/h.
The solid trim is all in fine-grained black wood veneer and high-gloss metal, while all the soft surfaces are finished with fine nappa leather.
DISCRETION IS…
Also available, at no extra cost, is the less overtly muscular 760Li xDrive V12 Excellence trim, which foregoes the aero kit in favour of bright chrome exterior metalwork, no external badging other than a discreet 'V12' on the boot lid, and highly polished 'W'-spoked 20 inch Individual 646 rims.
The BMW 760Li xDrive V12 will be released in South Africa during the fourth quarter of 2016; pricing will be announced closer to the time.