First Drive: 2009 BMW 750Li
When the 2009 BMW 7 series was unveiled at the Paris Motor Show last fall, BMW's fifth-generation flagship had an anvil-sized burden to bear. Although the last 7 series was a milestone in the sales department, its design – which foisted Chris Bangle's influence onto an unsuspecting public – was all but universally panned when it was introduced in 2001. And if the exterior wasn't offensive enough (to some), BMW's newly-implemented iDrive system sent many reviewers and owners into unmitigated bouts of rage.
For 2009, BMW has sought to address the fourth generation's foibles while capitalizing on its strengths. And while nothing is more subjective than styling, control interfaces have a huge impact on the overall experience. Find out if BMW has succeeded on both fronts after the break.
Looking over three decades of the 7 series, it's painfully clear that the last generation was an outlier stylistically. The 2009 model appears as if it had directly evolved from the third-generation E38, but it's thoroughly up-to-date and instantly recognizable as a modern BMW. The design team, led by Adrian Van Hooydonk, created a large car that looks deceptively small, so much so that the 750 could almost pass as one of its smaller siblings without another vehicle around to serve as a point of reference.
Read more: autoblog
When the 2009 BMW 7 series was unveiled at the Paris Motor Show last fall, BMW's fifth-generation flagship had an anvil-sized burden to bear. Although the last 7 series was a milestone in the sales department, its design – which foisted Chris Bangle's influence onto an unsuspecting public – was all but universally panned when it was introduced in 2001. And if the exterior wasn't offensive enough (to some), BMW's newly-implemented iDrive system sent many reviewers and owners into unmitigated bouts of rage.
For 2009, BMW has sought to address the fourth generation's foibles while capitalizing on its strengths. And while nothing is more subjective than styling, control interfaces have a huge impact on the overall experience. Find out if BMW has succeeded on both fronts after the break.
Looking over three decades of the 7 series, it's painfully clear that the last generation was an outlier stylistically. The 2009 model appears as if it had directly evolved from the third-generation E38, but it's thoroughly up-to-date and instantly recognizable as a modern BMW. The design team, led by Adrian Van Hooydonk, created a large car that looks deceptively small, so much so that the 750 could almost pass as one of its smaller siblings without another vehicle around to serve as a point of reference.
Read more: autoblog
