I tend to shy away from the 7 series (with exception of the Alpina B7, from which I am regularly shooed), partly because I’m intimidated by big sedans. And also partly because they don’t look fast.
Except the Alpina, which looks Very Fast. And I’m kind of about looks – I know…I’m working on it.
The BMW 7series are unquestionably handsome; and having been conveyed most luxuriously as a passenger, I can also attest to the sumptuousness of travel. But as a driver I seek a different kind of adventure.
As I was being shooed from the Alpina, and halfway in a snit, I was snit-errupted by the beautiful ivory interior of a nearby 750Li.
So I drove that home. Then downtown. Then I took the long way back to the dealership.
The Standard Equipment list is long; extra’s include active ventilated front seats, heated front & rear seats, sunshades and most importantly, on this cold night, a heated steering wheel.
The massage feature was a great thing on the longer road trip to which I was inspired. I wasn’t feeling beat-up and raggedy and that was so wonderful I barely had time to be impressed that I repeatedly checked my safety belt to ensure that I had it on. I hate wearing seatbelts, they cut and tug and make my life generally miserable. I don’t know what the engineering is, but I’d like to see more of it.
And what I imagined about the acceleration and handling was dead wrong, it doesn’t feel big or sluggish or have crazy body roll – and people are interested. Parked at a fundraiser featuring the Loudoun Symphony, the car drew passersby murmuring approval.
Ultimately driving the 750Li is immensely satisfying, and I got to feel like what I imagine a big man with a cigar feels.
“Come in here, dear boy, have a cigar. You’re gonna go far, you’re gonna fly high,
You’re never gonna die, you’re gonna make it if you try; they’re gonna love you.” – Pink Floyd
