BMW has launched a new version of its flagship 7-Series saloon and it's the most powerful production car the company has ever made.
Called the M760Li xDrive, the luxury saloon is powered by a turbocharged 6.6-litre 12-cylinder engine that produces 602bhp and 590lb-ft of torque – 10bhp and 74lb-ft more than the firm's hardcore M5 Competition saloon.
Power is sent to the xDrive all-wheel drive system via an eight-speed Steptronic sports gearbox. The transmission has been fettled by M Performance to offer faster gearshifts tailored for the V12 engine.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.
Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.
Latest Videos FromThe Week
The bodywork has been revised to provide better cooling, including larger air intakes on the front bumper to direct cold air towards the brakes. There are also M and V12 badges located on the C-pillars and boot lid, as well as light M Performance 20ins alloy wheels.
An exclusive M-badged steering wheel comes as standard, as do illuminated V12 logos on the doorsill plates that give a sportier look to the interior. The instrument cluster is model specific, with the M-branded speedometer now reading a maximum speed of 205mph.
The German car giant has packed the high-performance 7-Series with technology, including a touchscreen display powered by its iDrive system that can be controlled using gestures. Drivers can use hand gestures to change radio stations and accept phone calls without touching a button.
"Curiously it lacks any identifiers to remind you that you’ve spent £132,230 on an M Performance BMW", says Evo, adding that a set of sports seats "wouldn't go amiss" and there's a bit too much chrome effect plastics in the cabin.
It may be the firm's most powerful production car, but buyers will be disappointed if they expect a "snarling V12", the magazine continues. Nevertheless, it's "almost silent and effortless" as the eight-speed gearbox glides through the ratios with "little intrusion".
Top Gear says the luxury saloon is "a 7-Series first and an M car second".
The power from the Rolls-Royce derived engine is "colossal", the site adds, but it is so quiet "you could almost be driving a Tesla". The engine doesn't "bark into life" or "rumble on the overrun" like an AMG V8, neither.
The all-wheel drive system, brilliantly set up by BMW's engineers, "does its usual good work" and while the xDrive may be a heavy car, it feels "well balanced and capable when you pick up the pace".
Prices for the M760Li xDrive start at £132,230, says Evo, making it around £68,000 more than a regular 7-Series and an extra £63,000 over the mid-level iPerformance.
