The biggest jaw-dropper about BMW's gorgeous hybrid 7-series sedan is its 2.0L I-4 turbocharged engine producing 255 horsepower which, on paper, sounds tepid. But when this dinky engine's mated to the electric motor, the horsepower's bumped up to 322 horsepower and 369 pound-feet of torque, rocketing its driver from 0-60 in about 5 seconds. It's possible to forget you're driving a hybrid at all; there's zero nerd flavor, and the feeling when driving is exactly as it should be; a big, powerful, beautiful $90,700 (starting price) sedan, man.
The other not-so-jaw-dropping but nonetheless impressive development is that BMW messed with the 7 at all, seeing as how it's their flagship vehicle, loved and praised by many in this, its 6th year. But the future of automobiles belongs to electricity, as all who follow such developments know, so it's a smart move on BMW's part to build a such a stylish hybrid.
You'll plug in to charge the on-board battery, allowing you approximately 22 miles of all-electric driving at up to 75 mph. 22 pure-electric miles isn't a trip to the moon and back, but it bests some other vehicles of this type. (Some.) Total mileage is tricky unless you pay close attention as some love to do; press materials say your base mileage is around 27 miles per gallon, but when combined with the electric motor, it's possible to wring a healthy 64 MPG out of the car.
Your throttle, suspension, steering and transmission can be set in three modes, Comfort Plus, Comfort and Sport. Use Sport and you're in the sweet zone, rocketing from green lights, when needing to pass, and in every other situation where some oomph is needed. On all models, a complex system called Active Comfort Drive with Road Preview adds anticipatory functions to the active chassis with air suspension, while the Integral Active Steering (variable-ratio rear-wheel steering) now comes with all-wheel drive. Whether you understand the system or not doesn't matter; it's taken care of for you.
Standard luxury features such as four-zone automatic climate control, panoramic sunroof, high-gloss wood trim, heated 12-way power seats, voice-activated navigation system on a 10.3-inch color touchscreen, gesture control, wireless cellphone charging, power trunk lid, HD radio and BMW Assist emergency and information communications all come with. We didn't bother with the gesture control; we found it a gimmick years ago and it takes just as much time to twirl a finger this or that way to adjust the sound via a knob. It'll impress your pals, though.
Carbon fiber is used extensively throughout, lightening its total weight and helping with the mileage. The vehicle is suprisingly light on its feet, especially for a full-sized sedan, handling both dry highways and snow-covered mountainous roads with equal aplomb. Seats are BMW-plush and comfortable, and visibility is excellent. The head-up display has some of the most pleasing graphics and keep-it-simple-stupid controls.
Our test of the week's press loan took us up the windy Rocky Mountains to the Ameristar Black Hawk Hotel and Casino.
Located 40 miles west of Denver, they feature a 71,500 square-foot casino, 536 well-appointed rooms (ours had a fireplace) a fitness center, five dining and entertainment venues, a full-service luxury Spa where we had the spine expertly pounded, a 15,000 square-feet of meeting and event space and the largest parking garage in the market. Bar 8042, located smack in the center of the action, is a great place to mingle, have a drink or just sit there relaxing; there's no pressure.
Whether or not you gamble – we don't - it was a pleasure to lounge by the property's enormous pool on a Saturday night writing up our impressions of the car, wander through the blackjack tables and one-armed bandits, unwind at the spa and people-watch; it is probably the sanest casino you'll ever pull an arm at. It's boisterous, naturally, but it doesn't have any of those dark-eyed souls staring blankly at the slots for 12 hours at a time and the vibe is chill, chill, chill. The hotel also doesn't nickel and dime you for parking or anything else, which was a pleasant change from some casinos we've lodged at overnight. Above all, it is a place worthy of your 740e xDrive.
