‘Please don’t power-slide the limo’

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 06/12/2002 (8523 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

YOU know you’re in for a different kind of road test when the public relations mouthpiece starts off his presentation with the admonition to “please not power-slide the limousine.” He also categorically stated that “the chauffeur will not, under any circumstances, perform burnouts.” Needless to say, as soon as we scooted out of sight of BMW’s minders, the 760’s DSC Dynamic Stability Control electric nanny was flipped off and the big sedan’s 275/40R19 rear Michelins spent most of their time slewing sideways.

Welcome to the new world of stretch-wheelbase limos, where tire-shredding torque seems just as important as posterior-coddling leather. It’s a recent development, with the ’03 Mercedes-Benz S-Class firing the first salvo with its 500-horsepower twin-turboed S600. They’ve since followed with the outrageous Maybach and its 550-hp variant of the same engine.

Now it’s BMW’s turn. Forsaking the turbocharged route, BMW has revised its familiar V-12 with every bit of technology at its disposal, the newly minted engine featuring the Valvetronic variable valve timing system pioneered on its 745, and upping the ante with North America’s first direct-injection (DI) gasoline V-12 engine.

Unlike virtually every other automotive electronic fuel injection system, which pumps fuel into the intake manifold, the BMW’s DI system injects gas directly into the combustion chamber. The advantage is significant enough for experts to claim it’s why Audi’s R8s have won the 24 Hours of Le Mans three years running (though the company has never taken advantage of its leadership by implementing the technology on its North American production cars).

BMW says it’s good enough for the 6.0-litre V-12 to generate 438 horsepower and 444 pound-feet of torque, numbers enough to let BMW claim a zero-to-100 km-h time of 5.6 seconds, 0.6 ahead of the V-8-powered 745. It’s still not quite enough to compete with the 4.8 seconds that Mercedes claims for the S600, or even the 5.2 the company claims for the behemoth Maybach.

BMW’s twelve-banger may be smoother, however. While the Benz is a single cam, three-valve-per-cylinder design, the BMW doubles the numbers of cams and uses four valves in each combustion chamber. One couldn’t even remotely accuse either engine of anything so pedestrian as noise, vibration or harshness, but the BMW is even more adamant in banishing them. It’s aided by the slick-shifting six-speed automatic transmission that makes the entire drivetrain feel very sophisticated. That said, I wish the tranny’s manual-shifting options held the gears a little longer.

Of course, the argument must be made that stretches aren’t about tire-shredding performance — “Remember!!! No burnouts.” So it’s appropriate that I spent a significant amount of time luxuriating in the back seat, letting the chauffeur navigate South Beach’s congested one-way streets, though BMW’s take on luxurious comfort is a little more unyielding, but no less comfortable, than Mercedes’. The seats may be a bit firmer, as is the ride, but the 760 is genuinely Princess-and-the-Pea cosseting. Like the Maybach, the 760 too offers a fridge (though it’s optional, along with the rear air-conditioning controls) large enough for a couple of bottles of Evian. My observation that it couldn’t accommodate a six-pack fell on deaf, and largely uncomprehending, ears.

Rear leg room, as one would expect for an already large sedan, stretched some 140 millimetres (5.5 inches). This also allows the rear seats to be 14-way adjustable, their backs tilting far enough to allow a resting snooze.

iDrive also makes an appearance in the rear seat with a 165-mm LCD screen and the controversial computer system’s trademark rotary control knob. It’s part of the $8,100 Executive Package that includes a six-disc DVD changer, rear automatic climate control, and Active Cruise Control.

This last is triple-cool, being essentially a hyper-intelligent cruise control system. Using stalk-mounted controls (thank God, it too isn’t part of the iDrive system), you can set the distance from the car ahead as well as the maximum cruising speed desired. Activate the ACC and it will take control of the car’s speed, alternately braking or accelerating to maintain the desired distance between the 760 and the car ahead.

Of course, one doesn’t buy a BMW, of all cars, to let it drive itself. After all, the Munich-based company’s good name is based on making sedans that know no equal on a twisty road. And though the 760 isn’t quite up to the standard set by its smaller and lighter 745 sibling, it’s impressive nonetheless, possessed of both self-levelling rear air suspension and BMW’s Dynamic Drive active roll stabilization system that hydraulically manipulates the car’s sway bars to minimize roll during hard cornering. There’s also some electronically controlled dampers to ensure that the handling enhancements don’t come at the expense of a harsh ride.

BMW was determined to show off the 760’s abilities, hence the unusual venue of Homestead International Speedway as a backdrop for our testing. Initially, we tested the sedan with the smaller, optional 18-inch wheels and Bridgestone all-season radials. Designed for those wanting a little softer ride, they quickly turned greasy, with the tail hanging out in lurid slides (at least I used them as my excuse to the public-relations flacks). Switching to the standard 19-inch alloys and their grippier Michelin performance radials alleviated most of the problem, though with 444 lb.-ft. of torque underfoot, oversteer is never really very far away.

That said, the only reason someone seriously monied enough to afford the BMW’s $169,000 MSRP won’t buy the 760Li isn’t because it loses some spec-sheet horsepower war with Mercedes S600, but because the 745’s V-8 is such a superb performer. On the other hand, there’s not a smoother engine that I’ve tried than BMW’s new V-12. And to those with an extra $60,000 burning a hole in their pocket, even the most subtle of improvements is worth the equivalent of a nice Jaguar sedan.

–DIL Auto News Service