ShareThisIn luxury cars and competitive sports, the smallest thing can provide an advantage. It's especially true in a miniature universe of exceptional players.
The length of a cleat on a running back's shoe can spell the difference between victory and defeat. A slightly heavier or lighter club can improve a golfer's opportunity for a lower score.
In modern luxury cars, an exclusive feature can have the same effect, perhaps capturing a customer who might have gone elsewhere.
The universe of high-end performance/luxury cars is small, consisting of four makes that accounted for a total of 53,143 sales in 2008 - in a total U.S. market of 13.2 million cars and light trucks. They are the Lexus LS, Mercedes-Benz S, BMW 7 and Audi 8.
With the continuing economic recession, 2009 sales are expected to be way down from last year, perhaps as low as nine million. That makes the competition keener and the array of features more important. It's why cars in this class tend to get increasingly complicated, even as they strive to make things simpler and more user-friendly.
The 2009 BMW 750 is right on point. Although the base car is relatively straightforward, it has a mind-boggling array of options that do an amazing variety of functions, most of them useful. But some also are so intricate that they require detailed driver education.
On the BMW 750i and the stretched 750Li, they include active cruise control with stop-and-go capability, night vision with pedestrian detection, side view and backup cameras, lane-departure warning, active blind-spot detection and a head-up display.
Of those, the night vision is perhaps the most intriguing from a safety standpoint. Using infrared imaging and computer software, it can show a pedestrian in danger of being struck when the driver cannot see the pedestrian beyond the range of the car's headlights. A warning blinks on the display screen and the pedestrian is illuminated in yellow.
The system does not activate if the pedestrian is not in danger-say, on a sidewalk or walking along the side of the road. Because of the computer setup, it also does not warn of animals, such as a deer running across the road, but BMW's engineers say they are working on that as well.
Least important among the so-called driver assistance options is the blind spot warning system because it's a simple matter to adjust the outside mirrors to eliminate blind spots. However, the need may be there because most drivers do not know or care to learn how to properly adjust their mirrors.
BMW, of course, continues with its iDrive control for navigation, entertainment and other functions, but says it has been simplified and made more intuitive in operation.
One welcome new feature is the capability to program buttons for direct access to functions. They work just like radio pre-set buttons. One button can instantly select a favorite radio or satellite station, another can bring up an often-used destination in the navigation system, and yet another can dial a telephone number.
The 750, which is all-new for 2009, has more free-flowing contours, with a less prominent trunk-the so-called Bangle bustle, named for Chris Bangle of Wausau, Wisconsin, until recently BMW's chief designer. The taillights now extend upward to make the raised trunk less noticeable.
Power comes from a new 4.4-liter V8 engine, which uses twin turbochargers to deliver 400 horsepower to the rear wheels through a six-speed automatic transmission with a manual shift mode. The combination is potent enough to take the 750i to 60 miles an hour in 5.1 seconds, according to BMW test figures. The 750Li takes a tenth of a second longer. Top speed is governed at 150.
But the six-speed transmission gives up bragging rights to competitors that feature seven-speed and eight-speed automatics.
As with any BMW, handling and suspension system tuning is a strong suit. An optional sport package includes active four-wheel steering in which the rear wheels turn in the opposite direction from the front wheels below 38 miles an hour for better maneuverability, and turn in the same direction at higher speeds for quicker handling.
Part of the standard equipment is BMW's driving dynamics control, which allows the driver to choose among four shock absorber firmness settings. Surprisingly, even on the stiffest setting, sport plus, the 750 has a complaint and comfortable ride.
Inside, the understated luxury ambiance comes courtesy of soft leather, polished wood trim and even, should you want to spend an extra $650 simply for looks, a ceramic shift knob and iDrive control. The sun visors do not slide on their support rods to block sun from the side. But the black panel instruments are unusually legible.
The tested 750i had a base sticker price of $82,425, including a $1,300 gas-guzzler tax. With a load of options, it topped out at $97,420. The 750Li, which is five inches longer and has limousine-like rear-seat room, starts at $86,325. With the same options, it would come in at $101,320.
A more fuel-efficient hybrid is coming in 2010.
(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, http://www.scrippsnews.com)
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