Powerful yet elegant BMW 750Li

[THE INVESTOR] German auto giant BMW invited the press on Friday to get behind the wheel of its flagship model 750Li xDrive on Jejudo, a resort island off the southern coast of South Korea, to mark its 100th anniversary.

The new gasoline model, which delivers maximum 450 horsepower with a 66.3 kilogram-meter torque, offered peppy acceleration, breaking the stereotype that the feel of a large sedan is slow and heavy. It offered comfort driving below 3,000 revolutions per minute.

The highlight of the new 750Li was its acceleration and braking performance on the winding and undulating roads on the island. On the narrow and sharply curving roads, the steering was accurate and flawless due to solid suspension and vehicle dynamic control. 

The new 750Li offered the most comfortable ride among the BMW lineup. The German automaker said it used all possible methods to improve the comfort of the new 7 series, featuring auto load-leveling rear air suspension, dynamic damper control adjusting attenuation according to road conditions and active roll stabilization to reduce body roll in the corners and electric anti roll bar.

The vehicle also offered good braking performance. There was a dizzy moment when the car in front slammed on the brakes suddenly. The sedan stopped smoothly as if the ground pulled the car.

The fuel economy of the big sedan still left something to be desired. Although the car drove at a speed of around 60 kilometers due to the narrow, winding roads, it got 5 kilometers per liter, even lower than its official fuel efficiency of 8.4 kilometers per liter.

Its iDrive system -- a computer system used to control most secondary vehicle systems -- offers easy and intuitive way to control entertainment, information, communication and navigation functions. The control element was developed according to modern biometric principles and can be operated with one hand. The four most frequently used functions -- CD, radio, telephone and navigation -- are assigned to buttons above the controller. 

The height and width of the control display are optimally positioned to suit the driver. All the information is displayed in the glare-free, high-resolution screen above the central console. The menu navigation follows the standard method used in computing and can thus be used intuitively.

By Shin Ji-hye/The Korea Herald (shinjh@heraldcorp.com)