Test Drive II: BMW 750iL

I'm not going to say much about the process this time. All that need be spoken about is the car.

But first...

I can understand why the sales guy wanted to stress the fact that the 750 would NOT be like the A8L. I'm sure he sees tons of people who are disappointed by the difference in feeling between the 750, the Mercedes S Class and the Audi A8. I notice that a lot of people don't really know what a BMW is supposed to be purchased for. So let me attempt to clue them in by saying that a BMW is meant to be DRIVEN! Yes, boys and girls, BMWs are for people who like to the thrill of driving. People who speed up in the twisties. People who drive fast and relish every bump in the road as an expression of their connectedness with the road.

These are the type of people BMWs are designed for. There is a reason that they call themselves the ultimate DRIVING machines. If you don't like the way the road feels, buy a Benz or an A8 or even, God forbid, a nouveau riche Lexus. BMW is not for you.

Now that I've said that...

I have to start by saying that it is a miracle of modern automotive engineering that a $90,000+ (2007 dollars) automobile can feel like a $30,000 auto (1999 dollars). I don't mean that disparagingly at all. It was a natural experience to get behind the wheel of the 750iL. Just as my 2000 Honda Accord allows me to feel the road (more than it should), the BMW really put me in touch with the driving experience and road feel (exactly as it should). It was a just a bigger vehicle to maneuver!

Let's get iDrive out of the way. It sucked ass -- totally. The A8L's controls were much more intuitive and easier to use. Whomever thought up iDrive should be executed like Buddhist monk in Myanmar. I can see some poor bastard dying in a horrible crash trying to change radio stations in any BMW with iDrive.

Anyway, the model I drove was snow white, with the most comfortable leather seats I've had the pleasure of sitting in in a while. Just a beautiful machine. While the car is big and heavy, it is not unwieldy. It sure looks like it could be, but the handling was superb. While taking it through some of the back roads of Montgomery County, MD, hitting some fairly tight turns at speeds that would turn my Honda into roadkill, the car was just taut and eminently controllable. Again, more modern engineering at work - traction and stability control are beautiful things. I loved how the sales guy kept pushing me to give it more power in the turns and soon that heart pounding fear starts pushing the adrenaline throughout your system. This car can make you feel like Superman, or at least Michael Schumacher. :)

Unfortunately, I did not leave the dealership with one. My Accord has years of life left in it, and I plan to drive it into the ground. But if Mercedes continues to mutilate the S Class as they have done, once my Accord keels over, BMW might well get my business.