This week I was testing a 2024 BMW 750x xDrive plug-in hybrid, and honestly, I can’t fully process the experience.
Let’s just say this isn’t the 7-Series I grew up with.
Oh sure, it’s still luxurious. It’s still a large, expensive flagship with both a base and as-tested price in the six figures. And it’s still recognizably a Bimmer, inside and out.
But, as you’ll see in this mini-review, it’s an oddball to live with.
Pros
- The amount of rear-seat space is limousine-like. I wish I could’ve hired a driver while I had the keys to this car in my possession.
- As you might expect, the ride is silky smooth.
- The seats are all-day comfortable.
- If you like to be coddled by automation and gadgetry, this is the car for you. Cinch your seatbelt and the seat slides forward into your preferred driving position. The doors are power-assisted. If you equate wealth with “I let the machine do a small part of the work”, this is the car for you.
- The screens in the rear-door armrest are a nice touch.
- The transitions from gas to electric are pretty smooth.
- Matte paint looks good on this car.
Cons
- BMW has gone a bit too far with the big, angry twin-kidney-bean grille. It’s just too much.
- This car is massive. Big enough to make parking in the city nerve-wracking, especially considering the matte paint job.
- I don’t often say a powertrain that has 308 horsepower and 331 lb-ft of torque is underpowered, but the hybrid powertrain (which uses a 3.0-liter turbocharged inline-six) needs a tad more oomph given the over 5,000-lb curb weight. At least it’s silky-smooth.
- I never got used to the power doors. This could be a “me” problem — I like to plant my foot on the brake pedal to assist with exiting, and doing so here makes the car think you want to close the door.
There’s a lot of luxury to like here — it’s quiet, smooth, and spacious. I could even learn to live with the way-too-blocky styling, I suppose. I also don’t mind the power assistance when it comes to comfort, and the things that annoyed me would be easy enough to adjust to in time.
Still, it wasn’t that long ago that flagship luxury sedans — the 7-Series, the Mercedes-Benz S-Class, the Lexus LS — managed the contradiction of being both understated and flashy at the same time. This one goes for bold, and I am not sure it works.
That rear seat sure is nice, though.
[Images © 2024 Tim Healey/TTAC.com]
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