The car for the driven

By DAVID LINKLATER

When eight is simply not enough, there is the BMW 760Li. The new flagship of the 7-series range, due in New Zealand next month, boasts an extra four cylinders over the 745ia V8, 140mm extra in the wheelbase and the greatest number of individual seat-adjustment functions of any luxury car on the New Zealand market.

Price? The car will be available, to specific order only, for $300,000, $91,100 more than its "smaller" 745ia sibling. BMW New Zealand expects to sell 10 to 15 760Li models each year.

The technology highlight from BMW in recent times has been the Valvetronic intake system, which replaces the throttle butterfly by fully variable intake-valve opening times controlling both the duration and degree of valve motion.

Valvetronic was introduced in September 2001 in the Compact. Then, apparently adhering to the "trickle up" theory, BMW introduced it on the four-cylinder 3-series and V8-powered 7-series.

Now, Valvetronic also features in the all-new 6.0-litre V12 that powers the 760Li. The system is combined with direct petrol injection - a first for BMW and a world-first for V12 engines - to enable the powerplant to meet the latest EU4 (Europe) and LEV (America) emissions standards.

Valvetronic is integrated with BMW's Vanos variable valve timing control. The V12 employs no fewer than four Vanos adjusters - one for each of the four camshafts.

The V12 generates 327kW/600Nm and propels the car to 100km/h in 5.6 seconds. As with the 745ia, a six-speed automatic gearbox is standard. At 160km/h in top gear, the engine is turning over at just 2500rpm.

Dynamic Drive, which remains an option on the 745ia, is standard on the 760Li. The electronic cornering aid applies carefully calculated counter-forces to front and rear anti-roll bars to minimise body roll.

The lithe limo rides on 19-inch alloy rims in 9in (front) and 10in (rear) widths. Tyre sizes are 245/45 front and 275/40 rear.

Will the 760Li buyer be all that worried about the car's performance and dynamic prowess? In New Zealand, yes, where owners are much more likely to drive themselves. Less so in Europe, where the reward for driven business people is to be ... driven.

All four doors feature the soft-close function, which eliminates the need to pull the doors shut. Instead, once the door is within range of the mechanism, a geared electric motor gently latches it shut.

The "full leather club" treatment for the 760Li's interior features generous application of soft leather, including the entire interior surface of the doors.

The individual rear seats offer virtually unlimited adjustment and a memory function via armrest-mounted controls. For privacy, there are electrically operated sunblinds on the rear-side windows, quarterlights and rear window.

Rear passengers have their own individual air-conditioning controls along with a cool box for drinks and food. Both will operate for up to 15 minutes after the engine has been switched off.

As with the short-wheelbase 7-series, the dashboard houses a monitor that's connected to the iDrive controller.

But the 760Li also features a second screen in the rear compartment that's visible to both occupants. It's operated by a rear-seat controller similar to the iDrive unit up front.

For all its opulence, the 760Li styling package is subtle.

If you don't spot the extra length in the rear doors, there's a small V12 logo on the front wheel arches, a different chrome trim on the kidney grille, chrome highlights on the bumpers and roof channels, and door mirrors/B-pillars finished in high-gloss black.

So, what's it to be - a 760Li or a 745ia/325i SE twin-set with some change? Perhaps that's a choice that prospective buyers don't have to make.