BMW's hybrid 7-series is an odd duck; its hybrid system gives it a huge power boost and better fuel economy than its siblings. But the driving character can be odd due to the idle stop feature of the engine. It works fine at long lights, but is annoying in stop-and-go traffic.
Wayne Cunningham
Wayne Cunningham reviews cars and writes about automotive technology for CNET's Roadshow. Prior to the automotive beat, he covered spyware, Web building technologies, and computer hardware. He began covering technology and the Web in 1994 as an editor of The Net magazine.
Engineering the 7-series hybrid, BMW found ways to drastically increase the overall power, compared to the 750i, which uses the same gasoline engine. At the same time, this 7 gets the best fuel economy among its 7-series siblings.
The sedan uses a comfortable, modern design. While attractive, it is no head-turner. Specific BMW cues includes the kidney grille and the Hoffmeister kink on the rear side windows.
The engine is a twin turbo direct-injection 4.4-liter V-8. With its hybrid system, made up of a lithium ion battery pack and electric motor, total power output is 455 horsepower and 515 pound-feet of torque.
As an executive sedan, the ActiveHybrid 7 is as comfortable in the front as it is in the back. There is plenty of legroom, and the seats are well-cushioned.
The ActiveHybrid 7 comes with an active suspension, featuring sport, normal, and comfort modes. The car can be made to handle even better with optional active roll stabilization.
Trunk space is impinged by the lithium ion battery pack, which is oddly packaged. Other automakers tend to integrate battery packs into the trunk walls, but BMW just leaves the big, cubic pack sitting out.
The cabin is not plushly luxurious, although it does feature quality leather and wood materials. BMW tends to keep the cabin appointments simple, emphasizing the driver aspect.
The steering wheel hosts well-thought-out controls on its spokes. BMW has also improved its voice command system, which now allows selection of individual artists, songs, and albums.
The shifter controls an eight-speed automatic transmission, which helps this car get highway fuel economy of 26 mpg. A rocker switch to the left of the shifter sets the suspension to comfort or sport modes.
