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Often I note to friends and colleagues how test driving a new car each week can be a bit like dating someone who is going to be leaving town at the end of seven days. Occasionally the chemistry never quite sparks and by week’s end, you politely bid adieu with a proverbial kiss on the cheek (both cheeks if...




Often I note to friends and colleagues how test driving a new car each week can be a bit like dating someone who is going to be leaving town at the end of seven days. Occasionally the chemistry never quite sparks and by week’s end, you politely bid adieu with a proverbial kiss on the cheek (both cheeks if it’s European). Other times you tell yourself you’re really going to miss this one.


Photo by James Gaffney/The Times-Picayune

And, on rare occasion, you find yourself prostrate on the floor of the parking garage, both arms wrapped in a bear hug around the proverbial ankles of your departing inamorata while wailing pathetically, “Don’t leave me!”



Or at least that how it feels.



Such was the case with the BMW 750Li. While I’ve long had a weakness for the German automaker’s fleet of fancies, the top-of-the-line 750Li, one of the world’s penultimate uber-luxury touring sedans, made me lose all sense of perspective the afternoon we parted ways.



My therapist had a field day with this one.



Techno-gewgaws

First and foremost, it should be noted how this limo-length road vivant is helping to return to civilization the lost gentlemanly arts. Or at least that was my conclusion upon discovering that this $100,000 motorcar boasts a “gentleman function,” so named for the driver’s-side controls that can adjust the front-passenger seat. Presumably this is for the gentilhomme moderne who wouldn’t dream of letting his companion labor over the seat buttons and sliders.



“More lumbar support? Please, allow me.”



Whether chivalrous, sexist or, in the words of one blogger, “a solution to a problem that didn’t exist,” this techno-gewgaw takes a backseat — literally — to the rear-seat power adjustments that can be used to control and adjust the position of not only the back seats but also the front passenger seat. Where was this function during my misspent youth when I was going on dates to the drive-in?

Photo by James Gaffney/The Times-Picayune

Truth is, technology such as this would have been lost on me during the Dumb Years. But what wasn’t lost on the back-seat passenger last Saturday, who had fallen asleep not once but twice during the two-hour drive, was the sheer comfort of the ride.



“Oh my goodness, I can’t believe I keep dowsing off,” she said. “This has to be without question the most comfortable cars I’ve ever been in.”



This was the consensus of every passenger in the BMW 750Li last weekend. Part of the reason is the carmarker’s superior suspension technology is coupled with a 4.4-liter, 32-valve engine that offers four driving modes: comfort, normal, sport and sport-plus. When set to comfort, the 750Li seems to literally float down the highway, due in no small part to its double-wishbone front and multi-link rear suspensions. During around-town driving you might not even know you’re in New Orleans because the suspension turns the city’s notorious road bumps, fissures and other asphalt irritations into what felt to this driver like — don’t laugh — loaves of bread.



Honestly, the only vehicle I’ve driven that bested the 750Li comfort-wise was a Rolls Royce.



Initially I thought the majestically smooth ride meant this five-passenger, four-door luxury sedan would be all comfort but little if any fun to drive. After all, what rational person expects a 4,600-pound luxury sedan to deliver a thrilling ride? But this was before I put the transmission into manual shift mode and sport-plus, and quickly discovered how this twin-turbo V8 can roast rubber and eat some serious blacktop. For a car of its lengthy wheelbase and weight to unleash 400 monstrous horses and enough b

Tags: Chrysler, is-featured

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POSH PIT: When it comes to sheer luxury, the 2010 BMW 750Li is where the action is was originally published by New Orleans Auto Reviews: Chrysler. Read the full story by clicking here.