2023 BMW 760i First Drive: A Busy Luxury Sedan With Super Bougie Features
I have the privilege of testing some of the fanciest cars on the market today. A couple of fancy cars that particularly stick out are the Mercedes-AMG EQS and the Genesis G90. Both of these cars have every feature you could need and carry prices equivalent to small houses for sale in the Midwest. But I have another car to add to my list of the fanciest set of wheels – the 2023 BMW 760i.
The 2023 BMW 760i is a large sedan that puts the “lux” in luxury
The 2023 760i is BMW’s flagship sedan, which means it’s a charcuterie board of the brand’s best features. Some of these features typically trickle down to lower models, but some stayed reserved for the higher-end ones. For example, the BMW 760i test car I have this week has a Bowers and Wilkins premium surround sound system, an Executive package with lounge seating, and a theater screen.
Yes, you read that right; this car is a rolling living room with more tech and entertainment than your actual living room. The front and rear seat areas are spacious and uber-comfortable. Soft-touch surfaces are everywhere, including the dash, door panels, and armrests, and most of the surfaces are heated. That includes the steering wheel, front and rear seats, and armrests.
My only gripe is that the seats are cloth, although BMW calls it Merino leather. Either way, it’s a weird, scratchy material to put in a car that retails for $162,000. Otherwise, the car is super opulent, and the best part is the back seat area.
The rear seat has ample room for the passengers, but the luckiest one sits on the right side. The passenger-side rear seat can be set to lounge mode, which lifts the passenger’s legs up. Pair this mode with the seat massagers and wide 31-inch theater screen that flips down from the headliner, and it’s clear the BMW 760i is meant to be driven in. But it’s also great to drive.
How does the BMW 760i drive?
The BMW 760i is not only excellent for the passengers, but it’s great if you like driving too. Under its massive hood is a twin-turbo 4.4-liter V8 engine that pumps out 536 hp and 553 lb-ft of torque. With that power, the 760i can get up to 60 mph from a stop in less than 5 seconds, but you won’t really care or feel it.
Yes, the BMW 760i is quick off the line and can beat many cars in a stoplight race, but the beauty isn’t the beast under the hood; it’s how smooth the car drives. The 760i comes standard with an air suspension that adapts to the road and lowers/lifts the car when needed. The suspension is ultra-smooth, and, combined with the soft and supportive seats, I feel like I’m floating on a cloud while driving.
There’s also rear-wheel steering for extra-sharp cornering and a mild-hybrid system to help the engine start and accelerate. That system utilizes a 48-volt motor attached to the eight-speed transmission, which produces 18 hp and 148 lb-ft of torque. It also helps with emissions and fuel economy, but don’t get too excited. I averaged about 19.5 mpg during my time with the car so far.
Is the BMW 760i worth its insane price?
It’s hard to say that any car is worth $162,000, but the 2023 BMW 760i very well could be worth every penny to the right buyer. Obviously, this car isn’t marketed to tech-savvy 20-year-olds, professional 30-year-olds, or even well-to-do 40 and 50-year-olds. Instead, the BMW 7 Series has always been meant to impress the 60 to 70-year-olds who have nothing but time to go through all of its gadgets and reap the rewards of bougie living on wheels.
The BMW 760i is one of the fanciest cars I have ever driven, but is it too fancy for its own good? Possibly. I’ll drive it more and report back accordingly – possibly from the rear executive seat of the car.
Check out the evolution of the BMW 7 series in the video below:
