By Tom Crosby
AAA Carolinas

America has long had a love affair with the automobile and the BMW 750Li is one of those sedans that is a pleasure to get to know, sort of like newlyweds getting acquainted. Space, comfort, power, good looks, decent gas mileage – it’s all wrapped in a single, attractive package. Slightly bigger than the 750i and slightly less powerful than the 760i with its V-12, 438 horsepower engine, the 750Li cannot be understood without ample time behind the wheel. (The 760i was discontinued for 2007.)

The i-drive, BMW’s answer to consolidating vehicle functions, has several thousand pieces of information. It controls eight various attributes, each with multiple choices of their own, like entertainment, climate, vehicle settings, voice-aided navigation, etc.

Like spouses finding out little things to bind their love, the 750Li’s nuances emerge with usage and once familiar with the information, there is genuine pleasure in the results. None of the four doors will close on your foot, even when the car is at an angle; adaptive cruise control, which keeps you a measured distance from the vehicle in front, can be adjusted in one mph or five mph increments; the radio remains on until the car is locked, even with the engine off; and ergonomic buttons need to be pushed and a dial turned to electronically perfect the adjustment of front seats.

It’s easy to fall in love with the features, such as the 20 or so test-drive add-ons that came with premium sound, convenience, sport, comfort and luxury seating option packages that pushed our final price to nearly $94,000. But the passion comes with on-road performance, such as hugging mountain curves easily with no lean on 20-inch performance tires, accelerating quickly and smoothly, stopping briskly with oversize ventilated disc brakes and absorbing rough surfaces with minimal reaction inside the vehicle.

The adjustable sport suspension isn’t as soft as some luxury cars but the trade-off appears in the handling. The 750Li extends an extra 5.5 inches and provides a spacious back seat that could serve as a luxury limousine for lengthy NBA players. This year BMW, like married couples, is changing its name with i-drive becoming BMW Individual with more customization for owner tastes. First timers will struggle with i-drive functions, which can be distracting and frustrating until the turns, button pushes, etc., are mastered – sort of like putting the cap on the toothpaste. Knowledge is power and BMW has 11 self-help booklets to help learn all the things to love about the 750Li.