Gadgetory

a 7-series hybrid like jumbo shrimp and military intelligence it seems a concept that pulls at opposite poles let's try to make the case for the 2011 BMW 750i active hybrid I tell you I don't know what to make of the six-figure hybrid luck so today like the hybrid s-class hybrid Lexus LS or the new Panamera Hybrid isn't it just a lot of fashion worse apologize 'm not to be sure all these big battery cars emphasize performance without penalty not absolute green inside this car you got the usual BMW 7 layout with several cues that tell you this guy's a hybrid it still having a hard time getting used to that but let's get to it first of all I've got the split screen setup with my hybrid layout on the right you don't have to have that up there but it's an interesting reminder that this car has got the electronics the battery the regeneration the electric boost all going and it's a very simple graphic unlike a lot of the Japanese cars that kill you with a master's in electrical engineering when they show you the hybrid layout we know our sources we've got CD we've got an aux Jack that standard I do have an optional USB ipod deal over here you got to pay more for that okay this is interesting some new stuff here under BMW Assist which is their kind of their OnStar of sorts there's something I want to show you got a concierge service you can calm you got roadside assistance but this is something new here's BMW search when you dig into that you get some internet services you've got a built in cellular radio in the car once you get into it you've got this home screen you've got a bunch of business quotes on the top they know who the 7-series buyer is news will let you get some very simple news headlines but not to read them because that's a little dangerous it lets you have them read to you kind of like a really shabby podcast but the most interesting tool here is the first one business search this is getting into the future how navigation systems and communication are gonna work I can look up whatever I'm interested in and once you find what you're looking for this is a really quick way to get there click once click again for start guidance and off I go to get a cool refreshing drink one choice in the transmission 8-speed automatic we've seen this guy before sport mode is over here but there's another sport mode that's his dynamic drive control stuff here and that's where you've got four modes you've got a comfort mode here where everything's kind of lackadaisical easy throttle response soft suspension you move to normal and well things are more normal then you go to sport where you've got the choice to configure this does it sporty up the chassis the drivetrain the driver and the chassis and finally Sport Plus is the most aggressive set of settings and there's nothing to configure there it takes everything to its most taut holds rpms the hardest gives you the most response on the throttle tightens up the dynamic suspension the most the head-up display is standard on the hybrid 7 and it's the best in the business to the point that it seems only BMW takes this technology seriously today this is also one of the first BMWs to support the new integration of Twitter Facebook and web radio stations in I Drive it uses apple's ipod out technology but the look is still very much i drive not ios as we saw during its debut at the Geneva Auto Show you need to have an iPhone of course and the smart phone cradle for it for the whole system to work the only way that you pay for the joy of ownership you also pay in the rear end it's not yours no kind of both there's the problem that's the active hybrid power unit that little carpet is known sits there as long as you own the car that's the electronics box for this hybrid unfortunately it's kind of big and it sticks into what's already an included trunk space now we're a 7 hybrid have to earn its keep is here in the engine room we start off with a 4.4 liter v8 direct injection double vanos variable valve Bob Loblaw that's kind of standard BMW stuff right now including the direct injection technology then your RAM the electric assist into that and things get really interesting 455 horsepower 515 foot-pounds of torque like that number zero to 64 this forty eight hundred pound sob is 4.7 seconds that's almost an act of God 17:26 is the mpg not actly studying but again this car is not going after the Prius oh by the way while we're here proof that the Germans never got over losing that war they've installed these brain hook to kill you when you're working on it they even put a little funny label here saying don't lift your head up you might get a link you might see part of your brain hanging here dripping blood departure that again works by spotting lane lines reading how the car is driving and giving you a rational purchase let's compare the here's the dirty little secret about BMWs 7a 7 hybrid delivers 17 26 mpg and the zero to 60 and 4.7 for a base price of around 102 3a 740i delivers almost identical 1725 mpg 0 to 60 in 5.8 while basing at 70 thousand six almost 32 grand less now equipment does vary between them but neither is slumming it so the 7 hybrid is 1.1 seconds faster at a cost of nearly 29 hundred dollars per tenth I'd get the 740 I'd hardly missed the 1.1 seconds in a sprint and even after loading up a few extra options for parity I'd have around 20 grand left to go buy some carbon credits or something okay let's price for 2011 BMW ActiveHybrid 750 I good one base price is 103 with delivery so when you do that calculation will you figure out how many years it will take to earn back the hybrid premium based on fuel savings the number on this car is like 74 years so let's ignore that you buy it for other reasons it's a speedy big guy the major options you're going to want are the driver assistance package 1350 for the lane departure warning and also the Blind Spot Assist technologies the HUD is built-in the head-up display that come to the car standard most everything else does as well but 400 more for the iPod USB jacks it's an insult I know but you're gonna want to do it 2200 gets you the rear seat entertainment system not really interesting to me but some folks still like that sort of thing at least the screens are really wide you're going to pay 2600 for the night vision with pedestrian detection again I'm not sold on that either and the deal of them all is that multi-camera package for 350 that's like Tata Nano pricing ie don't get that