Months in Fleet: Nine
Miles to Date: 31,967
Our 2009 BMW 750Li is back in Ann Arbor and racking up miles at a more typical pace again. In the last month we're driven the big Bimmer 4552 miles, which brings the grand total just shy of 32,000 miles. In nine months.
New York bureau chief Jamie Kitman mourns the fact that we've taken the 7-series back to Ann Arbor for its last few months in our fleet: "While I don't usually crave heavy $103,000 sedans, now that the 750li has left us here out on the East Coast, I have to say I miss it. My wife misses it even more." What makes the 750Li so appealing to Kitman, and the rest of our staff, is the way the 7-series presents a plethora of safety features, advanced electronics, and lots of comfort, but also performs well as a driver's car. "Despite its imposing girth, the 750 can still be hustled down winding roads, especially the Parkways of New York and Connecticut, at substantial speed, with little effort on the driver's part and little awareness on the part of typically law-abiding, and nervous family members," remarked Kitman.
Assistant editor David Zenlea recently selected the 750Li as his transportation for a wedding in Boston (this car seems to always be the first choice for staffers heading to weddings) and generally loved the experience. His only complaint? "The nav system is just decent. It wanted me to turn into a median a few times and almost misdirected me to a bad part of South Boston." Despite the navigation system's shortcomings, Zenlea still dubs the big BMW "extraordinary" on the open road.
Road test coordinator Mike Ofiara recently equipped the car with Dunlop SP Winter Sport M3 tires in the stock 245/50R-18 size. We haven't yet sampled the grip of these winter tires in fresh snow, but we look forward to fresh snowfall and perhaps an empty parking lot to remind us how much fun it is to drift this massive sedan. Ofiara also asked a BMW service technician about the intermittent oil light we've experienced. Apparently there is nothing wrong with the sensor and our car isn't leaking oil -- the engine apparently consumes a bit of oil every few thousand miles.
Luckily, we've got a set of all-season floor mats to protect the delicate oyster carpeting that adorns our BMW. A winter of salt, dirt, and grime would certainly be more than the factory carpeted mats could stand. Be sure to check back next month to find out what sort of adventures we take the 2009 BMW 750Li on over the holidays and find out how well the new Dunlop SP Winter Sport M3 tires perform on snowy and icy roads. ...next page >>