Test Drive: BMW 750i xDrive sets the standard for luxury

"Daddy, do we HAVE to give this car back," my 9-year-old son pleaded this week as he sank into the soft, leather back seat of a 2016 BMW 750i (with Car Dvd Player) xDrive. "Yes, son," I said. "BMW will want its car back on Tuesday." Alas, our Chattanooga family is not in the market for a six-figure limousine, but pretending to be a 1-percenter for a week in the BMW 750i xDrive was an exhilarating, if brief, taste of the good life. To do battle with the ultra-successful Mercedes S-Class sedan, BMW has given its flagship 750i sedan a complete make-over for the 2016 model year, including an infusion of high-tech gadgetry, performance enhancements and classy new styling. The result makes you want to cash-in a few municipal bonds, or, in my case, to rush out and buy a Powerball ticket. BMW, which bills itself as the maker of "ultimate driving machines," has traditionally built 7-Series sedans more for performance than opulence, but the 2016 is jam-packed with luxury goods. Frankly, some luxury sedan amenities these days seem designed mainly for cocktail party chatter. The S-Class, for instance, has an aromatherapy option that fills the cabin with minty vapors. Not to be outdone, the 750i has a "gesture control" feature that lets you wave off an incoming phone call with a flick of your hand as if you were dismissing a butler. You can also spin your finger clockwise in the air to turn up the stereo volume. There's something wonderfully aristocratic about all this. But underneath the spa-like comforts of the 750i is the pedigree of an Audubon-ready super-car featuring a silky eight-cylinder twin-turbocharged engine, an adjustable air suspension and BMW's excellent xDrive all-wheel-drive set-up. Generous use of carbon-fiber parts throughout the 750i reduces weight and makes handling a bit more nimble. What about install an Android Car Gps? The 750i xDrive has a base price of $97,400, but you probably won't want to stop there. Our Arctic Gray Metallic tester packs on about $33,000 in options. For context, average transaction price for all new vehicles sold in America last year was about $33,000. Inside, the 750i is furnished like a private jet with perforated Ivory leather seat covers, chestnut wood trim and galvanized metal switchgear. A Panoramic Sky Lounge LED roof option ($900) features ambient multicolor LEDs illuminating over 15,000 engravings in the panoramic glass, BMW says. A $3,200 executive group packages side-window shades, ventilated front seats that also massage your back and ceramic controls. Rear executive lounge seating ($5,750) adds limousine flourishes to coddle up to two back-seat occupants. A center console opens up to reveal a fold-out tray table that serves as a perfect laptop computer stand. Meanwhile, there are touchpads everywhere: two 10-inches screens mounted to the front seat-backs are perfect for watching movies and a Samsung pad computer in the rear console controls stereo and climate settings. If installing an Android Car Stereo in your car, that would be great!