This BMW Hybrid Boasts NASA-Worthy Tech

By Jeremy Taylor & Jessica Talbot-Ponsonby

1 day ago

BMW’s M760e is the ultimate executive machine packed with every conceivable extra, says our Motoring Editor

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BMW 7 Series M760e xDrive: motoring editor Jeremy Taylor and Jessica Talbot-Ponsonby drive one of the world’s most advanced luxury cars.

Long Term Test: BMW 7 Series M760e xDrive

January 2025

J-TP – I know size isn’t everything but how big is the keyfob for our 7 Series? You need a hand/man bag for ferrying that beauty around.

JT – Ah, you noticed. The key obviously mirrors the whopping dimensions of the 7 Series itself. The styling of this latest model harks back to boxy old-school BMWs, with one massive difference – the 2025 version is crammed with tech and lights up light a Christmas tree at night, quite sinister headlights!

Yes, technophobes beware. Look elsewhere if you are freaked out by a £120,180 car that offers three ways to shut the driver’s door – either a button on the outer edge of the dashboard, by pressing the brake pedal, or manually by hand.

It is pretty overwhelming – perhaps more so than the Mercedes EQS saloon we tested last month. For example, the BMW unlocks automatically if you approach with the key in your hand, with a button by the handle to swing the door open automatically, too.

Well, it should open. Except there are cameras to detect anything that might be in the way – which includes the driver, if you happen to be standing in the wrong place. The doors are annoying but at least the feature is only a £1,485 option! One to avoid perhaps, but the BMW does get much better.

It certainly does. The M760e hybrid shares the same luxurious interior as the all-electric i7, with a swathe of touch sensitive controls, first-class build quality and an elegant display of ambient lighting unlike any other car.

The cabin feels classier than the Mercedes EQS, with extra space and more comfortable seats. This is a flagship BMW designed for chauffeuring, so those in the back seat get even more pampering.

Our test car is loaded with just about everything you could expect in a limousine. That includes the optional executive pack – heated, cooled and electrically-adjustable massaging seats. A snip at £11,025!

And don’t forget the optional 31-inch theatre screen either: it rolls down from the roof as a set of window blinds scroll up automatically around the back seat. Great for screening the new series of SAS Rogue Heroes using the BMW’s onboard 5G data connection.

We’ll come back to that next time. Up front, the digital dashboard and infotainment screen house most of the major controls. As usual, rather annoyingly, you either accept the safety and driver-assistance features or need to turn them off manually each time you enter the car. They include a speed limit warning and lane departure warning.

Your pet hate, I know, but the 7 Series is a fabulous driving experience, whether you are a passenger enjoying the comforts of air suspension, or a driver experiencing the improved handling offered by all-wheel drive and four-wheel steering.

There’s no V12 or V8 engine like older versions of the 7 Series, but our car mates a 3.0-litre V6 petrol engine with a battery pack that gives the BMW a proper turn of speed, despite the dimensions.

And we are recharging at home every day to make best use of that plug-in battery system, too. More on our filthy 7 series in late February – after we have visited a car wash!

One Month Later…

February 2025

JT – I’ve spent many miles driving our luxurious, technologically-enhanced BMW with a window down.

J T-P – Really? It’s not exactly the weather for alfresco motoring. Something we need to know about?

Well, like many electrified cars these days, the M760e is equipped with BMW’s IconicSounds technology. Basically, an artificial engine noise ‘enhances’ the experience, depending on the driving mode.

So, Sport is a little more supercar-like than Electric, for example?

Yes, and it’s darn realistic. I can’t decide what’s real engine noise and what isn’t! IconicSounds may read like a pointless gimmick, but engine noise is a key element of the driving experience. BMW even paired up with Academy Award-winner Hans Zimmer to create a special electric sound a few years back.

Sort of ironic that most people enjoy quieter cars but now we want to add engine-like noise!

True, but if you prefer the sound of silence, the M760e’s electric sibling is the i7 – essentially the same car with pure battery power.

There’s certainly plenty of scope for sound in the M670e, especially if you are a passenger in the rear. BMW’s Executive Lounge pack is designed to cosset those relaxing on electrically adjustable back seats, with cooling, heating and massaging functions, automatic blinds and a built-in cinema experience.

Yes, we had a family here last weekend and all the children wanted was sit in the BMW and play with the theatre screen. Rolling down from the roof, it stretches 31-inches wide and has Amazon Fire TV included for a great selection of films.

Much of the functionality is operated by individual touchscreens in each rear door. There’s 5G connectivity and 128 GB of storage space for offline content, all linked to an epic Bowers & Wilkins sound system.

Despite that, the ‘wow’ factor comes when the screen rolls down and those window blackout blinds scroll up at in unison. The BMW really is a cinema on wheels.

Not quite so much fun for your chauffeur up front, though! I think we have finally got to grips with more of the M760e’s astonishing tech, too. Like a smartphone, I doubt many people will have the need in their lives for all of it.

But there’s plenty of room both upfront and in the rear for M760e passengers, complemented by a whopping boot. Add adaptable air suspension and this is a BMW that devours long distances in great comfort.

As well as offering a BMW-like sporty edge, of course. The M760e is too big for hurling around a twisty A-road at great speed, even with xDrive all-wheel drive as standard, but covering 0-62mph in 4.3 seconds is rapid enough.

A powerful and prestigious limo with tons of tech. I’m just going to check those children aren’t still in the back…