2011 BMW 740i

In fact, when we began deliberations on the finishing order in this test, most expected the 740i to finish in the upper middle of the ranking because it didn’t seem to excel at any one thing.
Then we started discussing the priorities for this class of car. Spacious, comfortable seating? Front-seat room ranks second to the Hyundai’s, and rear space nearly matches it, trailing the long-wheelbase Jag and cavernous Mercedes (an extra $4400 buys the 740Li if you’re ferryingall four headrests boast airplane-style side wings; and the zillion-way adjustable multicontour front seats$1300feel sublime.Cars in this class should be technology leaders, but they need to be user-friendly. After several generations of Sevens, BMW is getting that second part right. The latest button-ringed iDrive infuriated far fewer of us than Audi’s shifter and MMI or Jag’s pokey touch screen, though it trails the big-button/touchscreen Lexus and Hyundai interfaces. As for tech, the active roll stabilization and dynamic damping thatcomes with the $6500 M Sport package represent the state of the suspension art. Inveterate gadgeteerscan add night-vision with pedestrian detection$2600a head-up display$1300and around-viewcameras$1200