Of late this has been a misnomer of note with the A6 3.0T a recent example and now more so the BMW 750Li.

In my mind I had the result imprinted of the 750i I tested back in 2005 that achieved a 7.2-second dash to the hundred. The 750iL felt, well, somewhat the same, perhaps fraction or so quicker. so you can imagine my surprise when it clocked up 5.9 seconds. I actually had to recheck the figure with my faithful stopwatch.

Result? One tenth quicker.

There are not that many chauffeurs around nowadays, but this car could draw them behind the wheel again. Naturally the smart six-speed automatic transmission with its sporty gearshift dynamics goes a long way in achieving the results with those oh-so-quick gearshifts.

A little better looking than its predecessors, the 750Li also offers greater comfort and luxury than the normal version. That extra 140mm provides more than ample leg and headroom for the tallest of chauffeured owners, boasting a wide range of comfort features either as standard or as options.

The 750Li's long wheelbase, the long and onerous looking bonnet with short front overhang and the passenger compartment sitting rather rearward all add to its imposing presence.

Another feature of the 750Li is its light weight for such a large machine, thanks in part to the roof, doors, bonnet and side panels all being made of aluminium, which is also used on the all-new front and rear suspension layouts. BMW EfficientDynamics is also in place for energy and fuel saving, which system the Munich manufacturer were originators of.

Road holding for such a large beast of a car is truly impressive. In part this comes via air suspension at the rear, hydraulic rack-and-pinion steering with on-demand steering-assistance, integral active steering and speed-related rear-wheel steering to make it a car capable well beyond its limo status.

At the touch of a button, you can whisk between Comfort, Normal, Sport and Sport+ suspension settings and there is a marked difference felt in the balance between ride and handling. In comfort, it floats like a magic carpet and in Sport+, it is on the firm side, but delivering impressive road holding.

The list of features is just too long to dwell upon, but range from dynamic damping control through to traction mode, sports-plus setting, dynamic drive, anti-sway control and much more. Add to this the driver assistance systems such as cruise control, lane departure and lane change warning, head-up display and many others and you have a car in the Star Wars Module category.

Lag-free twin turbo technology

But what truly stands out is the almost lag-free twin turbo technology and direct fuel injection. The V8 was already a classy act in its normally aspirated form, but in this format what impresses are the linear power and torque outputs and incredibly quick engine responses.

But more so it's in the way engine performance is wound out so effortlessly and smoothly, almost fooling you... until you check the test equipment.

Check out the specs on page 2

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