Auto News 5

Over the past thirteen years, the silver spoilered brat pictured here has confidently watched its owner acquire - and then rid himself of - a hot red Nissan, two Mazdas, a VR6-powered Volkswagen, three Mercedes-Benzes, five BMWs, and a pair of Porsches. From its heated garage spot, it has snickered at Ferraris outside braving the rain and Aston Martins fighting the cold. And it laughs so hard it pees - Mobil 1, on the floor - every time some expensive, exotic new car sits out overnight, suffering the indignity of being molested by the neighborhood cat.

The combination of a rich, luxurious interior; a smooth, powerful engine; and truly refined road manners make it hard to top a BMW 7-series when it's time to embark on a road trip, so I was more than happy to sign out the 750i xDrive for my journey to Michigan's west coast for the weekend. Because the occasion was a high-school reunion, I plugged in my iPod and chose a classic rock playlist so that I could aurally transport myself to the late 1970s. Turns out, though, that was the only thing that reminded me of the '70s, because the 7-series is a true twenty-first-century car packed full of state-of-the-art technology. Thirty years ago, it would have been hard to fathom a car like the modern 7-series. Of course, thirty years ago paying $100,000 for luxury BMW sedan would have been hard to fathom, too.