2024 BMW 7 Series

How’s the tech? The touchscreen is canted slightly toward the driver, making it easier to reach, which is a necessity given how wide it is. There's also a centralized wheel controller if you're too lazy to lift an arm up. Using this system takes some learning because there are a lot of menus and it can be tricky to find what you're looking for and to set up the car to your liking. Thankfully, the voice recognition system is excellent and can be used to control car functions. That became our default way to find or change things before diving into the system more deeply.

As a part of the Executive seating package, you get a pair of displays for the rear seats (one on each door) that control the various seat functions. Those screens are easy to use, and every function is one or two presses away. The available 31-inch theater screen with 8K resolution drops down from the ceiling, which gives the 7 Series lineup a unique party trick. It's powered by Amazon Fire and requires a data plan from BMW for streaming, but there's also an HDMI plug for connecting a game console or a laptop if you'd rather use it that way.

Our test vehicle also came with BMW's available new Highway Assistant, which allows for hands-free driving up to 80 mph. The system works as advertised, keeping the 7 Series well centered in the lane and slowing down and accelerating smoothly. The surround-view camera system is very high-resolution and offers a variety of camera views, helping to navigate this behemoth in tight spaces more safely.

How’s the fuel economy? The 740i with its smaller engine gets an EPA-estimated 27 mpg in combined driving with rear-wheel drive or 28 mpg combined with all-wheel drive. The car we tested, the 760i xDrive, comes in at an estimated 21 mpg. We were able to beat that number on our test route with an observed mpg of 24.0 mpg in a mix of city/highway driving. For a big sedan with a V8, this is pretty good. BMW also sells the 750e, a plug-in hybrid, that gets the best fuel economy of the lineup.