Our long-term 750i's lethargic throttle tip-in has earned some comment, but on Day 2 of a real-estate road trip up to San Luis Obispo (SLO), it's the brakes that are garnering attention. For cars that are often used in a livery trade or for carting dignitaries of all types, a calm throttle tip-in is not unusual. That little bit of play in the first bit of the throttle's travel allows you to serenely circle courtyards and other public spaces without disturbing your passengers or mowing down the valet. In the 750i, once you get used to dipping through this first bit of throttle travel, smooth and timely getaways are a snap. The brakes have an alternate personality.
Cruising around SLO with a workmate and our spouses, the gentle gas-pedal tip-in is a boon to smoothness, allowing us to crawl around neighborhoods searching down real-estate addresses without inducing throttle whip-lash. The brakes are the opposite in their engagement, very touchy at the first sign of pressure.
At speed, the 750's binders are impressive: linear, excellent pedal feel and firmness, gobs of whoa power. When carting around friends at lower speeds however, the electric-swift touchiness of the binders becomes apparent, and requires some retraining of your right foot. For the throttle, you need to get through the first half-inch of play before you meet the useful portion of the throttle map. For the brakes, it seems the moment you rest your foot on the pedal, you earn a quick grab from the binders.
We've got it all sorted before a Starbucks run, helping keep the interior's ivory leather spot free, which is ridiculously comfortable for four average sized adults. As we cruise from listing to listing (to greet home prices that still seem out of whack with reality), we wonder aloud if we couldn't just move into the 750i, which costs more than homes we've all lived in, but somehow seems worth the sticker price.
Paul Seredynski, Executive Editor @ 11,644 miles
drewsrx says:
09:59 PM, 06/28/09
Since it's a BMW I would have to "retrain" myself right?
Again, this must be one of those "Driver Errors".
It it were any other brand, you guys would be calling it a fatal flaw or product defect.
How's that broken cover working out by the way?
dougtheeng says:
05:47 AM, 06/29/09
My MINI also had extremely touchy brakes, so I wonder if its something BMW deliberately does? Still, you'd think they would match it with throttle input.
70ss454_man says:
07:47 AM, 06/29/09
Range Rover Classics have the same touchy pedal as well, very unlike most vehicles. As soon as you rest your foot on the brake and ever so slightly slightly depress you're being stopped fairly rapidly. If you're used to driving a vehicle like most where there's some play in the pedal before the b rakes connect, and you drive a RRC, you'll be dumping whatever is on the seats on the floor and pissing your passengers/ people behind you off.
Some are just made to be "on top of it" - meaning brakes make contact within 1/8 inch of pedal travel.
mercedesfan says:
08:58 AM, 06/29/09
It would be so hard for me to get accustomed to those brakes, I had a hard enough time in my friend's 335i. It is well known that Mercedes have characteristically long brake pedal travel, just like they have long throttle travel so that is what I'm used to. Strangely, the 750Li I test drove didn't seem to exhibit this, either that or I am getting more used to touchy brakes.
cwc1 says:
06:30 PM, 06/29/09
When I first drove my 330Ci, I was immediately impressed by how responsive the brakes were, and how quickly they can slow or stop the car. So I regard it as good thing, and not touchy at all. And it didn't take any time to get used to them. They just felt very powerful. When I drove one of my other cars, its brakes felt sluggish.
And the throttle in mine is very linear, where the motor responds so smoothly by a corresponding amount to the distance the pedal is pressed. I never knew what I was missing before.
mopho says:
06:38 PM, 06/30/09
the brake pedal in my mother's 2004 honda accord LX is the touchiest automotive pedal of any kind i've ever experienced.