2009 BMW 750i: Tell Me Why I'm Wrong - Road Trip Edition

I find it hard to believe that you'll be sorry, driving a BMW is a pretty satisfying experience. However, will the kids? I guess that depends on their ability to entertain themselves for the 7hr drive sans DVD player.

I think they probably could, Lord knows my siblings and I did it sitting three wide in the backseat of an '87 Mazda 323.

They'll probably have more entertainment available to them than just a DVD player -- PSP, iPod, portable DVD player, Nintendo DS... need I go on? My now-18 year old used to bring all of the above items on trips and he'd end up reading my Car and Driver magazine cover-to-cover, then fall asleep until we get to where we're going.

And it's a freaking $90,000 BMW sedan! Why wouldn't you take it?

You're right, for all the reasons above. Only question - how small are the 2 kids? I assume they're out of toddler/stroller/portable crib/car seat/etcetcetc age. Really young kids can have unbelievable luggage requirements.

No doubt the BMW. I've driven about 15 different cars from SD to Sacra-Hell (actually Granite Bay) and in my drives my BMWs were the best. In the Grapevine they pull up the mountain without breaking a sweat. On the open freeway at 90-100 they're rock solid and still return 30 MPG (well the 3s do). So comfortable and so perfect for the roadtrip.

FWIW, when did it become mandatory that parents provide kids with video game systems and DVDs on trips? As kids my wife and both made many cross country trips in sports cars with only books, toys and games the whole family would play.

Still bugs me I-5 isn't a speed limit optional 3 lane road between the Grapevine and Stockton. It's flatter and straighter than most of the Autobahn, French Toll Roads or Autostrada. If I can cruise at 140 on the Autobahn there's no reason we can't do at least 100 on the freaking 5.

I would have done the same thing. Put on the massaging seat, adaptive cruise control, and dose off!

I think Brian made a good choice. The 7 hours from LA to Sacramento is roughly the same time it takes to drive the length of Germany, say from Hamburg to Munich.

Meanwhile, My much longer trip from LA to Bend represents the same number of miles one would cover driving from London, England to Warsaw, Poland. You'd go through parts of France, Belgium, The Netherlands and Germany along the way.

Point is, his trip is a mere one-day hop. Even if the seats end up sucking and the kids get bored, it'll all be over in a few hours. It's like going on a plane ride, only with a better stereo and a much lower price tag. My trip was all about the road and the driving and the seeing of stuff along the way.

The 7-series wouldn't have worked for me at all. There would have been a mutiny. A cross-country trip in North America and a cross-country trip in Germany aren't even close to being the same thing. And if I'd headed East, my piddling out-and-back trip wouldn't have gotten me much more than a third of the way across America (or Canada).

@bluedot:

Kinda funny that someone from SoCal calls Sacramento hell. Also I call BS that any car will get 30 MPG at 90-100 MPH, give me a break, it did not happen. It bugs you that you cant drive 100 on a busy freeway...how terrible for you! It does not bug me that another BMW driver has to share the road with the rest of the peasants and their families trying to drive safely at 65-70 MPH.

Bodyblue-
In my '00 Prelude, I routinely got 30mpg hwy. On occasion, I could beat 30mpg around town if I was trying. The Type-S engine had a high compression ratio (11:1), and the A/F leaned out right in the 4000rpm range, making it one hell of a fuel sipper.

The gas mileage in my A4 2.0T at 70 mph is generally 30-31 mpg but if i'm in a hurry and have the cruise set at 90 mph gas mileage does drop to about 26-27 mpg, so i'm not buying the 3 series claim above either.

LMD,

I might buy that...maybe....but in a 3 series BMW? Not a chance.

That trunk better be really deep, cause it sure looks pretty narrow!!

you should have picked the Mini E. Oh wait...

@bodyblue:
"Also I call BS that any car will get 30 MPG at 90-100 MPH, give me a break, it did not happen."
Yes it can. My 06 E90 325i consistently did 31-32mpg (calculated with fuel receipts anc cross-checked with trip computer) during near triple-digit cruises in cool weather. At 65-75 mph cruises it even did 35mpg once. The car was rated 21/29mpg using the old EPA numbers.
Now, the 08 E90 M3, on the other hand....

Brian, I think you are right on the money. This thing is a cruise missile. It caters to the driver rather than the passengers (Flex), but they still have plenty of space. You may have to pack lighter, but as you say, it's a $90K BMW!!!... I would love to have the opportunity to drive one from sea to shining sea.

I'd prefer the M3 for this kind of trip! It would make those 7 hours a lot more fun.

I don't have an issue with you picking the top-of-the-line BMW over the Flex, given THEY'RE BOTH FREE. Now tell me what you'd choose if you had to pay for them. :)

90,000 (count 'em, 90,000!) dollars for a car. A CAR!

'nuf said.

The 750 was an excellent choice. You want to get to Sac Town in style. Plus, let's be honest, you want to impress your friends and family. Nothing wrong with that.

You definitely made the right choice. It will be a much better car to drive and to ride in. The only reason to take the flex would be if you couldn't fit everything in the BMW.

Dan is a push over for his teenage daughters (as is any man) that's why he chose (was forced to take) the Flex.

The Flex is an excellent practical family vehicle with reasonable....I fell a sleep - Frickin $90000 BMW F*&k Yeah.

30 miles per gallon at 100 mph? I do not buy that, at ALL.

Old 7 series looks better than this model but the new interior is better than the old one. I'll take the A8 L please, thanks.

You will be just fine. My wife and I just took our 2 year old daughter on a roadtrip from San Jose to Portland to visit my parents in my S550 and didn't have any issues. The trunk easily swallowed the Pack 'n Play and assorted toys and bags of baby necessities plus our luggage. We were gone a week and never once did I wish for anything more "practical". In honesty, my wife's E63 wagon would have been my first choice, but it needed new tires so we took my car (it just meant we had to pack more carefully). With the major elevation changes and less-than-stellar road surfaces along the 5 I can't imagine a better car for the trip.

If we ever have 3 kids I know we will need to start checking out minivans (again), but with 2 or less a sedan is all you need.

100 mph and 30 mpg in a 3-Series is a bit of a stretch, even for the 325/328i and the tallish 6th gear. Definitely do-able at 75-80 mph though.

My last 335i only averaged 12-14 mpg at 130-150 mph. :-(

Oh yeah, and take the 750i, FTW. lol

E63 wagon? Nice!

Wait, mercfan's WIFE has an E63 WAGON? Man, some things just aren't fair. I hope you're old enough to realize how lucky you (two) are!

My 05 325i, with a 5-speed manual, got 29 mpg during a 90-105 mph cruise down I-95 in Florida. I totally believe the 30mpg claims; my a/c was on and I wasn't merely cruising; I kept surging from 90 to 100 (with the straight six making a lovely snarl). And that was with a pack of traffic. I love Florida!

Bodyblue, really, lose the cornball attitude about BMW drivers. He said nothing about not being willing to share the road, nor anything about peasants. The fact is, I-5 at the points he was talking about is easily able to handle those kinds of speeds. Trouble is, too many of our drivers aren't capable of handling that speed.

I want the new B7.

No brainer decision, and you made the right one.

Made the SD SF trip up the 5 many times averaging ~30 MPG in an E46 touring, but my average speeds were more in the range of 80 to 85. Not sure about 90 to 100 though.

But I've long been impressed by the highway mileage of BMWs. City...? Not so much. Long legs, I guess.

@bodyblue,

1. My 2003 330i ZHP would easily pull north of 30 running San Diego to Sacra-hell-o. My 2006 e90 pulled over 30 running ~100 in Europe (Munich to Nice). It only did 26 on the drive from Avignon to Munich but on that leg I was pushing over 140 (break in was over) at times on the Autobahn. As others have pointed out, the e46 on freeway jaunts is easy on the fuel. The ZHP just loafed along on steady freeway drives.

2. This business of 7 hours from LA to Sac - odd. I've never heard of (or experienced) the drive taking so long unless it's a holiday weekend. At only ~400 miles this should be 5 hours to 6 hours if one is doing 70 (again the posted limit is 70, so 80 is an easy call and no scoundrel in black and white will bother you). And no 80's not an egregious decision as long as drivers are all respectful and move to the right as soon as it's open. But that's asking too much for most Californians who think they own the fast lane no matter how fast they're going. Driving in Europe you quickly see how nicely the freeway moves because drivers respect each other.

@fuhteng

Ha ha, thanks and I do happen to realize how lucky I am. I may not be that old, but I'm old enough to know how much better I am because of her.

i have a 07 335i sedan

on trips to vegas we get as high as 34 mpg on it avg'ing 80-85 mph.

by the end of the trip it gets around 28-30 mpg.

I can see 28 or so doing around 80.....30 or more averaging 100.....not a chance. The extra horsepower needed to push a car through the air at that speed goes up exponentially(even in a newer slick car)even though a car seems to be "loafing along" at that speed the engine is still working hard to maintain that speed.

I agree about CA drivers and the fast lane....that is why the speed limit is the correct one.

sgude:

It is not a cornball attitude. If you were indeed "surging" through a "pack" of traffic at 90-100 you are an unsafe idiot...period.....with no regard for others safety. You want to drive fast on a long road with nobody around then good for you.....do it in traffic.....well I made my point.

@blueguy - I'm going to El Dorado Hills so very close to Granite Bay - small world.

I just arrived and I must say I made the right choice - but i cheated. I borrowed a portable DVD player to pacify the kids (3 and 7 yrs) but didn't bust it out until the half way mark. H

@brian - yep, I know El Dorado Hills. I heard the far side of the lake finally got a bridge to replace the now-closed Dam Road (9/11 made the Folsom Dam seem like a terrorist target).

And I'm sure my wife will succumb to some kind of movie player or give him my iPod touch in a year or two. Heck she bought one of those shopping cart cozies for the kid too (http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=shopping+cart+cover&x=0&y=0). I almost had a heart attack when she pulled it out on a trip to costco.