Hey, look at this - not every place in California is full of crazy people and pavement. There's plenty of wide open spaces and normal people when you get away from the large cities. Look at that behind the BMW, I think it's called nature (no people, crazy or otherwise would pose for this picture). Here's a few things I will and will not miss about the 2009 BMW 750i and Northern California:
I will miss the around-the-corner market - this one is in my old Land Park neighborhood in Sacramento. I admit, the 750 looks a little out of place here.
I will NOT miss the big BMW's city manners. Too jerky and abrupt for these conditions. The 750 craves high speed open highways. Driving it gently around town just doesn't work. For that, I'd rather have a Cadillac DTS.
I WILL miss the 750 little touches. Here's the steep driveway I parked on every night while visting my dad. And....
here's how the door never shuts on me or crushes my leg. No matter where you throw the door open, that's where it stays. German Engineering!
I'll also miss the 750's thoughtful tech features. The numbered buttons at the bottom of the picture can store AM, FM and satellite radio presets as well as map scale presets. See how there's a crappy song playing now? Well before you start punching random buttons not knowing where a favorite station is saved, you can lightly touch the button first and it will tell you (on the screen above) which station or map scale is assigned to that button. Tech that makes life easier - thumbs up BMW.
And finally, I will miss the open spaces and local, uh... culture(?) of Northern Calif. Out here you learn two important lessons - 1) some parts of the USA are still calm and uncrowded. 2) The BMW 750i really likes those places.
Brian Moody, Road Warrior @ 15,823 miles.
altimadude00 says:
10:48 AM, 09/ 7/09
Uh oh, you're going to get roasted just mentioning the Cadillac DTS!
Seriously, there's nothing wrong with it, besides the image problem. For 8/10ths the luxury for half the price of a 7 series, I'd probably get one.
carfreak8394 says:
12:54 PM, 09/ 7/09
I REALLY wish lower-priced cars came with the doors that don't have detents. On steep hills (like the one in the photo), my dad's Mustang's doors never stay open because they are so long.
blueguydotcom says:
02:17 PM, 09/ 7/09
carfreak, 335i's doors won't say open either. There's a pretty big price jump from my 3 series to the 7.
The only thing I miss about Nor Cal and specifically Sacramento area: the roads outside the city really late at night when the slow pokes aren't around (sadly all the roads seem crowded and filled with slow drivers by day). Some roads - like Stone House Road out of Rancho Murieta - can just be flat amazing fun in the dead of night.
briancam says:
02:57 PM, 09/ 7/09
I used to do Auburn-Folsom Rd and Gold Hill Rd in my Fiat 124.
mopho says:
03:35 PM, 09/ 7/09
German engineering, or needs more KY?
bimmerjay says:
09:32 PM, 09/ 7/09
"The numbered buttons at the bottom of the picture can store AM, FM and satellite radio presets as well as map scale presets. See how there's a crappy song playing now? Well before you start punching random buttons not knowing where a favorite station is saved, you can lightly touch the button first and it will tell you (on the screen above) which station or map scale is assigned to that button."
The buttons have an electrostatic sensor. When you touch them their function pops up on the iDrive screen. Holding your finger for an added second brings up additional instructions on how to program them to do your bidding. ~2007+ BMWs with iDrive have this feature.
And is it just me, or is Johnny 5 from "Short Circuit" hiding behind the left air vent in pic #6?
sodaguy says:
01:26 AM, 09/ 8/09
Wow Brian, nice pictures. I'm from the Pocket Area in Sacramento. What a small world.
1487 says:
05:54 AM, 09/ 8/09
"Uh oh, you're going to get roasted just mentioning the Cadillac DTS!"
Exactly. How dare he suggest he would like to drive any car that isn't supposed to be posing as a sports sedan. THere is no place for cars like that in our world!
johnj01 says:
08:46 AM, 09/ 8/09
Brian, is the "around town" transmission that bad? I've read a number of reviews talking about how the driver feels like he's dragging a boat anchor around town, the tranny is constantly downshifting, etc. I'm torn between this and an S550. Maybe the 2010 8-speed would make a difference??
briancam says:
12:23 PM, 09/ 8/09
IMO there are two problems with the transmission. In sport mode (really the only setting that makes any sense for this car), throttle response is great - BUT it holds each gear too long. Likely it's assuming you're canyon carving. Around town, the throttle repsonse is great, everything else about the trans stinks even in "Normal" it feels to jerky. Switch to "Comfort" and the trans calibration is just about right for around town but the throttle repsonse is frustratingly soft. Moderate effort isn't enough to get moving semi-quickly but too much results in a rocket launch from every stoplight. I'd love to try the 8 speed just to see.
mercedesfan says:
12:58 PM, 09/ 8/09
Brian you are so right, Northern California has a distinctly different "culture" than Southern California that is quite a bit more easy going, plus there are a ton of roads that are rarely crowded (especially North of San Francisco).
@johnj01-
Unless you do a lot of driving above 8/10ths, get the S550. It's a better built and generally more effortless car that offers up more useful tech. Plus, in my experience the Benzes are dead reliable.