You learn a lot about a car between Los Angeles and Las Vegas. Most of your time is spent on Interstate 15 banging through the set of the Road Warrior. It's a wonderful drive to clear the head and education yourself about a vehicle's rights and wrongs. Basically, it's a 600 mile (300 miles each way) run with nothing to do except nit pick your ride.
Here's what I learned about our long-term 2009 BMW 750i, there are ten.
Continue reading 2009 BMW 750i: Welcome To Nevada.
The professional driver that drove our long-term 2009 BMW 750i at this speed safely on a closed course told me that the car was completely unfazed by the velocity.
"Perfectly stable and very easy to drive," was how he described the 750i's behavior at 120 mph. Then he added, "After this drive, where I touched a buck forty on a rough road, I'm convinced this car will cruise at 150 mph all day long without taxing its driver. Too bad 99.9% of the people that buy a 7 Series won't ever drive it faster than 75 mph."
Scott Oldham, Inside Line Editor in Chief
I'm not sure what's more shocking, the fact that our long-term 2009 BMW 750i blew through the 20,000-mile mark today or how disgustingly dusty its gauges are.
Scott Oldham, Inside Line Editor in Chief @ 20,012 miles
Below are the fuel economy numbers for October 2009. We've listed the best, worst and overall average tanks.
As usual, a couple of cars are out on the road or unavailable at the time of this writing. I'll continue to add them as they come in and let you know in the comments.
| Car |
Best
|
Worst
|
Average
|
|
| 2009 Audi A4 Avant |
26.8
|
15.2
|
21.7
|
|
| 2009 Audi S5 |
22.3
|
10.8
|
16.2
|
|
| 2008 BMW 750i |
21.8
|
13.0
|
17.3
|
|
| 2009 BMW M3 |
20.7
|
10.8
|
15.7
|
|
| 2010 Chevrolet Camaro SS |
23.1
|
13.1
|
17.3
|
|
| 2009 Dodge Challenger R/T |
26.4
|
10.3
|
16.6
|
|
| 2009 Dodge Ram 1500 |
19.4
|
10.5
|
14.1
|
|
| 2009 Ford Flex Limited |
26.7
|
13.3
|
19.2
|
|
| 2007 Honda Civic GX |
47.3
|
12.7
|
31.5
|
|
| 2009 Honda Fit Sport |
39.0
|
24.9
|
30.9
|
|
| 2010 Honda Insight EX |
43.9
|
27.9
|
38.1
|
|
| 2009 Hyundai Genesis |
28.5
|
14.3
|
21.2
|
|
| 2009 Infiniti FX50 |
22.0
|
10.7
|
17.1
|
|
| 2009 Mazda 6 |
30.2
|
18.7
|
23.7
|
|
| 2010 Mazdaspeed 3 |
26.7
|
16.3
|
20.1
|
|
| 2008 Mitsubishi Evo X GSR |
22.6
|
11.0
|
17.0
|
|
| 2009 Nissan 370Z |
24.4
|
13.2
|
18.4
|
|
| 2009 Nissan GT-R |
21.8
|
11.5
|
16.4
|
|
| 2009 Pontiac G8 GT |
24.3
|
12.0
|
18.0
|
|
| 2009 Suzuki SX4 |
28.3
|
17.2
|
22.2
|
|
| 2010 Volvo XC60 |
19.0
|
12.7
|
16.5
|
After the jump you can see the list sorted by best average MPG.
Continue reading Big List of Fuel Economy: October 2009 .
Getting two flat tires in a single trip takes some luck, and getting two flat tires within 25 minutes takes some skill. But when the tire we're discussing is the same tire...well, I'm not sure what that takes. Maybe it's just a matter of acknowledging a greater power really wanted that tire to be flat!
Or at least as flat as our long-term BMW 750i's run-flat tires can be.
Continue reading 2009 BMW 750i: Tale of Two Flat Tires.
Our coverage of the SEMA Show has already hit full stride, but the show itself takes place next week in Las Vegas. And flying to Las Vegas from Los Angeles is never an option for those of us that love to drive. It's a 295 mile run through the desert if you stay on the interstate, but there are more than a few detours (great roads, great scenery) that are worth the extra time and miles.
I leave for Vegas on Monday and this year my chosen stead is our long-term 2009 BMW 750i (Last year I drove our long-term Cadillac CTS and the year before that I took our long-term Infiniti G35.). I've already thrown our Escort radar detector in the BMW's glovebox, so I'm sure not to forget it, and as you can see I already plugged Vegas into the car's nav system.
I'll let you know how it goes next week.
Scott Oldham, Inside Line Editor in Chief
This morning it was a bitter 56 degrees Fahrenheit in Santa Monica, but I survived the wintry turn thanks to the heated driver's seat and heated steering wheel of our long-term 2009 BMW 750i.
The car's three-level bun warmers worked like a charm, defrosting my bod just enough without causing sweaty back syndrome, even on the highest setting.
Even more impressive was the performance of the BMW's heated steering wheel, which kept my digits toasty without a single inconsistency of temperature. No hot or cool spots here, just the right amount of heat for the extreme conditions.
All of the above may seem trivial, but if you use as many different heated seats and wheels in as many different cars as we do here at Inside Line you learn that all heated seats and wheels are not created equal.
After this morning's cold front, I give the the BMW's heated accomodations high marks for BTU output, heat consistency across surfaces and quick warm up.
Scott Oldham, Inside Line Editor in Chief @ 19,652 miles
Just look at that nasty door ding in the passenger side rear door of our long-term 2009 BMW 750i. I'd give anything to know the name of the careless, disrespectful, narcissistic, repugnant sociopath that did it.
Continue reading 2009 BMW 750i: Door Ding Hell.
So I'm driving along with my 2009 Blackberry Pearl Flip (no more butt-dialing!) paired to the 2009 BMW 750i. Joel, a friend from college, is on the line and we're discussing the upcoming NHRA Winternational drag races at Pomona.
Suddenly the line goes dead. Another dropped call, I figure.
But the screen above is not something I usually see with a dropped call. I pick up the phone and Joel is still there, loud and clear. He experienced no interruption, but the call was no longer hands-free through the BMW's speaker system and built-in microphone.
Instead of a dropped call, the Bluetooth connection has inexplicably terminated itself. The BMW hung up on the BlackBerry, so to speak, or vice-versa.
It hasn't happened again but, then again, I haven't made more than one other call.
This unprovoked loss of the Bluetooth handshake is a first for me in the 750i or any other car in our fleet. Anyone else out there had this happen in their own car? I'm not sure if this is a car issue or a phone issue.
Dan Edmunds, Director of Vehicle Testing @ 19,102 miles
There is a thing here in LA, that I'm sure is not unique to the Southland, called Dine LA. Basically a bunch of restaurants, typically nice places, have a prix fixe menu at a somewhat lowered cost. My girlfriend is really into the festival and we try a few places every year.
When she told me we were going to a steak place on Sunset Boulevard, I thought of her run down Jetta with a broken headlight and squeaky death trap brakes. "I'll drive. I insist."
Continue reading 2009 BMW 750i: Jacket Required.
The Art Center College of Design in Pasadena is arguably the world's leading automotive design school. So when I was invited to participate in a class, the first consideration was not what am I going to wear, but what am I going to drive? After all, I'm going to be talking with tomorrow's design leaders.
Of all the cars in the Inside Line fleet, the 2009 BMW 750i seemed the most logical, given that the last two BMW design chiefs were Art Center graduates: Chris Bangle ('81) and current head of design Adrian van Hooydonk ('92). (Maybe this was why there was a reserved, curbside parking spot for me when I arrived?)
While BMW was not the focus of the outside class, the Bimmer's stance gradually sucked in the attention of the designers-in-waiting. They walked around, peered inside the cabin and one gently traced the lines of the hood with his finger, for added sensory training. Either that or it was a not-so-subtle reminder to head to the car wash next.
Class instructor David O'Connell, former head of Mitsubishi Motors Design, abandoned his lesson plan and joined his students, as did Stewart Reed, the school's chair of transportation design, for an impromptu walk-around.
Nearly two hours passed while the car was inspected from headlamps to lip spoiler. Finally, it was time to say good bye. Pulling out of the tree-lined hillside campus, I couldn't help but sense that Art Center is the 750i's spiritual home.
Kelly Toepke, News Editor @18,669 miles
I'm not really that into outlet shopping but my girlfriends talked me into taking a trip up to the Camarillo outlet mall.
As usual, I was the designated driver because of my car choices. Actually, one of my friends doesn't even have a driver license. She grew up in New York City and never needed nor bothered to get one.
So, I showed up on Saturday with the roomy and luxurious 2009 BMW 7 Series. My friends couldn't be more pleased. From its soft, quiet ride, to the individual climate controls and heated seats, to the navigation system with traffic notices, to the entertainment features, the BMW served us well. Driving can be a little numbing but the 7 Series is a great passenger car.
As Ed mentioned in his M3 post, iDrive is no longer a hassle. It is much improved and actually easy to use and extremely helpful.
As you can see from the photo, we shopped 'til we dropped. The BMW 750i's 17.7 cu-ft trunk swallowed our packages with room to spare.
Donna DeRosa, Managing Editor @ 18,513 miles
Floor mats? We're talking about floor mats?
Well, why not? After all, Toyota just issued a humungous recall of 3.8 million vehicles because of a link between floor mats and sticking throttles. And I received a lot of questions in the immediate aftermath of that announcement, such as: Is this a Toyota-specific issue?
Well, this recall is specific to Toyota and Lexus, but my mind flashes back to numerous times when my own floor mats got fowled with the pedals in several of my personal vehicles over the years, Toyota and non-Toyota alike. And I know of the fear and panic that can come with a stuck throttle experience, because it happened to me at top speed on a racetrack, though that incident wasn't quite floor mat related.
So I grabbed a dozen random keys to some of our long-term test cars to see what I could see. No Toyota keys were handy, though. I'll catch the Prius later.
Before we make the jump, take a gander at the photo above. This is a typical Toyota/Lexus floor mat installation: An top-hinged "pendulum-style" gas pedal is paired with a generous cut-out in the mat to produce a large clearance. The floor mat is kept from creeping forward by two plastic hooks just in front of the seat. As long as it remains hooked and the floor mat is the right size and shape, things should be fine.
Moving on, in alphabetical order...
Continue reading Floor Mat Walkaround.
Below are the fuel economy numbers for September 2009. We've listed the best, worst and overall average tanks.
As always, a couple of cars are out on the road or unavailable at the time of this writing. I'll continue to add them as they come in and let you know in the comments.
| Car |
Best
|
Worst
|
Average
|
|
| 2009 Audi A4 Avant |
26.8
|
15.2
|
21.7
|
|
| 2009 Audi S5 |
22.3
|
11.8
|
17.0
|
|
| 2008 BMW 750i |
21.8
|
13.0
|
17.3
|
|
| 2009 BMW M3 |
20.5
|
10.8
|
15.6
|
|
| 2010 Chevrolet Camaro SS |
23.1
|
13.8
|
17.7
|
|
| 2009 Dodge Challenger R/T |
26.4
|
10.3
|
16.7
|
|
| 2009 Dodge Ram 1500 |
16.3
|
10.5
|
13.3
|
|
| 2009 Ford Flex Limited |
26.7
|
13.3
|
19.1
|
|
| 2007 Honda Civic GX |
47.3
|
12.7
|
31.7
|
|
| 2009 Honda Fit Sport |
39.0
|
24.9
|
30.8
|
|
| 2010 Honda Insight EX |
43.9
|
27.9
|
38.0
|
|
| 2009 Hyundai Genesis |
28.5
|
14.3
|
21.3
|
|
| 2009 Infiniti FX50 |
22.0
|
10.7
|
17.2
|
|
| 2009 Mazda 6 |
29.4
|
20.7
|
23.7
|
|
| 2008 Mitsubishi Evo X GSR |
22.6
|
11.0
|
17.0
|
|
| 2009 Nissan 370Z |
24.4
|
13.2
|
18.3
|
|
| 2009 Nissan GT-R |
21.8
|
11.5
|
16.4
|
|
| 2009 Pontiac G8 GT |
24.3
|
12.0
|
18.0
|
|
| 2009 Suzuki SX4 |
28.3
|
17.2
|
22.9
|
After the jump you can see the list sorted by best average MPG.
Continue reading Big List of Fuel Economy: September 2009.
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