BMW never made an M7. It’s made M Performance versions of the 7 Series before, such as the M760i, but it’s never made a true M7, something that’s every bit as fast and as capable as it is luxurious. However, if that’s something you’ve always wanted, the new BMW 760i is the closest thing to an M7 there’s ever been.
The BMW 760i is the only V8-powered 7 Series in the world and it’s only coming to the North American market. Not only that but its V8 engine is one of the things that makes it so close to a genuine M7 and there are a few reasons why.
For starters, the BMW 760i uses BMW’s new S68 engine, which is a new 4.4-liter twin-turbocharged V8 that replaced the outgoing N63 in V8-powered core BMWs. What’s most interesting about the S68 engine is that it’s a genuine M Division engine. When BMW decided to replace its N63, it didn’t want to invest money in making an N68 for normal BMWs and an S68 for M cars. So it just made one, the M version. And that makes the BMW 760i the first-ever 7 Series to be truly powered by an M engine.
It’s not as powerful as M cars will be with that engine, though. In the 760i, the S68 engine makes 536 horsepower and 553 lb-ft of torque. That’s only a handful more ponies than the X7 M60i LCI with the same engine but it’s plenty. No customer is every going to want more power, as it has enough shove to pin drivers, and cozy rear passengers back in their seats.
If there’s a complaint with the engine, it’s that it doesn’t’ sound great in the 760i. It’s plenty loud in sport mode, which is likely amplified by some speaker trickery, but the noise isn’t exactly pleasant. But it’s cool that it’s loud enough to be heard, even in the isolated 7er.
The first thing I noticed when pulling away in the new 7 Series was just how comfy it is. You expect a 7 Series…
