A split screen on the display can be configured to show all kinds of information depending on the mode selected by iDrive. But it's not ideal. Like many of the electronic displays increasingly popular in cars today, polarized sunglasses render some graphics in the iDrive display nearly impossible to read.

Besides iDrive, many controls do not function in the traditional fashion. We spent several miles switching back and forth between lanes on the freeway the first time we drove the new 7 Series, for example, before decoding how to cancel the turn signal without instead merely making it indicate the opposite way. Once we learned, however, it became almost second nature; and we like the three-blink lane-change feature.

Park Distance Control employs sonar sensors in the front and rear bumpers that detect objects near the car and beeps a warning with increasing frequency the closer you get. Different tones for the front and rear greatly facilitate parking in tight locations, making parallel parking quicker and more confident. While not as effective as the rear-view video system appearing on some SUVs, the system can help you avoid backing into or over something you can't see from inside the car, like a child on tricycle. We also like the park-assist system that presents a pictograph of the car and graphically displays the distance and location of the obstruction. It sounds like a gadget, but park-assist adds convenience in daily driving and can help prevent an annoying or even tragic accident. It's a good feature.

Driving Impressions

Body style and computerized interfaces aside, when it comes to driving dynamics, there's no controversy. BMW's 7 Series has been widely lauded for its outstanding performance and ride, and almost everything about the 2006 BMW 7 Series is top notch.

Heading the list is the car's wonderful, magic-carpet ride. The high-tech suspension smoothes out bumps, even speed bumps, to a point of astonishment. It's incredibly comfortable, yet the driver does not feel completely isolated from the road. It senses when it's being driven hard, instantaneously re-tuning itself appropriately for improved handling, and then adjusting the other way when the going gets easy and relaxed on long, inter-city trips.

BMW's Active Roll Stabilization uses computer-controlled, two-piece anti-roll bars to increase roll resistance in hard cornering and keep the body flat in turns. It's as if on entering a turn, the inside tires lift to keep the car level, which is, in effect, what actually happens. At the same time, the system maintains enough suspension compliance to keep the tires planted on the road. Bumps in the middle of a high-speed corner do not upset the handling balance one whit. Several factors are at work here: a near-perfect weight distribution of 50 percent front to rear (helped by lightweight aluminum hood and front fenders), which means neither end of the car is more prone to slide than the other; a highly rigid chassis that allows precise suspension tuning; and minimal unsprung weight, thanks to lightweight aluminum wheels, brake calipers and aluminum suspension components.

Remember, weighing more than 4900 pounds, depending on equipment, the 7 Series is not a small, lightweight car. But in some respects it feels smaller than it is. The electronic stability control makes adjustments to maintain handling balance whenever grip is lost to any one tire. By applying braking force to individual wheels and, when absolutely necessary, reducing engine speed, it almost seems to bend the laws of physics. Just steer this thing where you want to go and the 7 Series takes you there. We felt this on a fast, greasy corner, flat-out over a crest that unweighted the suspension. All four wheels lost grip, but we simply motored around the corner, drifting just slightly wide of the intended line, never lifting off the accelerator pedal or making any adjustments in the steering. No special action was needed. The car did all of it. The anti-skid system is transparent, in that you can't feel it kick in and out. BMW's system is less obtrusive and more performance-oriented than similar systems found in Mercedes and Lexus automobiles.

Steering a 7 Series sedan is a joy. The rack-and-pinion steering is super sharp and precise. It's very light at low speeds for parking lots, but firms up at higher speeds for improved driver feel. It also steps up response by 10 percent as the wheel is turned off center, which means that the more you turn the wheel, the faster the car responds. With this steering system, it's easy to drive with extreme precision on winding roads at high speeds, placing the tires exactly where you want them. When hitting bumps, there's little or no kickback to the steering. Our only reservation about this system, and it's a minor point, is that it's so sensitive to road speed that accelerating in the midst of a tight turn occasionally catches it out, leaving the front wheels more sharply angled than optimal.