Having massaged the Seven's styling and inserted a new V8 for 2006, BMW has gone to town on the bells and whistles for 2007. Innumerable new conveniences and technologies are now standard. The basic range continues as is, with the 750i and long-wheelbase 750Li sharing a 360-hp, 4.8-litre V8. The 760Li remains the flagship, propelled by a 438-hp, 6.0-litre V12 and capable of 0-100 km/h in 5.7 seconds. Despite being overtaken in the hp race by the new Mercedes S-Class, the 7 Series arguably remains the best full-size driver sedan out there. Despite its much-derided i-Drive system, many technologies -- and even styling cues -- that the 7 Series pioneered, are being copied by the competition.

A high-tech driver's car

The much-debated i-Drive system