Sitting at an intersection in the new 2006 BMW 750i, we're hardly surprised when another new BMW 7 Series pulls up alongside us. We're in Pacific Palisades after all, home of the eight-figure house and the six-figure personal chef. In this area, a pair of $70,000 sedans at an intersection looks as natural as a nose job.

The guy looks like C. Everett Coop in a Zegna suit, and his smile says he's enjoying his $70K BMW. But what made him go for the new 750i? Was it the car's new look, its new more powerful V8, or the promise of an easier-to-use iDrive system that drew him to BMW's flagship over a Mercedes-Benz S-Class or an Audi A8?

Who are we kidding? He doesn't even know the BMW is new this year. He just saw it, drove it and fell in love with it.

After our two weeks in the 2006 BMW 750i, which takes the place of the 745i as the standard V8-powered 7 Series, we too have fallen under the car's spell.

The Makeover Makes it Better
The 7 Series of the last four years was designed to break the mold of traditional luxury-sedan design. This year's model was designed to repair it. The changes aren't drastic, but they are effective.

Gone are the odd-shaped headlights and their peculiar-looking "eyebrows." In their place are a set of standard adaptive bi-xenon headlamps with less prominent marker lights and clear turn-signal lenses. Instead of separating the headlights from the rest of the grille work, the new design integrates them into it. The inner edges mirror the shape of the wider twin-kidney grille, while the outer edges reflect the lines of the revised front air dam just below. The overall look is simple, symmetrical and less distracting.

Changes to the rear end are equally subtle. Although the trunk lid is slightly taller than before, its edges have been smoothed out for a less awkward look. The taillights that used to "float" on each side of the license plate have now been pushed to each side where they belong. A simple strip of chrome dresses it up a little and the effect works just well enough to make you forget what it looked like before.

Additional cosmetic changes include new wheel designs and a windshield that's almost an inch higher in relation to the hood, a change that allowed the designers to recline the glass further back for a sleeker profile.

New Engine, New Name
Other than the increase in displacement from 4.4 liters to 4.8 liters, the V8's only significant change compared to last year's engine is a two-stage intake manifold instead of a more complex infinitely variable design. BMW's engineers came to the conclusion that the wider power band of the larger engine made the variable design unnecessary.

With 360 horsepower and 360 pound feet of torque, the 4.8-liter V8 produces 10% more power and 9% more torque than the previous 4.4-liter. Solid improvements, but along with the extra power comes another 110 lbs. to carry around. The six-speed automatic transmission is carried over unchanged, but it's still maybe the best autobox around. Somehow it's always in the right gear. The manual shift buttons on the steering wheel seem superfluous.

You would expect the new 750 to be about as quick as the old one, yet we only managed a best 0-to-60 sprint of 6.4 seconds, with the transmission in sport mode. The last 745i we tested did it in six seconds flat. We can't fully explain this except to say two different cars on two different days at two different test facilities don't always produce the test numbers you expect.

The brakes shrug off the Beamer's extra weight, turning in consistent stops from 60 in just 117 feet.

More Than Numbers
Look at nothing but the numbers and the 750i might not appear to be much of an improvement. But spend some time behind the wheel and two things become obvious: the 7 Series was great before, and it's even better now.

The door swings open lightly yet thumps closed like it weighs twice as much. There's so much room you feel small until you fiddle with the perfectly shaped 20-way adjustable seats that now come standard with the sport package. Upgrade to the luxury seating package and you can lose your chiropractor's number as it adds heating, ventilation and massage functions.

Starting the engine still requires inserting the key fob followed by a push of the "start" button. It's an outdated setup compared to the keyless ignitions of most cars in this class, but you get used to the drill. The turn-signal-sized transmission lever also feels awkward at first, but quickly becomes second nature.

Ergonomic quirks are quickly forgotten with a press of the right pedal. The 750i moves out like a muscle car fresh out of charm school. The torque is immediate, the shifts quick and the noises just right. It feels like it could spin the rear tires even with the huge 275/40R19 meats that come with the sport package.

All 750s get an extra half inch of rear track for improved stability along with revised suspension bushings. Combined with perfectly-weighted steering, which has more feel than we remember (possibly due to the new bushings), the 4,486-pound BMW feels almost tossable. It's a big, heavy car, but it drives with an athleticism that's unique for its class.

If you're looking for a little more comfort, however, go with the Dynamic Drive suspension, which throws fewer jolts your way than the sport package does in day-to-day driving.

It Has its Faults
Unlike the exterior design revisions, the changes on the inside go unnoticed. Some of the climate-control knobs get a new finish and the selection of wood trim has changed. There's still soft-touch leather in all the right places, but if you look closely a few cheap-looking plastics are tucked away in the corners.

And if the iDrive system is easier to use, as BMW claims, we didn't notice. The control knob now has a soft leather top, something you're sure to appreciate the first time you pound it in frustration.

Back on Top
You don't have to be an investment banker in the Palisades to know the 750i is worth $70K. The good stuff is still there and the flaws have been fixed. Our faith in BMW has been renewed.