Recently my father traded in his Acura 3.5RL and purchased a 2001 BMW 740i. He went to the dealership to check out the 540 vehicles, but he always wanted a 740 but just felt they were out of his price range. Well, at the dealership was a 740i with 3,000 miles on it with the identical exterior paint color that he was looking for on the 5 series. Because if was slightly used, it was an affordable price. Boy, is this car a step up from the Acura!

Interior
The interior of this automobile is astonishing; it is probably the best part of the car. Beautiful leather seats with 18 way adjustments on the front two seats. Navigation screen works in with the ear pleasing sound system as well as a Motorola cell phone which is included. There are numerous "little things" such as window shades that make the interior all the more luxurious.

Performance
The 740i comes with a 4.4 liter V8 engine. Acceleration is definitely great with this car especially considering the weight of the vehicle. Handling is nothing short of spectacular, but that is the norm when it comes to BMW vehicles. One can always count on a BMW vehicle to be able to outhandle its competition.

My Personal Driving Experience
Although it took some convincing initially, my father has let me drive this vehicle several times. While I am always interested in the power of an automobile, I was determined to push this car. Off a stand-still, the car has great acceleration. 0-60 MPH in this car is about 6.5 seconds I believe (that is extremely fast considering the size of the vehicle). One thing which I appreciate in this car is the fact when you are cruising at about 50 MPH, if you put the pedal down, most cars will pause for a few seconds and then you start to accelerate. In the 740i, once the pedal is down, the acceleration is smooth and fast. I personally love this car, and I think it is the best automobile owned by my family.

Other tidbits
One interesting fact, a few months ago in a Motor Trend issue, the magazine did a comparison with the Audi A8, the Mercedes S500, the Cadillac flagship sedan, and the BMW 740i. The magazine ranked the BMW 740i as the best vehicle in each category. Another note, the difference between the 740iL and the 740i is that the 740iL is about 5 inches longer. The 750 sedan is a V-12 and jacks up the price several tens of thousands of dollars.

Conclusion
Overall, the 740i is an amazing automobile. Not only is it spacious and comfortable, but it is sporty and high performing. If you are in the market for a luxurious sedan, I definitely recommend the BMW 740i.

Amount Paid (US$): about 70000
Condition: Used
Model Year: 2001