Is the author not aware that most automatic transmissions start out in a gear above 1st? Or, are you comparing the suspension settings as being the switch for this transmission setting? Because if you think the Cayenne is some technological marvel just because its ‘trick’ transmission starting out in 2nd from a dead stop, you’re badly mistaken.

To my eyes, it’s best looking Seven-Series ever. A luxobarge is not sports car and should have no ambition to look like one.

Anyone have any advice as to what to look for above and beyond the obvious potential glitches?

I sold my old Chevrolet Convertible “leaker” 18 months or more ago, and I’m itching to have a SAFE and RELIABLE car to enjoy for a couple thousand miles per summer (Yeah, I know, NW Michigan summer lasts about 3 days…)

It’s now at the nadir of depreciation, this car; under $3000 for a car which cost $90,000 new, 21 years ago. Twelve cylinders.

I’m kind of looking at it through the eyes of the potential up-side in 15 years.

Looking at this another way; crazy car guys with a spare $500 were buying 1930’s Auburns, Cords, Duesenburgs, Packards, Pierce Arrows, Cadillacs, Lincolns, Peerlesses, etc., post-war when all they were considered to be was old, unwanted, complex gashogs and out of style…. Look what happened to those values 30 to 50 years later.

Not that I’ll be around in 30 to 50 years for the BMW value to go up that far (as if).

Studebaker actually had “hill holder” (automatic brake at stop lights engaged once the brake and the clutch were pushed down) as an option for decades, right up until the early 1960’s. It disengaged when the clutch started to take-up and car started to move.

Subaru also offers a version of that right now.

I don’t get this. Pretty much every design has already been used before, and different styles go in and out of vogue. At the end of the day, you still want the product to look good, and much of the so-called “bangle” look is awkward. Actually, many parts of the design were supposed to address specific requirements like the euro pedestrian law and more trunk space, but they weren’t integrated well which is a sign of bad design.

I like how Mazda does their sheetmetal. They tend to smooth design elements into the panels with little emphasis on brightwork, and it flows well front to back. Their recent cars will look stylish well into the future.

EVERY Auto maker COPIED the iDrive and simply improved on it.

No, they all copied an mp3 player, and BMW did so poorly.

No really, this review just makes the “faulty” Maserati recenly reviewed that much better, now doesn’t it? I mean, if you’ve got 100k to blow on a car 120k is not much of a stretch. So go out and buy a real car and not such a techo-wacko-gizmo thingamajig.

I’ll take an Audi A8 please.

Not it’s not, it’s a statistic….

I did a double take when looking at a 2002ish Mercedes the other day with massive rusting going on at the bottom of the doors. Ewe. The bottom of the doors are not rusting on a 2002 BMW. (I live in Canada.)

And regarding the brake hold button, I have the same thing on my 2008 X5. It is annoying. It does not allow you to creep forward, which is handy sometime, not to mention intuitive for more drivers. When stopping at a red light to make a right hand turn it engages, when you really don’t want it engaging at all. I haven’t used it since the first week I owned the car.

The 7’s are nice car to buy used off leases. They are “cheap” at that point and good solid cars for the money.

2.) Newsflash – Not sure about everywhere else in the World, but in the United States if you have $80,000 – $100,000 to spend on a new car, ummm, you’re not that concerned with getting another few miles per gallon – LOL. But you DO want power/torque, which this cars sure looks to have in spades…

What’s wrong with sport mode? 4 days a week I get low 20’s economy driving to work relaxed, and one day I get 15 flooring the crap out of it when my hair’s on fire. It is a Luxury Sports Sedan – it does both surprisingly well – yes, it’s outdone at either end, but it’s hard to find a car that can split personalities so well.

As for I-drive – if you don’t get it, don’t use it. Set the controls and leave them the hell alone. There is no need for you to change the shift settings while driving down the road, and some of us like the ability to do it at all without a plethora of knobs cluttering up the console.

The Maus and The Elephant did (both are early Porsche productions)