2012 BMW 7-Series vs. Its Competition

2012 BMW 7-Series 4-door Sedan 750i RWD Angular Front Exterior View

Meta Rating 9.4 out of 10

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Feb 23, 2012

The BMW 7-Series has its biggest beefs with the likes of the Audi A8 and Mercedes-Benz S-Class, but the Jaguar XJ, Porsche Panamera and Aston Martin Rapide are all legitimate prey, too.

The S-Class still looks imposing in its last years of life, and its AMG-gone-wild editions are numerically superior to BMW's Alpina-tuned 7er.

Double the rear-seat room, and add on impossible amounts of tire-smoking performance, and you arrive at the rather lumpy-looking Porsche Panamera, which obliterates all these cars with a 0-60 mph time of about 3.3 seconds for Turbo models.

The new Audi A8 looks less convincingly different than we were promised, but it's a swift, stable performer with a marvelous interior--despite our serious reservations about its Palm Pilot-like controller for audio and navigation.

The Jaguar XJ sexes up the class with an aero body and a swinging interior, but the new shape zaps rear-seat room and not all of the new interior bits feel rich and expensive.

Remove half the backseat room from the XJ, make it even more gorgeous and expensive, and you have the utterly fantastic but impractical Aston Martin Rapide.

2012 BMW 7-Series Get FREE Price Quote	2012 Audi A8 Get FREE Price Quote	2012 Jaguar XJ Get FREE Price Quote	2012 Mercedes-Benz S Class Get FREE Price Quote	2012 Porsche Panamera Get FREE Price Quote
Quick Specs
Meta Rating
9.4 The 2012 BMW 7-Series is the Bavarian automaker's flagship model, and it cleverly wraps vast interior space, industry-leading tech, and the expected BMW fleet-footedness.	8.8 The 2012 Audi A8 models might still be fighting for the most prestige among flagships, but they're in the top tier from inside, thanks to their impeccable cabin, innovative cabin tech, and a lean, athletic driving feel.	8.8 Cutting its ties with its illustrious and not so charmed past, the 2012 Jaguar XJ now rocks a swinging style that really suits its dynamic handling.	9.2 The Mercedes-Benz S-Class has a wide range of personalities--all of them superbly comfortably, some of them outrageously powerful.	8.2 Bucking tradition and the ordinary, the 2012 Porsche Panamera mostly succeeds in being an excellent large fastback sedan.
MSRP From
$71,000	$78,750	$73,700	$91,850	$75,200
Gas Mileage
13 MPG City / 25 MPG Hwy	18 MPG City / 28 MPG Hwy	15 MPG City / 23 MPG Hwy	12 MPG City / 31 MPG Hwy	15 MPG City / 30 MPG Hwy
Engine
Turbocharged Gas I6	Gas V8	Gas V8	Gas/Electric V6	Gas V6
EPA Class
Large	Large	Large Car	Large	Large Car
Style Name
4dr Sedan 740i RWD	4dr Sedan	4dr Sedan	4dr Sedan S400 Hybrid RWD	4dr HB
Drivetrain
Rear Wheel Drive	All Wheel Drive	Rear Wheel Drive	Rear Wheel Drive	Rear Wheel Drive
Passenger Capacity
5	5	5	5	4
Passenger Doors
N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Body Style
4-Door Sedan	Sedan	4 Door Sedan	4 Door Sedan	Hatchback
Transmission
Automatic	Automatic w/Manual Shift	Automatic w/OD	Automatic	Automatic w/Manual Shift