Am I crazy or what? The 7 would actually be a sunny day car, too.

I like the idea of ultra-luxury, big body sedan.

 

Not crazy but it's not easy to drive a big sedan, no matter how competent it is, after being used to sports cars.

 

u r crazy.
get a 550i, much better looking body.

raja

 

You guys would be surprised at how agile the 7 is. I have an Li but I know the the i is right on the heels of an M3 through the cones. I love how the 7 drives.

 

weird thing is, you can't get sports seats on the 5, but you can on the 7. go figure.

 

what does right on the heels mean? i really have no idea how fast a 7 series is around a set of cones/AX but with at least 1200+ lbs on the e46 i cant really see it being very competitive

 

well instead of a sedan i say you get a brand spankin new M coupe

 

Or you could wait for Porsche to come out with the Panamera, then buy the 610 hp v10 CGT engine model and spank everything!

 

The 7 series is depreciation galore..keep the M3

 

Pleasey buy the 7er fast so I can buy your M3 at a really good price

 

Two completely different cars. If you enjoy driving, keep the M pure and simple.

 

The M3 hit 67.3mph and the 750i hit 67mph per Road and Tracks slalom tests, that is very impressive for such a big sedan. Having had both, you cannot push the 7 through the twisties as hard as the M3 obviously but you would be surprised at how capable it is.

 

OK finally something I can comment on

I had an 02 m3 that BMW bought back, and my mother has an 06 750i. I recently replaced the 02 m3 with an 06 competition package m3. While the 02 m3 was in for service (6 or 7 months) I drove the 7 extensively. So I feel I can give an accurate assessment.

The 7 will surpise you day in an day out. It's very powerful, at highway speeds I can definately see it hanging with the m3. The car just pulls and pulls, and it doesn't even need to be revved high for you to feel it. The car loves being at 100+, you don't even feel the speed in this thing. The handling on a car of this size is just amazing. Of course it's not as tossable as the m3 and you do feel the weight negotiating tighter turns. This car has the active steering which tightens at higher speeds, it really gives you a reassuring, stable feel. I never once got into any situations in which I felt "oh ****, I don't know if I can make this turn". The fit and finish of the 7 cannot really be compared with the m3. Naturally, the ride of the 7 is a lot smoother.

ok, there are two things maybe 3 that you will miss the m3 for. THe first being the braking, the brakes on the m3 are really really good, the ones on the 7 need some work. The other thing you will miss about the m3 is the handling, in the m3 you feel as though you can throw any turn at this car and it will handle anything effortlessly. Lastly, you will probably miss all of the sporty sounds that the m3 makes.

After driving the 7 and then getting another m3, I feel the perfect compromise of the two is an m5.

 

might as well add a couple of pictures for comparison

 

Great post! I completely agree with the M5 being a perfect synthesis of these two cars and is definetly a consideration for me. I have had a lot of cars and lots of BMW's and its one car brand that I always feel I can come back to and be very happy with.