2011 BMW 740i / 740Li - First Drive Review - Car and Driver

For the first time since 1992, a six-cylinder engine is available in the U. S. -market BMW 7-series , under the hood of the 2011 740i and long-wheelbase 740Li. But unlike before, this one is twin-turbocharged and direct-injected, technologies... Perhaps equally important, the N54 inline-six also significantly lowers the price of entry into a brand-new 7-series. Details on that will follow in a bit, but we will say that the most important items carry over untouched: the comfortable ride and sporty dynamics of the 750i, a car that beat out the Mercedes-Benz S550 in a two-car comparison test. In the 740, the aforementioned N54 3. 0-liter twin-turbo inline-six is uprated from its previous 335i application by more boost, to the tune of 10. 2 maximum psi. (The increased pressure as well as BMW’s greater experience tuning the N54 for higher performance are why the new, single-turbo N55 wasn’t used here. ) The result is a jump to 315 hp and 330 lb-ft of torque from 300 hp and 300 lb-ft. BMW says the lighter six saves about 215 pounds. Although many people feel that a proper luxury sedan needs a V-8—or more—up front, the N54 six moves this 4300-plus-pound luxury. Source: www.caranddriver.com