Certified Benz & Beemer Compares 2012 BMW 7 SERIES VS 2012 Infiniti M Near Scottsdale, AZ

The BMW 7 Series has Daytime Running Lights to help keep it more visible under all conditions. Canadian government studies show that driving with lights during the day reduces accidents by 11% by making vehicles more conspicuous. The M Series doesn’t offer Daytime Running Lights.

An active infrared night vision system optional on the 7 Series helps the driver to more easily detect people, animals or other objects in front of the vehicle at night. Using an infrared camera and near-infrared lights to detect heat, the system then projects the image on the windshield, near the driver’s line of sight. The M Series doesn’t offer a night vision system.

The 7 Series offers an optional Side and Top View Cameras to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The M Series only offers a rear monitor.

The 7 Series has standard BMW Assist, which uses a global positioning satellite (GPS) receiver and a cellular system to remotely unlock your doors if you lock your keys in, help track down your vehicle if it’s stolen or send emergency personnel to the scene if any airbags deploy. The M Series doesn’t offer a GPS response system, only a navigation computer with no live response for emergencies, so if you’re involved in an accident and you’re incapacitated help may not come as quickly.

Both the 7 Series and the M Series have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, four wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding and available all wheel drive.

The 7 Series’ corrosion warranty is 5 years longer than the M Series’ (12 vs. 7 years).

BMW pays for scheduled maintenance on the 7 Series for 4 years and 50,000 miles. BMW will pay for oil changes, tire rotation, lubrication and any other scheduled maintenance. Infiniti doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the M Series.

There are over 2 times as many BMW dealers as there are Infiniti dealers, which makes it much easier to get service under the 7 Series’ warranty.

The 7 Series has more powerful engines than the M Series:

As tested in Car and Driver the 740 is faster than the M37:

For more instantaneous acceleration and better engine flexibility in any gear, the 7 Series’ engines produce their peak torque and horsepower at lower RPM’s than the M Series:

On the EPA test cycle the 740 RWD gets better fuel mileage than the M56 RWD (17 city/25 hwy vs. 16 city/24 hwy).

Regardless of its engine, regenerative brakes improve the 7 Series’ fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. Infiniti only offers a regenerative brake system on the M Series Hybrid.

The 7 Series has 3.9 gallons more fuel capacity than the M Series Hybrid’s standard fuel tank (21.7 vs. 17.8 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups. The 7 Series has 1.7 gallons more fuel capacity than the M Series 37/56’s standard fuel tank (21.7 vs. 20 gallons).

For better stopping power the 7 Series’ brake rotors are larger than those on the M Series:

The 7 Series stops shorter than the M Series:

Changing a flat tire near traffic can be dangerous and inconvenient. The run-flat tires standard on the 7 Series can be driven up to 50 miles without any air pressure, allowing you to drive to a service station for a repair. The M Series doesn’t offer run-flat tires.

The 7 Series has standard front and rear gas-charged shocks for better control over choppy roads. The M Series’ suspension doesn’t offer gas-charged shocks.

The 7 Series offers active sway bars, which help keep it flat and controlled during cornering, but disconnect at lower speeds to smooth the ride and offer greater off-road suspension articulation. This helps keep the tires glued to the road on-road and off. The M Series doesn’t offer an active sway bar system.

The 750i offers an available adjustable active suspension system, which counteracts cornering forces actively, limiting body roll and improving handling and stability. Infiniti doesn’t offer an active suspension on the M Series.

The 7 Series has a standard driver-adjustable suspension system. It allows the driver to choose between an extra-supple ride, reducing fatigue on long trips, or a sport setting, which allows maximum control for tricky roads. The M Series’ suspension doesn’t offer adjustable shock absorbers.

The 750i has a standard automatic load leveling suspension to keep ride height level with a heavy load or when towing. The M Series doesn’t offer a load leveling suspension.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the 750i’s wheelbase is 6.7 inches longer than on the M Series (120.9 inches vs. 114.2 inches). The 750Li’s wheelbase is 12.2 inches longer than on the M Series (126.4 inches vs. 114.2 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the 7 Series is 1.4 inches wider in the front and 3.3 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the M Series.

The 740i handles at .91 G’s, while the M56 AWD pulls only .84 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The 750Li goes through Road & Track’s slalom 2 MPH faster than the M56 (68.7 vs. 66.7 MPH).

The 750Li performs Car and Driver’s emergency lane change maneuver 6.5 MPH faster than the M37 (68.3 vs. 61.8 MPH).

The 740i executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.1 seconds quicker than the M35H (25.8 seconds @ .73 average G’s vs. 26.9 seconds @ .68 average G’s).

As tested by Road & Track, the interior of the 750Li is quieter than the M56:

The 7 Series SWB has 1.5 inches more front headroom, .8 inches more front shoulder room, .8 inches more rear headroom, 2.2 inches more rear legroom and .7 inches more rear shoulder room than the M Series.

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the 7 Series Li’s available rear seats recline. The M Series’ rear seats don’t recline.

Unlike the driver-only memory system in the M Series, the 7 Series has standard driver and passenger memory, so that when drivers switch, the memory setting adjusts the driver’s seat, steering wheel position, outside mirror angle, climate settings and radio stations and the front passenger seat also adjusts to the new passenger’s preset preferences.

The 7 Series offers an optional heads-up display which projects speed and other key instrumentation readouts onto the windshield, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The M Series doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The power windows standard on both the 7 Series and the M Series have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the 7 Series is engaged the driver can still operate all of the windows, for instance to close one opened by a child. The M Series prevents the driver from operating the other windows just as it does the other passengers.

Heated windshield washer nozzles are standard on the 7 Series to prevent washer fluid and nozzles from freezing and help continue to keep the windshield clear in sub-freezing temperatures. The M Series doesn’t offer heated windshield washer nozzles.

In poor weather, headlights can lose their effectiveness as grime builds up on their lenses. This can reduce visibility without the driver realizing. The 7 Series has standard headlight washers to keep headlight output high. The M Series doesn’t offer headlight washers.

While driving with high beams on, sensitive light sensors available for the 7 Series detect other vehicles which could be blinded and automatically switch to low beams. The M Series doesn’t offer automatic dimming high beams.

The 7 Series has standard automatic dimming rear and side view mirrors which automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on them, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The M Series has an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

Both the 7 Series and the M Series offer available heated front seats. The 7 Series also offers optional heated rear seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated rear seats aren’t available in the M Series.

To help keep rear passengers entertained, the 7 Series offers optional rear seat controls for the radio. The M Series doesn’t offer rear seat audio controls.

Optional BMW Apps for the 7 Series allows the driver and passengers access to select programs on their smartphones, including reading text messages aloud, playing internet radio stations, tagging songs to buy them later, following twitter accounts and other online activities without taking their eyes off the road or their hands from the wheel. The M Series doesn’t offer factory integrated smartphone program access.