Capitalism in the land of Marx: BMW delivers its manifesto

reporting from dresden, germany

My driving partner and I were in the vicinity of Chemnitz, a somewhat dire little city in the former East Germany known for its alcoholism and an enormous monument to Karl Marx. Naturally, we had to see it.

"Bitte, kennen Sie, wo ist der grossen Kopf vom Karl Marx?" we asked passersby.

The former East Germans, standing in chilly drizzle, were delighted to help the capitalist running dogs in their gigantic limousine, a 2009 BMW 750Li. They pointed us down one of the main streets -- Lumpenprolitariatstrasse, maybe? -- and there it was: A huge, glowering stone bust of the German political philosopher, about the size of a FEMA trailer. Now there, there's a redistributionist.

We were obliged to park the mega-Bimmer in a multilevel municipal parking deck, which was designed for cars about the size of the 750Li's ashtray. No matter. The car was equipped with BMW's new Integral Active Steering -- four-wheel steering, in other words. With a maximum rear-wheel deflection of 3 degrees, the system reduces the car's turning circle almost 2 1/2 feet. With a full crank on the wheel, this huge car seems to shrink to the size of a pensioner's Lada.

It's enough to make der grossen Kopf vom Karl Marx crack a smile. The fifth-generation BMW 750Li is a seriously large car, 17 feet long and well over 2 tons, not to mention the staggering avoirdupois of its ambition. So it's surprising -- even a little scary -- to feel this road-going ocean liner caper through the Eastern highlands like a stripped-down sport coupe. It's the same feeling you get watching a bear ride a bicycle, or Jackie Gleason glide around a pool table, or Warren Sapp sashay across the floor on "Dancing with the Stars": It just ain't natural.

But, of course, nature is what big BMWs must rise above (specifically the physics of mass, inertia and momentum). How do you make a personal limousine loaded to the scuppers with wood, leather, LCDs and circuitry handle like the ultimate driving machine?

The new 7 Series, which will have its North American debut at the Los Angeles Auto Show this month, has many answers for that. Some are fairly predictable and foundational. The metalworking of the body and chassis is astonishing: lightweight high-strength steel where it needs to be, and everywhere else a complex filigree of aluminum and magnesium. Among the all-alloy components: suspension and sub-frames, coil springs, engine block and final drive. All told, the new 7 Series -- the biggest car in its class -- is 121 pounds lighter than the previous model, or about the weight of one of Warren Sapp's legs.