MotorMouths

Ignore the power consumption meters and concentrate on the speedometer, because this BMW 7 Series is comically quick. Luxury limos this big really have no right to hit 60 mph from rest in just 4.7 seconds.

BMW, Lexus, and other high end brands, need to please their elite clientele that also have an energy conscience. So, in that vein, the 2011 BMW ActiveHybrid 7 makes sense. But the best part of this hybrid is, it’s still an uncompromising BMW.

Trust us when we say it’s everything you would never expect to happen when you put your foot in it. With a combined 455 hp and a 515 lb-ft of torque, the 2011 BMW ActiveHybrid 750i feels capable of melting faces and small planetary bodies alike.

BMW made the ActiveHybrid7 for wealthy benefactors. Think of this car as the motorized equivalent of an expensive charity ball, given by the swells of the community for the greater good of all.

The BMW Activehybrid 7 is a nicer drive than the V-12. Its lighter front end improves agility and it comes to a halt in near-silence. The throttle response is sharp too. And who’d say no to the additional fuel range?

If a 7-series customer believes he needs a car more powerful than the 750i but doesn’t want to step up to the 12-cylinder 760Li—which we think he should—and also wants 15 percent or so better fuel economy, BMW has just the model.

Try not to think of the 2012 BMW ActiveHybrid 7 as a rolling contradiction with a price tag that outweighs its efficiency. Instead consider that it’s a sophisticated super sedan with the power of a V12 engine, only with the thirst of a mere V8.

Most automakers use the additional energy provided by a hybrid system to get away with a smaller gasoline engine, thereby maintaining expected power but reducing fuel use. BMW looked at that extra power and thought, “excellent, we can make our cars go even faster!”

The 2011 750Li ActiveHybrid feels like exactly what it is: a first try. This hybrid sedan lacks the utter refinement 7-series owners should expect.