The China-Centric BMW X7 Doesn't Care What The West Thinks
BMW has finally unveiled the production-spec X7 flagship SUV, and its styling is finally out there for all the world to argue about.
Built primarily to capture high-end business in the vast Chinese market, where business moguls are said to be rapidly switching from saloons to SUVs, or Sports Activity Vehicles (SAVs) in BMW-speak, the styling is apparently quite popular among the Far-Eastern elite.
It’s crammed with the best of the tech that BMW can offer, from a third-generation head-up display with more information and a larger display area to an all-digital dashboard made up of two 12.3-inch widescreen units.
An ambient air package can scent the cabin with any one of eight different fragrances, the central cupholders will heat or cool your choice of beverage and there are six colours of interior ambient light to choose from. Naturally, wireless mobile charging is available too.
The concept’s ultra-thin headlights have been fattened up slightly but they still use BMW Laserlight LED technology for double the typical LED headlight main beam range. BMW claims that the X7’s high beam is good for 600 metres – over a third of a mile.
This is no shrinking violet. The up-to-2.5-tonne beast measures some 5151mm long, 1805mm tall and two metres exactly from side to side; 151mm longer, 31mm lower and 10mm wider than a full-fat Range Rover. Don’t imagine the X7 will be easy to handle in a typical European multi-storey car park.
That length does at least provide three rows of seats. BMW says the third row comprises ‘full-size’ seats with armrests, cupholders and USB ports. Optionally, the middle row – a traditional three-seat bench – can be swapped for two individual seats. All seven (or six) seats are electrically adjustable. With all seats in place there’s 326 litres of boot space out back.
Standard 20-inch wheels will most likely look tiny beneath the big X, so there are 21- and 22-inch upgrades as well. Air suspension with electronically adjustable dampers will help comfort, but towing capacity is limited to 2200kg (4850lb).
Europe will have a choice of 40i, 30d and M50d power options, all linked to all-wheel drive through an eight-speed automatic gearbox. The straight-six 40i boasts 335bhp and over 30mpg, the 30d musters 261bhp with potential for 43.5mpg on the smallest wheels, and the M50d is clearly the performance option with 394bhp and 560lb ft. Lift off the accelerator a lot and you might even get 40mpg, the stats say. Other markets will add the 50i 4.4-litre petrol V8, which has a healthy 456bhp.
The ride height can be varied by up to 80mm for light off-road duties. On all models except the M50d there are extremely on-brand off-road driving modes, too, spanning xSand, xGravel, xRocks and xSnow. Each automatically alters the ride height and traction control characteristics, as well as the engine and transmission maps. It seems a little frivolous, given the vulnerability of its large alloys and the stellar unlikelihood that any customer cars will ever see much mud.
Regardless, all that anyone is going to want to talk about is that nose. So: over to you.
Comments
You know the old saying: ‘Bigger is better’. It also contradicts with another saying ‘The bigger you are, the harder you’ll fall’. So how long till we see SUVs grow to the point the front grille takes up pretty much the face and is equivalent to the size of the ol’ Hummer? I think by the time almost every private owned vehicle is an SUV, we’ll have moved from clamping down on emissions to clamping down on size of those Behemoths. And then everyone who owns and makes an SUV will be in trouble.
I read about this last night and in my drunken state I tried to recreate the grille myself, this is what I came up with
9/10 for creativity 👌👌👏👏
Has approximately the same number of venty thingies
I rate 0/0, good job
Pretty noice i say even if it’s no good for off road
Which it won’t be because it’s a modern SUV
It looka like a mustage
Inb4 we see it in movies involving the Chinese Mafia
You call this a “Beamer”? More like a “Beaver”! :D
Thats a face only a mother could love
Fabulous reply
Why would you need a car this big? Surely an X5 is already big enough. Most of these cars will only ever be driven around city centres, but how are you (or your chauffeur/valet) going to park a car that’s two feet longer and 10cm wider than a McLaren 650S? That’s not luxury in my opinion.
This has become a status statement symbol in most Asian countries. The theory arises back from the early 16th and 17th century when the emperors used elephants instead of horses or horse carriages to justify their position and wealth. However the rest of world didn’t have these animals in their region nor was it possible to transport an elephant to another nation via sea or land. Ofcourse later on in other parts of the world, horse carriages became more accessible to people as wealth grew and to justify their positions, people have used large and flamboyant inanimate objects to justify their status position. This has since been passed down generations after generations who usually see large vehicles as status symbol or ultimately “the safest vehicle” if they ever get hit by anything. That is a brief psychology of anyone who isn’t into cars or efficiency OR fun for that matter.
people rarely pay more to be more cramped, you know.
just as tuners are never satisfied with their dyno numbers, people can never have enough space. such is the inherent greed of humanity.
i mean its not something new, mercedes has been building the GL (now GLS) for years. and im pretty sure the escalade, suburban and new dodge durango fit in this segment aswell
I think it needs a larger grille….