BMW has taken the wraps off the X7, and with it have started a new era in their existence as a company. BMW’s largest SAV, the X7 will be produced at BMW’s South Carolina plant in the US, and has quite a few changes. It has a more powerful engine, new tech and features on board and of course as is visibly obvious, the implementation of a new design language. This one definitely puts the GLS on alert in terms of looks and might actually be preferred over the Audi Q8 as well!
The most visible change is the all-new split headlight design, a first for BMW. And just like before, the large kidney grills DO NOT look absurd on a vehicle this size. The headlights are full LED signature BMW laserlights which are split in the middle, while the DRL is on top near the bonnet surface. The iconic kidney grille has remained, and is even updated for this car with certain variants getting a glow lighting feature as well. This grille light glow was introduced in the BMW family by the Rolls Royce Ghost series II. The rear has a slim chromed bar which lies between and connects the tail lamps so, you probably won’t be able to tell much of a difference from behind. The car rides on big 23″ BMW individual light-alloy wheels though expect nothing over 20″ in India.
[tie_slideshow]
[tie_slide]
[/tie_slide]
[tie_slide]
[/tie_slide]
[tie_slide]
[/tie_slide]
[/tie_slideshow]
The interior has also seen an update with a new 12.3″ touchscreen system and a 15″ control display, both of which are on a massive free-standing curved display on the dashboard. This is straight from BMW’s iX EV and will probably flow through to the BMW i7 launching on April 20th. The UI has been updated to make it more user-friendly and easy to use, and also has gesture and voice control inbuilt for ease of access. BMW’s i-drive was already best-in-class so it’d be interesting what’s more on offer here. The seats are made from Merino leather, and apart from all this there is also a sunroof, keyless entry and start, parking assistant and more driver aids are all standard as well.
The power is provided from either a 4.4L V8 or a 3.0L six-cylinder unit, with the former being reserved for the M60i xDrive, while the 3.0L unit will come in either a petrol or diesel guise for the xDrive 40i and xDrive 40d respectively. There is a 48V mild-hybrid system standard in all the engines to provide for an extra burst of power when needed. As is obvious, BMW’s signature xDrive remains standard across the entire range.
[tie_slideshow]
[tie_slide]
[/tie_slide]
[tie_slide]
[/tie_slide]
[/tie_slideshow]
No pricing has been revealed, and production is also expected to start only sometime in August this year with deliveries starting in 2023. Rivalling the likes of the Audi Q7, Mercedes GLS and Volvo XC90, it should square up well against the opposition. An India launch is imminent, considering how almost all previous generations of the X7 have made it to the subcontinent’s shores over the past few decades.
