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Here's How the New 2019 BMW X7 Measures Up against the Competition

Photo credit: Car and Driver
Photo credit: Car and Driver

From Car and Driver

The 2019 X7, introduced this week and officially on sale in March 2019, is BMW's biggest vehicle, if measured by sheer height (71.1 inches), width (78.7 inches without mirrors), and mass (5370 pounds estimated for the xDrive40i). But how large and in charge is the three-row X7 next to its closest-and not so close-competitors? We scanned the factory-measured spec sheets of some alternative four-wheel-drive boxes for a head-to-head comparison we'll call Storage Wars.

X7 vs. BMW 7-series

Photo credit: Michael Simari - Car and Driver
Photo credit: Michael Simari - Car and Driver

Sure, the X7 is long and huge in every dimension. But so is the 7-series sedan, which comes exclusively in a long-wheelbase trim for every variant. No surprise that it stretches the wheelbase by 4.2 inches and affords 6.8 inches more legroom versus the X7. It's also 3.3 inches longer overall. For the ultimate passenger comfort in BMW's lineup, still nothing beats the 7's enormous reclining and massaging rear seats.

X7 vs. Mercedes-Benz GLS

Photo credit: Michael Simari - Car and Driver
Photo credit: Michael Simari - Car and Driver

Its most obvious and direct competitor, the GLS-class, is a much improved version of the GL SUV, which was first introduced in 2012. Even so, the 2018 GLS won our 10Best Trucks and SUVs category for large SUVs and delivers first-class comfort, performance, and style. BMW must have tracked the GLS very closely, as it made sure to edge out the Benz by the tiniest of margins (the X7 is 1.3 inches longer, with a 1.1-inch longer wheelbase, and 0.7 inches wider). But the X7 is 1.7 inches less towering, even though its standard 21-inch wheels make the GLS look like it has baby rims. Inside, the X7's second and third rows are marginally tighter in legroom than the GLS (by 0.9 and 1.7 inches, respectively). The Benz, however, claims to offer 2.4 inches more headroom in the second row and 2.3 more inches for the third row.

X7 vs. Range Rover Long Wheelbase

Photo credit: Car and Driver
Photo credit: Car and Driver

There's no third row on this extravagant Range Rover. By making that sacrifice, rear passengers enjoy the best SUV this side of a Rolls-Royce Cullinan. The LWB Rangie adds another 1.4 inches in length and spreads its wheelbase to a whopping 122.8 inches (0.5 inch more). The X7 is slightly wider (0.7 inches), but the Rover is a ceiling-scraping 5.4 inches higher. For second-row headroom, the X7 bests the Range by 0.6 inches, but for legroom, there's no contest between the X7's 37.6 inches and the Range's 46.8.

X7 vs. Lincoln Navigator

Photo credit: Chris Doane Automotive - Car and Driver
Photo credit: Chris Doane Automotive - Car and Driver

The standard Navigator handily beats the X7 in every measure; it's a Sherman tank lined in leather. Third-row legroom is 9.0 inches greater. That should give you an idea of how seriously Lincoln takes measuring contests. The extended-wheelbase L (nearly a foot longer than a normal Navigator) moves the rear wheels back another 9.1 inches for a total of 131.6 inches, although it does so primarily to increase cargo capacity, not passenger space. In the L, headroom is slightly reduced, so in this configuration the X7 beats the Navigator in the second row by 2.0 inches.

X7 vs. Volkswagen Atlas

Photo credit: Chris Amos - Car and Driver
Photo credit: Chris Amos - Car and Driver

No one intent to spend more than $80,000 will speak of a Volkswagen in the same sentence as the megaship BMW, but the Atlas is a huge thing with tons of space for full-size adults in its second and third rows. Yes, the Atlas is five inches shorter and with a 4.9-inch-shorter wheelbase; but inside, the big Vee-Dub owns its nameplate. It's so large that the X7 and the Atlas share the same amount of second-row legroom. Otherwise, the Atlas edges out the X7 in headroom for both rows (1.7 more inches in the third row) and offers just slightly more knee space out back.

One thing those other SUVs have to offer is immediate availability. The X7 is currently available for preorder, but it doesn't arrive in dealerships until March 2019.

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