BMW Goes Big with the New X7
BMW is hoping you are passionate about its trademark kidney grille design, because the new 2019 X7 three-row SUV, hitting dealerships in March, sports the largest kidney grille ever integrated into the nose of any BMW model.
Like that shiny chrome grille, everything about this new X7 is sized XXL. It’s almost 10 inches longer than BMW’s X5 and looks even bigger courtesy of its towering 71-inch height and bolt-upright stance. Parked alongside its closest rival, Mercedes-Benz’s GLS, the X7 is longer by 1.3 inches.
As you might expect, all those inches deliver a cabin that is nothing less than cavernous. There’s seating for either six or seven, with generous knee room in the third row for a couple of adults. The middle row offers a choice of a three-seat bench or a pair of captain’s chairs, both of which offer 5.7 inches of power-assisted fore-aft travel.
The X7 is also a capable load-carrier. With the second- and third-row seats folded flat—electrically, of course, no manual fiddling required—it can swallow almost 75 cubic feet of luggage or sports gear. And loading is made a little easier courtesy of a power-opening split tailgate and standard air suspension that can lower the truck at the touch of a button.
Just two X7 models will be on offer at launch: the xDrive40i starting at $73,900 or the xDrive50i at $92,600. The 40i features BMW’s proven three-liter, twin-turbo in-line six packing 335 hp and 330 ft lbs of torque. It’s good for zero-to-60-mph sprinting in 5.8 seconds.
Seeking even zippier performance? The 50i comes with a returned version of BMW’s brawny 4.4-liter twin-turbo V-8 offering 456 hp and 479 ft lbs of punch. It reduces the zero-to-60-mph time to 5.2 seconds—impressive for such a blunt-fronted heavyweight. Both engines are mated to an eight-speed automatic.
Being based on a stretched, rear-drive-biased X5 platform should ensure this South Carolina–built leviathan handles itself well. All-wheel drive is standard, as are adaptive dampers and air springs. Upgrade to the Dynamic Handling package and you get rear-wheel steering, upgraded brakes, and, for the V-8 version, BMW’s M Sport rear differential.
As you’d expect, this new X7 is loaded with cool tech, from heated and cooled cupholders and gesture control to a head-up display and an available panoramic sunroof that uses embedded LED lights to provide a starry night. Not even the new $325,000 Rolls-Royce Cullinan offers that.
Launch Gallery: The 2019 BMW X7 – In Pictures
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