BMW X7 2019 Review – International

There is little coincidence that BMW chose the United States to launch its new, upsized SUV, the seven-seat BMW X7.

Besides being manufactured in Spartanburg, South Carolina, the new 2500kg behemoth shares an affinity with America’s obsession of all things big, from its gaping interpretation of BMW’s kidney grille to its portly 5.2-metre long, 2.0-metre wide proportions.

Sitting in snarling traffic outside of Houston, Texas this month, the BMW X7 may as well be bearing an NRA or ‘Make America great again’ slogan on its rear bumper.

Its slabby sides, garish and chrome-laden grille and tall window line aren’t all that foreign from the Chevrolet Suburbans or Ford Expeditions that are so ubiquitous on these roads.

All this American pride does begin to make you wonder: how will such a vehicle fare in Oz when it lands in May this year?

For one, the BMW X7 is far more nimble than its American compatriots. It is in fact a close relative to the smaller X5, an SUV that Australians have come to know and love since its introduction in 1998.

The two luxury SUVs share engines – at least the diesel-only line-up confirmed initially – and drivelines, some underbody components and, according to BMW, four shared exterior elements (mirror caps and elements of the front doors).

They even share more than a passing resemblance with their price and value equations. Remarkably, despite its larger seven-seat layout and additional standard equipment such as 80mm-adjustable two-axle air suspension, the X7 commands a relatively meagre $8000 premium over the X5 variants on which it is based.

The two begin to differentiate markedly on size, however. The X7 is 130mm longer between the wheels than the X5 and 230mm longer overall, while its highly referenced kerb weight measures 400kg more.

There is more than a degree of separation upon examining its towing credentials: a braked rating of between 2200kg and 2600kg will apply, comparing with1900kg for the X5.

Generous equipment levels are standard on the X7, as detailed by our earlier pricing story. But the devil is in the detail; BMW is set to offer umpteen options, especially on the base spec.

One of those will be an optional off-road mode, available on the xDrive30d, which brings an extra button for choosing between four driving modes – xSand, xGravel, xRocks and xSnow.

These modes purportedly prepare an upcoming surface by activating the ideal settings for ride height, the all-wheel drive system, accelerator and transmission responses and stability control settings.

We didn’t sample the off-road system, but suffice to say, it isn’t going to give the X7 Range Rover-like off-road abilities.

Slipping into the BMW X7’s driver’s chair is a pleasant experience, thanks to an arrangement of different digital screens flanked by a stitched leather dashboard and tasteful woodgrain and brushed metal highlights.

It is a decidedly smarter interior than BMW offerings of years gone by, eschewing many hard-wired buttons for neater fixtures, while not going so minimalist to be unpractical.

Comparatively, there is little to truly distinguish the BMW X7 from many modern predecessors (7 Series, 5 Series, 8 Series, X5 et al), but that’s not particularly a bad thing.

A gaudy faux crystal-finished gear selector and matching starter button struggle to impart the same impression of sophistication, instead appearing as though they’re a direct wishlist item from BMW’s Chinese arm, a critical market.

In any case, the driving position affords a nice vista front and rear; low enough in the cabin to feel as though you’re sitting in the car rather than on top of it, but equally, with ample outward vision.

Closer inspection across the assortment of storage compartments and open cubbies reveals a truly practical layout: seven USB ports across the cabin, wireless phone charging and even heated/cooled front-row cup holders.

The BMW X7 offers face-level climate control for the front two rows, however, getting the full five-zone climate control treatment requires ticking an optional box.

Elsewhere, the idea of using electric motors rather than manual adjustment across all seven seats appears a masterstroke befitting of the X7’s stature at first. However, a question mark lingers around real-world practicality.

Getting access to the third row, for instance, requires you to slide the second row forward, which in turn requires the front seat to be moved forward (automatically) to accommodate a small walk-through pathway.

This whirring rearrangement of musical chairs takes 11 seconds, according to our stopwatch, a relative eternity for a parent juggling a child, groceries and a buzzing mobile phone they cannot find.

Not withstanding that, second-row space is generous inside the X7, with comfy chairs and a raised outlook of the surrounds. It is entirely possible to spend a few hours in an outer middle pew and still jump out feeling refreshed.

By comparison, the third row is very much a stop-gap measure for the occasional friend or relative to utilise. The rear bleachers offer adequate support for shorter journeys, along with a modicum of storage and comfort features, but space is hardly plentiful.

Boot space is the BMW X7’s true trump card. Even with the third row in place, there is enough room for a couple of overnight bags – 326 litres – extending to a sizeable 2120 litres with the seats stowed. As with most modern BMWs, the X7 foregoes a spare-tyre for run-flat rubber.

BMW chose a cross-country expedition of the US as its press introduction for the new X7. On reflection, the exercise makes plenty of sense; the X7 is right at home on the open road, using rich, torque-laden engines, a serene cabin environment and opulent interior layouts to spoil its occupants.

It is probably no coincidence the adventure doesn’t take in many twisting, challenging roads either. As with pretty much every seven-seat SUV before it, the X7 cannot defy physics, leaning and pitching its way through corners and making its mass known at every opportunity.

That’s not to say the BMW X7 is a squirrely, hulking device – it initially feels one of the sharper offerings in the segment – but there’s no hiding its 2500kg mass.

In fact, we’d be very interested in a back-to-back comparison with an Audi Q7 (a segment smaller than the X7, according to BMW – but a key rival to prospective buyers) to see how good the X7 actually is dynamically.

Mass is again a critical factor in the X7’s general ride. Cosseting over pitter-patter bumps, the air suspension and double-wishbone front, five-link axle rear arrangement struggle to yield the same composure over sharper undulations, which audibly thud through the cabin.

Cats-eyes, road joins and the like are quite pronounced in our test cars, riding on 22-inch wheels.

Similarly, traversing longer, drawn-out undulations and big compression bumps incites some floatiness from the suspension, however, it is relatively quick to recover, resuming smooth and quiet progress.

In other areas, there’s a typical BMW maturity to the key controls, from steering that is light enough at low speed yet delivers engaging feel, weighting and feedback through twisting turns, to an engine and gearbox package that appears well versed in sporty, efficient and cross-country driving alike.

There is one caveat here, however: there were no Australian-market engines available to test. You’ll have to take our word based on earlier X5 reviews that the six-cylinder turbo-diesel offerings should have little trouble shifting the X7’s considerable heft.

Instead, we sampled the US-market petrol offerings -- the 250kW/450Nm xDrive40i and the all-encompassing 340kW/650Nm V8 petrol xDrive50i.

Both offer effortless surge from down low, enabling the car to simply waft its way out of intersections and stop signs, before building encouragingly to higher speeds. This is particularly the case with the V8, which embarks on a rapid 5.4sec 0-100km/h quest at will.

Does the BMW X7 rewrite the luxury SUV rulebook in the same way the X5 did? In earnest, not really – but then, that’s not this car’s core objective.

Instead, BMW’s first attempt at a full-size seven-seater successfully straddles the line between being practical, smart and tech-laden and being just dynamic enough to sit at the pinnacle of BMW’s high-riding line-up.

The BMW X7 doesn’t seem to attain the luxurious heights of the 7 Series, nor the dynamic edge of the smaller X5 – instead finding itself neatly placed between both.

On first impressions, Americans and Aussies alike will go mad for it.

How much does the 2019 BMW X7 cost?
Price: $119,900 (xDrive30d), $169,900 (M50d), plus on-road costs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder twin-turbo diesel, 3.0-litre six-cylinder quad-turbo diesel
Output: 195kW/620Nm, 294kW/760Nm
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Fuel: 6.8L/100km, 7.4L/100km
CO2: 178g/km, 193g/km
Safety rating: TBC