BMW’s largest and most luxurious SUV to date made its world debut last week at the 2017 Frankfurt Auto Show. Presented in concept form, the X7 was received with mix impressions, mostly related to its front-end design which is extremely polarizing. BMW is trying to signify how imposing the new X7 is and seems to be doing so in almost a Rolls Royce sort of way. Up until now, the largest BMW SUV you could buy was the X5. With a third row as an option, the X5 was never really a seven-seater.
Continue Reading Below
Now, the BMW X7 will be the flagship luxury SUV in the Bavarian lineup and it will contend with cars like the Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class and even the Range Rover Autobiography.
BMW CEO Harald Krueger has high expectations for the new X7. “We are targeting to be the No. 1 in our [large luxury SUV] segment,” he said. “Mercedes was quite a long time alone in that segment. And I like the competition that we bring.”
The full-size, three-row X7 will be one of the biggest BMWs produced, and it has a grille to match. It’s tall and the height is emphasized by the very sleek headlights. The laser lights have “X” designs, and this is the first BMW X model with perfectly round wheel arches. Inside the BMW X7 Concept, you’ll notice many features that are reminiscent of the BMW 8 Series Concept’s cabin. The futuristic steering wheel, iDrive controller, glass shift lever and fully digital gauge cluster all look either plucked straight from the 8 Series Concept or at least inspired by it. Whereas the exterior of the X7 Concept is all about being sophisticated, yet imposing, the interior is all about high-tech minimalism.
While BMW has yet to release full details of the X7’s powertrain other than it will feature a TwinPower turbo petrol engine allied with its eDrive technology, but we can assume this will be the 740e’s 2-liter set up with a combined output of 322 hp and the ability to travel up to around 20 miles on electric power alone. As befits the X7’s luxury bent no doubt other engines will be available including the 3-liter diesel and the company’s 4.4-liter twin-turbo V8.
Way too ugly, there is no way Range Rover owners would convert to this pile.
They will if they’re tired of what is basically a 50 yr. old design.
No one asked you to comment.
I despise the front end of the x7 even more than that of most Lexus that have been built in the last 5 years. Oversized grills look fine on a big truck but on a car or SUV they simply look like oversized bolted on silicone with no proportion sense of balance or style. So BMW please take the lead in stopping this now!
Why, oh why, do the designers make such cartoonish exaggerations of vehicle features these days??? Lexus went off the deep end with their grill and the RX350 design. Volvo has gone dangerously close with the XC40. But the X7 Concept is just plain ugly and completely against the understated elegance of BMW. Leave the gaping maw grill to Lexus and Lincoln, the oversized, redundant emblems to Mercedes, the bling to Cadillac. We want BMW not some poor imitation of any of those other brands.
There is supposed to be a sense of sensibility to German design, an aesthetic that implies function without waste. This thing has a lack of honest design to it. The fake vents on the X5/X6 have always bothered me- not enough to stop me from buying them but they detract from the package.
It won’t be Number 1 with that hideous piece of crap.
I managed to sneak a photo of the 2019 BMW X9 Concept being road tested in the US.
Very similar design language to the X7 as you will see…
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/01a0bfe96689761525a3bd439b9ec0ccc4715d3e666d26a560eda3bff85993f7.png
With designs like X7, its not happening soon !!
But then sales numbers will also comprise of brillant ones such as X1, X3 etc so it may become a reality eventually.
But for sure, they can’t be no.1 in upper luxury segments with car designs such a X7, 7er etc.
Comparing the design of G11/12 7er with the design of this X7 is ridiculous…
G11 7er is still nice piece of car (may be not so nice like G30 5er, but nice…), while the X7 is one of the ugliest BMW I have ever seen…. :( some 15 years ago E65 7er seemed to be ugly car, but it certainly wasn’t as ugly as this one…
with this design even Kia would be more successful in luxury SUV segment than X7…
The 745i outsold S Class and was the era BMW became #1 Premium. As far as making an impression in a new, large vehicle segment, BMW may well know what they’re doing, going up against tradional, conservative, Escalade, Navigator, GLE and Range Rover.
Luxury in not about being ugly or not. RR is not the best looking car but it owns its segment. S Class is not the best looking car, but its very luxurious. So is X7, it will / may be very luxurious. So looks and Luxury are oil and water.
Model X will be No.1, cause this car will not have access to supercharger infrastructure. And before the BMW fanboys will get angry, the X in Model X is random, it’s not a reference to BMW X models, same with Model S/ MB S Class and Model 3 / BMW 3. And upcoming Model Y will be named Model 3X. Only chinese will copycat
Wrong, wrong and wrong. X7 will be hybrid, no need for supercharger, X isn’t even outselling years old S & has been price reduced, Elon wanted S, E, X, Y until Ford threatened legal action, if his alternate isn’t a rip-off why is it referred to as M3, which has been a BMW for over 3 decades? Once again a comparison with BMW from a manufacturer that does not compete with them, another wannabe.
This is so ugly, my eyes hurt!
X6//M is the beautiest model of the BMW’s X series.