BMW X7

BMW X7 – Exterior

The first thing you will notice when approaching the BMW X7 is the massive kidney grills. Sharing it with the facelifted BMW 7 series, this is the biggest grill installed on any BMW model. However, due to the size of the X7, the grill fits the car’s overall proportion and does not seem to be oversized at all. Most SUVs in the market lean towards a sporty demeanor but the BMW X7 was designed with one thing in mind: pure luxury elegance. Road users would be mesmerized by its design and presence, and rareness on the road. 

BMW offers the X7 with the Design Pure Excellence trim in Malaysia. This trim adds chrome parts such as the front intakes, window trim, air breather (side garnish from fender to rear doors), rear bumper and aluminum roof rails. The chrome enhances the luxury aura of the X7.

The X7 comes equipped with BMW’s state of the art, Laserlight headlight that allows drivers to see twice as far as conventional headlights. The X7 rides on 21-inch Y-spoke rims with 285/45 tyres that provide great traction during acceleration and certainly look great.

BMW X7 – Interior

When entering the driver seat, you will be greeted by two 12.3-inch screens for the instrument panel and the infotainment screen. These two screens including the Heads Up Display are parts of the BMW Live Cockpit Professional package. Looking up you will find the Sky Lounge panoramic roof illuminated with 15,000 lighting elements, switchable between 6 colors for the front and second row and a smaller sunroof for the third row.  

The seats are covered in Vernasca leather and the dashboard with BMW’s Sensatic faux leather. The interior classiness is elevated with the Fineline Stripe gloss wood and aluminum trims. The X7 also comes with the Crafted Clarity package that adds Swarovski glass details to the gear lever, start button, iDrive selector and volume knob.

Although the X7 is a 7-seater SUV, the boot has enough space for the whole family. It is capable of 350 liters of storage with all seats up but increases to 750 liters and 2000 liters when the third row and second row are folded respectively. The tailgate can be accessed handsfree and seat folding can be done by pushing buttons at the boot area.

BMW X7 – Features

The front cockpit is a comfortable and cooling area with a five-zone automatic air-conditioning system. The front ventilated seats feature power adjustability that surpasses other BMW seats especially on the lumbar and shoulder area. It also has heating capabilities and memory function.

The rear occupants are not neglected like in most MPVs. Here in the X7, both the second and third row, passengers have electric seats and independent air-con controls. The glaring sun can be avoided, thanks to the electric blinds for the rear windows.

A car of this stature has to be equipped with the latest safety features to offer. The BMW X7 comes with the Driving Assistant system featuring autonomous emergency braking (AEB), lane keeping assist, blind spot monitoring and adaptive cruise control with stop and go as standard. Drivers can be kept safe with the collision warning available on board.

The huge size of the X7 might worry certain drivers as it would be difficult to maneuver it especially, during parking. You can rest assure because the X7 has the Parking Assistant Plus that includes a 360-degree parking camera, providing Top, Panorama and 3D view, and also the Reversing Assistant. This makes the X7 a breeze to handle and to park.

The BMW X7 has a 12.3-inch touchscreen for infotainment and navigation. It can be controlled with gesture control and there is wireless charging for your smartphones. Passengers will get a great experience when listening to your favorite songs as the X7 has 16 Harman Kardon speakers all over the whole interior.

Rear passengers also get two 10.2-inch touchscreens and a Blu-Ray player. Also, there is an HDMI port, headphone ports and USB charging ports on the center console. If you think the third row gets no love, then you are wrong. BMW prepared USB charging ports in the back as well.  

BMW X7 Sportback – Powertrain

The BMW X7 xDrive40i is the only trim available in Malaysia and that comes with BMW’s 3.0 liter turbocharged Inline 6 engine producing 340 PS @ 5,500-6,500 rpm and 450 Nm @ 1,500-5,200 rpm. A ZF eight-speed automatic transmission is paired to the B58 3.0 liter engine. Power is then directed to all four wheels by the xDrive system. When in the mood, you can shift and change gear with either the paddle shift or the gear lever.

The X7 is held balanced with a two-axle air suspension system. This system has five height settings that can be changed with a lever, over a range of 80 mm. Each wheel’s suspension is controlled individually to balance the car under uneven load. 

In addition to the air suspension, BMW added the Executive Drive Pro package and Dynamic Damper Control system. The X7 is able to process data from the drive and ensures the stabilization of the car and would not roll under any circumstances. Now, rear wheel steering is included for the CKD units.

The X7 is fitted with BMW’s XDrive all-wheel drive system. The drivetrain uses an electronic multi-plate clutch and needs only 0.1 seconds to react when traction is lost in any axle. This system is rear wheel bias and gives the X7 a traditional driving feel as BMWs are rear wheel drive by nature. 

BMW X7 Sportback – Driving Performance

The B58 engine and ZF transmission allow the BMW X7 to accelerate from 0 – 100 km/h in 6.1 seconds. The top speed is limited to 245 km/h. Although the X7 weighs about 2.3 tons, the turbo Inline 6 engine does the job well, accelerating effortlessly, even in the Eco Pro driving mode.

BMW X7 Sportback – Ride Comfort

There are a total of 4 driving modes: Comfort, Sport, Eco Pro and Adaptive. Each mode electronically controls suspension dampening where comfort is the softest. It is a surprise that even under Sports mode, the ride is comfortable without being too stiff or harsh.

Usually, cars with a third row suffers huge body roll and could be nauseating but in the X7 the ride is very stable and comfortable up until the last row. As a luxury car, NVH is an important aspect and BMW does this by having thick window glass. As a result, wind noise is almost unnoticeable especially at high speeds.

The BMW X7 xDrive40i is exactly what you would expect in a Flagship SUV. It has the opulence and elegance that fits its nickname of being the 7-series of the SUVs and is equipped with all the latest technology BMW has to offer. It drives well and is unexpectedly convenient. The sheer size of the X7 is a representative of your stature and wealth on the road.