BMW X7: First Drive Review In India

The BMW X7 does almost everything right for a luxury 7-seater SUV and throws in a drive experience that’s simply remarkable!

The BMW X7 is a 6/7-seater luxury SUV that rivals the Mercedes-Benz GLS and Audi Q7. The X7 is offered with both petrol and diesel engines with automatic transmissions, air-suspension and all-wheel-drive as standard.

Looks

The BMW X7 is an attention-grabbing SUV, not only because of its size but also because the muscular detailing of every body panel along with the sleek design of the headlights and taillights make it look quite sporty. While its size is, no doubt, imposing on the road, it does look slimmer than a Mercedes-Benz GLS. 

The choice of 21-inch wheel design is sporty as well and BMW has managed to give the X7’s styling a strong touch of athleticism which is no small feat considering this is still an SUV that’s nearly 5.2 metres long and 2 metres wide!

Interior

Big luxury SUVs have several features to integrate that often warrant the use of several buttons or switches to operate them. But what strikes you first about the X7 is how clean the design looks! It’s also a more understated layout than what you’d see in the Mercedes-Benz GLS which can be a good or bad thing, depending on if you like your luxury SUVs with some elements of flash or not. 

As good as the cabin looks, it’s bettered by the rich quality of materials used everywhere and it’s impressive to see how much of this trickles down into BMW’s small SUVs like the BMW X1. The use of ambient lighting right into the third row and even the sunroof give the X7 a different personality inside while driving at night. The tan “Tartufo” and black interior combination complements the cabin’s design best though ivory white and all-black interior options are also available.

As you’d imagine, the cabin space available is beyond generous. The M Sport grades are available as 6-seaters with middle-row captain seats while the Design Pure Excellence variant can seat 7 with its bench-type middle-row seat. The seats offer good all–round support and comfort with cushioning that’s just firm enough to make even long hours in the seat fatigue-free. 

However, both the front and rear seats have a slightly short seat base which makes underthigh support for tall users less than ideal. An odd miss is the option of an extendable seat support which would’ve corrected this issue even if integrated manually. 

What’s also missing is the option of massaged seats for any of the occupants, a feature that BMW offers with the X1 for both front passengers! This feature is also missed in the Mercedes-Benz GLS, though Mercedes-Benz does offer the ‘seat kinetics’ program that automatically adjusts the seats with minor movements for users who don’t want to sit completely idle for prolonged periods. Heated and ventilated seats are offered too, but only for the front occupants.

Electric adjustment is offered for every seat and the driver can adjust the second-row seats as well as the co-driver’s seat. What is missing is the option of a “boss mode” for the passenger seated behind the co-driver to adjust the front seat themselves. Rear seat passengers get multiple USB Type-C charging ports, individual climate control zones, a 12V socket and door-mounted buttons to operate the sunshades (individually), the panoramic sunroof sunshade and the third row sunshade. 

Surprisingly, there is no rear seat entertainment screen at all (there is a provision for it with a USB Type-C charger) and unlike the GLS, there’s also no tablet to control various functions such as the media or ambient lighting which ultimately means you will be dependent on your chauffeur to make some of these changes.

The third row is usable for adults, though ideally suited for kids as you sit in a knees-up position. Third-row users get AC vents with a separate climate control zone and a unique third-row sunroof with a sunshade.

Feature Highlights 

Technology

• 14.9-inch touchscreen infotainment screen: The layout of the infotainment screen is user-friendly and while there are several menu options and features to navigate through, operating the screen is very easy. The rotary dial control is the best option to go through the different options since the screen itself can be a bit of stretch to reach for tall drivers. Wireless Android Auto and Apple Carplay are supported. The X7’s air-conditioning is also controlled from this screen with no physical buttons for blower speed or temperature control up front, though you do get them at the rear.

• 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster: Offers the flexibility of multiple screen layouts with on-board navigation linked here. While the X7 gets inbuilt augmented reality (AR) navigation which is displayed on the touchscreen, Google Maps or Apple Maps can’t have their feed displayed on the instrument cluster as is becoming an option in mass-market cars. 

• 16-speaker Harman Kardon music system: Great sound quality though those who enjoy music on full blast may want for a little less distortion at high volume.
  

Boot Space

With all seat rows occupied, there’s enough space for two small trolley bags to fit into the boot. Drop down the last row of seats, and you get up to 750 litres of boot space which can easily fit multiple large suitcases. In case you need to stack bags on top of each other, luggage hooks are provided to hold your cargo down with a net.

The tail gate itself is split which can come in handy while loading/unloading luggage on an incline or it can double up as a mini-table for any outdoor activities.

Safety

Safety features in the BMW X7 include 8 airbags, ABS with EBD, electronic stability control, ISOFIX child seat mounts, front and rear parking sensors and a 360-degree camera. The camera itself can be used like a dashcam to record trips or save videos in the event of an accident. The camera resolution is top-notch, making this feature handy even at night. The suite of advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) is small, limited to auto-emergency braking, lane departure warning and lane keep assist. Adaptive cruise control has been given a miss.

Performance

The BMW X7 is offered with in-line 6-cylinder turbo-petrol or turbo-diesel engines with a 48 V mild-hybrid to aid performance and fuel efficiency. The claimed fuel efficiency of the petrol stands at 11.29 kmpl while the diesel delivers a claimed 14.31 kmpl. Both engines come paired with an 8-speed automatic transmission and get all-wheel drive as standard.

We tested the diesel that delivers 340 PS and 700 Nm. The first thing you appreciate with this engine is how refined it is and how well insulated the cabin is. Big and heavy as the X7 is, this engine gets this SUV going with an eagerness that’s surprising! Driving around the city is easy but it also makes light work of getting up to highway speeds with the gentlest of throttle inputs needed to get you up to 100kmph even in Eco mode. 

Similarly, overtakes are quick and zipping through trucks or cars on hilly roads is easy. Yes, you are aware of the X7’s large size but the responsiveness of the engine, transmission and steering make this mammoth feel deceptively agile. The X7 is aimed at chauffeur-driven owners but it makes for a tremendous car if you enjoy driving yourself. It’s a key area where the X7 outperforms the GLS and significantly so.

Ride & Handling

The BMW X7’s two-axle air-suspension does well to offer flexibility in different driving conditions. While driving over bumpy concrete roads such as those of the Mumbai-Pune Expressway, it’s best to stick to Comfort as the suspension irons out the uneven surface while on smooth tar roads such as those of the Atal Setu or Bandra-Worli Sea Link, you’d be better off setting the suspension to Sport mode as the ride feels more sedan-like and you can avoid the slight bounciness experienced in Comfort mode. 

As a driver’s car, it also handles as you’d expect a BMW to. Driving up the winding roads from Lonavala to Aamby Valley City, the X7 felt precise and planted, while offering sharp braking into corners and a quick acceleration out of them.

Verdict

The BMW X7 makes for a well-rounded luxury 6-/7-seater SUV packaging a spacious, rich, and tech-loaded interior with a driving experience that’s sure to leave you smiling. As it stands, the X7 is a luxury SUV that’s hard to ignore but if BMW addressed the few misses it has (versus the competition, when it comes to rear-seat amenities), it would be impossible to ignore.