BMW X7: First impression

The Bavarians have launched their biggest, most prestigious Sports Activity Vehicle (SAV) in Malaysia, the brand spanking new BMW X7. The X7 is BMW’s answer to the likes of the Lexus LX, Mercedes-Benz GLS, and Range Rover, and it has been positioned as the luxury marque’s new flagship offering.

The full-size, seven-seater SUV is currently only being offered in one guise in Malaysia, and it’s called the xDrive 40i and costs RM 888,800 (before options, of course). The new X7 is sat on top of BMW’s modular Cluster Architecture (CLAR) platform, which uses ultra-high-strength steel and aluminium, along with carbon fibre in key areas. As you can imagine, the BMW X7 is bristling with some of the latest in automotive technologies and being the flagship that it is, the German marque isn’t holding any of its punches with this one. So, let’s peel away some of the layers and find out what the X7 is all about.

Exterior

There’s no getting away from the fact that the BMW X7 is built big… like, really big. For instance, it stretches 5,151mm from nose to tail, is a solid 2,000mm wide, and in its normal ride height, stands 1,805mm tall. Now, these numbers may not give you a clear picture of ginormous this SUV is, but here’s a way to picture it more clearly in your mind. Remember the original Mini Cooper… the one that Mr Bean used to drive? Well, that entire car could fit within the 3,105mm wheelbase of the BMW X7 and with room to spare. The BMW X7 is available in various attractive colours such as Black Sapphire, Alpine White, Mineral White, Arctic Grey Brilliant, Sunstone Metallic, and Vermont Bronze.

As for its exterior design and styling, the BMW X7 looks brash and intimidating without sacrificing sophistication or class. Up front, BMW’s largest-ever kidney grille dominates the X7’s fascia and is flanked by sleek and trim BMW Laserlight headlamps - the combination actually looks great. The large sculpted bumper is adorned with dollops of chrome and is riddled with air intake channels, plus features LED fog lamps and a skid plate. The long, chiselled bonnet also looks classy and features subtle but effective contours. Meanwhile, the styling of the X7’s enormous side profile seems fairly restrained, though there are the massive yet sporty 21-inch Y-Spoke alloy wheels, chrome garnish around the windows and down by the front fenders and doors, raised roof rails, and some precise character lines that help break some of the slab-like appearances of the X7.

The fluid design of the BMW X7’s LED tail lamps looks really upmarket, while the large chrome bar which merges into the tail lamps adds even more character. Finally, there’s a roof-mounted spoiler, a split tailgate, and dual chrome-tipped exhaust tips along with a rear air diffuser.

Interior

Step inside the new X7 and it becomes immediately apparent that BMW has pulled out all the stops to ensure that their flagship SUV has been given the best interior treatment possible, and that really shows. If the exterior of the BMW X7 is all about projecting strength and confidence, the interior is splendidly gorgeous and suitably fancy - with ultra high-quality and plush leather and ‘Fineline Stripe’ wood covering most of the surfaces -- there isn’t a single piece of cheap trim or material in this cabin. In fact, BMW’s build quality and the levels of fit & finish are certainly ahead of some of the competition, and so is the X7’s exhaustive technology catalogue. Furthermore, there’s no dearth of space for even tall adults which, considering this SUV’s size and dimensions, is unsurprising.

The X7 xDrive 40i comes with features like adaptive headlamps, BMW Display Key, ‘Sky Lounge’ split-panoramic sunroofs, soft-closing doors, Vernasca leather upholstery and Sensatec synthetic leather-trimmed dashboard, electrically-adjustable front and third-row seats (with ventilation & memory function for the front two), five-zone automatic climate control, power-operated rear window blinds, head-up display, and hands-free tailgate operation among several more conveniences. The X7 can also be equipped with lovely gadgets such as BMW Live Cockpit Professional with its high-definition & fully-digital 12.3-inch instrument cluster, BMW Navigation system Professional with its high-res 12.3-inch head unit which, when combined with the BMW Connected Package Professional, gets you dedicated Concierge Services, Teleservices, Remote Services, Intelligent Emergency Call, Gesture Control, wireless charging, and a 16-speaker Harman Kardon surround sound system.

Powertrain and performance

In its xDrive 40i guise, the BMW X7 packs in 335hp and 420Nm from its 3.0-litre turbocharged straight-six petrol engine. This buttery-smooth motor comes paired to an 8-speed automatic transmission and BMW’s xDrive all-wheel-drive system -- which is mostly rear-biased. Despite being as large as a mini school bus and tipping the scales at 2.3 tonnes, the BMW X7 can scramble from nought to 100 kmph in just 6.1 seconds and will hit a top speed of 245 kmph.

Safety equipment

The new BMW X7 is chock-full of safety nannies of almost every kind. So of course, you get six airbags, Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS), Electronic Brake-Force Distribution (EBD) and Brake Assist (BA), Electronic Stability Control (ESC), Traction Control System (TCS), Hill-Hold Assist (HHA), Blind-Spot Monitoring (BSM), Lane-Departure Warning (LDW) with Lane-Keeping Assist (LKA), Rear Cross-Traffic Alert (RCTA), and Forward Collision Warning (FCW) with Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB), and all-round parking sensors with surround-view camera system to name a few.