BMW X7 Review...one of the most impressive vehicles I've driven in a long time
12-06-19, 01:15 PM
#1
Lexus Fanatic
Thread Starter
BMW X7 Review...one of the most impressive vehicles I've driven in a long time
Mentioned it in a couple other threads, but I drove a new BMW X7 yesterday and wanted to share my thoughts.
Ive been looking at 3 row SUVs, but this vehicle would serve to replace my LS460L were I actively looking to make that replacement (looking into that in any seriousness is still at least a year away). The goal would be to give me a comfortable, high quality, great riding car to drive every day that also filled my desire to have an SUV in the family I can drive in snow, take on trips and do light offroading in WV, etc allowing my wife to keep driving a minivan.
With that said...onto thoughts about the X7. The one I tested was pretty low on options 40i (6 cyl) with a sticker price around $79k. Optioned the way I would want (without skimping, were talking full merino leather, glass controls, LED sky roof, executive package, the works) I come to a sticker of right at $90,000. Optioning a 740 similarly gets me to $105k. So, $15,000 cheaper.
Exterior: The vehicle is large without appearing too bulky in person, and the huge kindey grilles don't look out of place the way they do in pictures. Not as classy or iconic looking as a Range Rover, but more attractive than a Q7 or a GLS, IMHO.
Interior: Spacewise inside is great, seats are incredibly comfortable multi-contour with massage functionality. Seating position is excellent, a little more upright than a sedan but not too much. View out over the sculpted hood is great, visibility all around is excellent. Second row can be had in captains chairs (what I would get) or a bench. Whichever you choose they are full power recline and fore and aft. With the seats rolled back all the way legroom is excellent, very close to what you get in a LWB flagship sedan (not always the case with crossovers. Third row is fine for adults and access is easy. Cargo room behind the third row is slight, but usable and cargo room with the third row folded is excellent. Rear air suspension can be lowered for packing a'la Range Rover.
Interior materials are very good in low trims, incredible with the extended Merino leather. Everything is stitched with real leather, full dash and door panels, console sides. Wood trim is very well done and the glass controls are a unique, if over the top touch. Beautiful alcantara headliner. Cabin ambient lighting is awesome. The one material area that surprised me was the grainy black plastic used for the lower parts of the B Pillar, which in flagship sedans is padded. Rear passengers do interface with this material too as thats where some of the rear air vents are. Thats a small niggle though, the rest of the cabin is excellent.
Infotainment/Controls: Excellent, one of the best in the business, Big screen with a driver facing slant, Carplay 7 Android auto. Great HUD with a terrific nav display. Controls are all well done, metal/metallic switches and great displays. One thing I found interesting was you can adjust the fan speed without kicking the HVAC out of AUTO, which I thought was cool given our recent discussions in here. Virtual gauge cluster is okay, not as impressive as some I've seen.
Ride & Drive: The inline 6 is smooth and powerful and moves the big X7 along nicely. I really don't see getting the V8 in this for essentially $10k more. All X7s have air suspension and Ride quality is outstanding, and I would say matches that of the full Range Rover, besting the Q7 with air. Ride is compliant, detached and soft, I would say 90% there compared to my air equipped LS460L. Where the X7 surprises though is in the handling department where it belies its size and heft and inspires confidence along a entry or exit ramp taken at a high rate of speed, gives the vehicle a nice duality. Distinct differences between comfort and sport modes.On the highway the ride is solid and undeterred by the pavement giving the car an "on rails" feel that is so indicative of a full sized flagship sedan. Cabin noise is very well controlled with almost no tire noise, and only slight wisps of wind noise at speeds approaching 75-80+ MPH that you might not feel as much in a sedan. My dB meter reads 58 dB along the same stretch of highway at 75 in my LS, it read 59 in the X7. Very impressive.
Driver assistance tech is outstanding. Up to 45 MPH in a traffic jam, the car will drive itself 100% without requiring the driver to touch the wheel as long as you are consistently looking at the road (it has a facial recognition monitor). Lane trace works great as does dynamic cruise. Full autonomous parking, one thing I really liked was the autonomous reversing. It will remember how you pulled into a specific space or area and will retrace its movements to back you out, up to about 160 feet. Very slick.
All in all I was very impressed, and IMHO spec'ed at $90k like the one I would select the vehicle is a great value. Until now, my favorite luxury SUV has clearly been the Range Rover but I gotta say, I'd choose the X7 currently.
I truly am understanding why high end luxury sedan consumers like me are moving to SUVs. Here are some reasons I've identified:
1. Luxury sedans are less impressive, because carmakers are devoting less resources to updating them due to lower demand. If you look at the latest refreshes of the S Class and 7 Series you see that, they feel old. Even the new A8, no significant energy was spent styling it or making it stand out. Its clear that the focus is on SUVs. While I like the S Class and the 7 Series and the A8, or the new LS none of them offer anything that makes me get back into my last generation Lexus LS and say "this no longer does it for me", which didnt used to be the case when I would sit in a 3 year newer car than what I had. They don't make me want to find a way to trade up.
2. Increasingly there are fewer and fewer tradeoffs to going to an SUV vs a luxury sedan. This is something I've thought about doing every time I've traded cars since 2010 or so, but the SUVs just lacked some level of refinement or ride or quietness or interior quality that made me hold back. Thats really not the case anymore as these latest crossovers/SUVs I've driven have closed the comfort gap with comparable sedans well.
3. Crossovers are CHEAPER. Seriously, price out a MB GLS or a loaded Q8/Q7 or a BMW X7 and compare it to the flagship car of that same brand optioned similarly. The crossovers are ~ $10k less. Thats offset because of steep discounts on sedans vs whats achievable on a quicker selling crossover, but still.
4. From a tax perspective to a business owner, there are serious reasons to choose a large SUV over a sedan.
More and more Im thinking this sort of vehicle is what I will get next time.
Ive been looking at 3 row SUVs, but this vehicle would serve to replace my LS460L were I actively looking to make that replacement (looking into that in any seriousness is still at least a year away). The goal would be to give me a comfortable, high quality, great riding car to drive every day that also filled my desire to have an SUV in the family I can drive in snow, take on trips and do light offroading in WV, etc allowing my wife to keep driving a minivan.
With that said...onto thoughts about the X7. The one I tested was pretty low on options 40i (6 cyl) with a sticker price around $79k. Optioned the way I would want (without skimping, were talking full merino leather, glass controls, LED sky roof, executive package, the works) I come to a sticker of right at $90,000. Optioning a 740 similarly gets me to $105k. So, $15,000 cheaper.
Exterior: The vehicle is large without appearing too bulky in person, and the huge kindey grilles don't look out of place the way they do in pictures. Not as classy or iconic looking as a Range Rover, but more attractive than a Q7 or a GLS, IMHO.
Interior: Spacewise inside is great, seats are incredibly comfortable multi-contour with massage functionality. Seating position is excellent, a little more upright than a sedan but not too much. View out over the sculpted hood is great, visibility all around is excellent. Second row can be had in captains chairs (what I would get) or a bench. Whichever you choose they are full power recline and fore and aft. With the seats rolled back all the way legroom is excellent, very close to what you get in a LWB flagship sedan (not always the case with crossovers. Third row is fine for adults and access is easy. Cargo room behind the third row is slight, but usable and cargo room with the third row folded is excellent. Rear air suspension can be lowered for packing a'la Range Rover.
Interior materials are very good in low trims, incredible with the extended Merino leather. Everything is stitched with real leather, full dash and door panels, console sides. Wood trim is very well done and the glass controls are a unique, if over the top touch. Beautiful alcantara headliner. Cabin ambient lighting is awesome. The one material area that surprised me was the grainy black plastic used for the lower parts of the B Pillar, which in flagship sedans is padded. Rear passengers do interface with this material too as thats where some of the rear air vents are. Thats a small niggle though, the rest of the cabin is excellent.
Infotainment/Controls: Excellent, one of the best in the business, Big screen with a driver facing slant, Carplay 7 Android auto. Great HUD with a terrific nav display. Controls are all well done, metal/metallic switches and great displays. One thing I found interesting was you can adjust the fan speed without kicking the HVAC out of AUTO, which I thought was cool given our recent discussions in here. Virtual gauge cluster is okay, not as impressive as some I've seen.
Ride & Drive: The inline 6 is smooth and powerful and moves the big X7 along nicely. I really don't see getting the V8 in this for essentially $10k more. All X7s have air suspension and Ride quality is outstanding, and I would say matches that of the full Range Rover, besting the Q7 with air. Ride is compliant, detached and soft, I would say 90% there compared to my air equipped LS460L. Where the X7 surprises though is in the handling department where it belies its size and heft and inspires confidence along a entry or exit ramp taken at a high rate of speed, gives the vehicle a nice duality. Distinct differences between comfort and sport modes.On the highway the ride is solid and undeterred by the pavement giving the car an "on rails" feel that is so indicative of a full sized flagship sedan. Cabin noise is very well controlled with almost no tire noise, and only slight wisps of wind noise at speeds approaching 75-80+ MPH that you might not feel as much in a sedan. My dB meter reads 58 dB along the same stretch of highway at 75 in my LS, it read 59 in the X7. Very impressive.
Driver assistance tech is outstanding. Up to 45 MPH in a traffic jam, the car will drive itself 100% without requiring the driver to touch the wheel as long as you are consistently looking at the road (it has a facial recognition monitor). Lane trace works great as does dynamic cruise. Full autonomous parking, one thing I really liked was the autonomous reversing. It will remember how you pulled into a specific space or area and will retrace its movements to back you out, up to about 160 feet. Very slick.
All in all I was very impressed, and IMHO spec'ed at $90k like the one I would select the vehicle is a great value. Until now, my favorite luxury SUV has clearly been the Range Rover but I gotta say, I'd choose the X7 currently.
I truly am understanding why high end luxury sedan consumers like me are moving to SUVs. Here are some reasons I've identified:
1. Luxury sedans are less impressive, because carmakers are devoting less resources to updating them due to lower demand. If you look at the latest refreshes of the S Class and 7 Series you see that, they feel old. Even the new A8, no significant energy was spent styling it or making it stand out. Its clear that the focus is on SUVs. While I like the S Class and the 7 Series and the A8, or the new LS none of them offer anything that makes me get back into my last generation Lexus LS and say "this no longer does it for me", which didnt used to be the case when I would sit in a 3 year newer car than what I had. They don't make me want to find a way to trade up.
2. Increasingly there are fewer and fewer tradeoffs to going to an SUV vs a luxury sedan. This is something I've thought about doing every time I've traded cars since 2010 or so, but the SUVs just lacked some level of refinement or ride or quietness or interior quality that made me hold back. Thats really not the case anymore as these latest crossovers/SUVs I've driven have closed the comfort gap with comparable sedans well.
3. Crossovers are CHEAPER. Seriously, price out a MB GLS or a loaded Q8/Q7 or a BMW X7 and compare it to the flagship car of that same brand optioned similarly. The crossovers are ~ $10k less. Thats offset because of steep discounts on sedans vs whats achievable on a quicker selling crossover, but still.
4. From a tax perspective to a business owner, there are serious reasons to choose a large SUV over a sedan.
More and more Im thinking this sort of vehicle is what I will get next time.
12-06-19, 01:18 PM
#2
Lexus Fanatic
X7 is not an SUV, it is a cross over. It is more car like than it is SUV like. This is why you find the X7 so appealing. The Navigator and Escalade on the other hand are proper SUVs. Totally different design.
Cross overs and SUVS are the "in" thing as well. Crossover are almost superior to their sedan alternatives.
Cross overs and SUVS are the "in" thing as well. Crossover are almost superior to their sedan alternatives.
Last edited by Toys4RJill; 12-06-19 at 01:21 PM.
12-06-19, 01:24 PM
#3
Lexus Fanatic
Thread Starter
Crossover/SUV, these terms are interchangeable. People are absolutely going to cross shop Navigators and Escalades with X7s and Range Rovers. The current Escalade is not an impressive vehicle when compared to modern entries, its old and slated for replacement. The Navigator however is and its a vehicle that I like a lot. I would choose an X7 over a Navigator namely because of the tradeoffs in the Navigator's BOF construction that don't give me any benefits since I don't tow. The Navigator hides those dynamic drawbacks better than the Escalade or the LX570 but they are still there.
12-06-19, 01:30 PM
#5
Lexus Fanatic
Thread Starter
In the mind of most consumers though, they're interchangeable. Most people don't recognize that differentiator.
12-06-19, 01:35 PM
#6
Lexus Fanatic
Ive been looking at 3 row SUVs, but this vehicle would serve to replace my LS460L were I actively looking to make that replacement (looking into that in any seriousness is still at least a year away). The goal would be to give me a comfortable, high quality, great riding car to drive every day that also filled my desire to have an SUV in the family I can drive in snow, take on trips and do light offroading in WV, etc allowing my wife to keep driving a minivan.
Last edited by Toys4RJill; 12-06-19 at 01:38 PM.
12-06-19, 01:35 PM
#7
drives cars
Great write-up - yes, as I have experienced in the Macan, an SUV (if you will) can be a lot of fun to drive, whilst retaining those SUV attributes you might want. I would have been skeptical that something as large as the X7, however, could deliver on that. Sounds like it's not nearly as sporty, but at that size, one can expect little more than "composed". It is funny that the X7 is cheaper. I guess they were trying to compete with the GLS in terms of price, rather than the full-size sedans, which are kinda artificially steep.
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12-06-19, 01:44 PM
#8
Lexus Fanatic
Thread Starter
I definitely think they do recognize. There is a clear difference between driving a Toyota 4runner or Highlander, they are at the same price point. Same with a Lexus RX-L or a Lexus GX460. Completely different and distinct experiences despite being relatively the same size and prices...... So getting back to an X7, there is no body on frame alternative, but if someone drives a GX460 back to back with an X7, it is clear the X7 is more car-like, and more appealing, more easy to live with to the mainstream buyer who is likely coming out of a car or sedan.
You certainly do have consumers who seek out vehicles like the GX because they are BOF, but thats not a "typical consumer".
Great write-up - yes, as I have experienced in the Macan, an SUV (if you will) can be a lot of fun to drive, whilst retaining those SUV attributes you might want. I would have been skeptical that something as large as the X7, however, could deliver on that. Sounds like it's not nearly as sporty, but at that size, one can expect little more than "composed". It is funny that the X7 is cheaper. I guess they were trying to compete with the GLS in terms of price, rather than the full-size sedans, which are kinda artificially steep.
12-06-19, 02:00 PM
#9
Lexus Fanatic
Car and Driver does say that the cargo capacity is a bit small. I don’t know if you found that.
Last edited by Toys4RJill; 12-06-19 at 02:40 PM.
12-06-19, 02:17 PM
#10
The GX is a big SUV that leases for substantially less than even BMW X3, never mind big boys like X5 or X7. It is most popular with clueless soccer moms who's husbands are only willing to spend the bare minimum to have them sorta fit a certain image, but not willing to shell out for a proper premium SUV. It leases in the low 400s, and is the most horrible heap of junk imaginable, it is not premium by any stretch of imagination.
The X7 has been an instant hit, best in class and actually reasonably priced. One thing that allows manufacturers to produce these for less than sedans is the fact that they are classified as light trucks - which allows them to escape gas guzzler taxes, pedestrian safety requirements, fuel and emissions requirements, and whatever else.
The X7 has been an instant hit, best in class and actually reasonably priced. One thing that allows manufacturers to produce these for less than sedans is the fact that they are classified as light trucks - which allows them to escape gas guzzler taxes, pedestrian safety requirements, fuel and emissions requirements, and whatever else.
12-06-19, 03:56 PM
#12
Lexus Champion
Lol yeah, gonna have to agree with you here. GX junk and not premium? Some of us prefer the way a BOF drives. GX is also literally one of the most reliable vehicles made. I see so many around where I live it makes me dizzy.
About the X7 I've seen a lot around here and they do look good. I'm in the minority I think but I actually like the huge grill BMW has adopted. They took their signature twin kidney design which is way older than everyone else's and just made it huge. X7 is very impressive based on what I've seen. But I'm sure they're going to be nightmares after 50k miles to maintain. But SW leases, so who cares. If I leased cars I'd probably try a BMW at some point.
About the X7 I've seen a lot around here and they do look good. I'm in the minority I think but I actually like the huge grill BMW has adopted. They took their signature twin kidney design which is way older than everyone else's and just made it huge. X7 is very impressive based on what I've seen. But I'm sure they're going to be nightmares after 50k miles to maintain. But SW leases, so who cares. If I leased cars I'd probably try a BMW at some point.
12-06-19, 05:03 PM
#13
The GX is a big SUV that leases for substantially less than even BMW X3, never mind big boys like X5 or X7. It is most popular with clueless soccer moms who's husbands are only willing to spend the bare minimum to have them sorta fit a certain image, but not willing to shell out for a proper premium SUV. It leases in the low 400s, and is the most horrible heap of junk imaginable, it is not premium by any stretch of imagination.
The X7 has been an instant hit, best in class and actually reasonably priced. One thing that allows manufacturers to produce these for less than sedans is the fact that they are classified as light trucks - which allows them to escape gas guzzler taxes, pedestrian safety requirements, fuel and emissions requirements, and whatever else.
The X7 has been an instant hit, best in class and actually reasonably priced. One thing that allows manufacturers to produce these for less than sedans is the fact that they are classified as light trucks - which allows them to escape gas guzzler taxes, pedestrian safety requirements, fuel and emissions requirements, and whatever else.
Is going to last forever new definition of junk? Vs I am going to lease so i don't care about reliability?
12-06-19, 05:48 PM
#15
Lexus Fanatic
Thread Starter
The GX is a big SUV that leases for substantially less than even BMW X3, never mind big boys like X5 or X7. It is most popular with clueless soccer moms who's husbands are only willing to spend the bare minimum to have them sorta fit a certain image, but not willing to shell out for a proper premium SUV. It leases in the low 400s, and is the most horrible heap of junk imaginable, it is not premium by any stretch of imagination.
I don't think that you actually do. I think you like the idea of a BOF "real truck" but you choose to drive a car, and you love the way your car drives. Whats not to love about a big vehicle that drives like your car yet has all this additional capability? I dont see anything about a BOF vehicle aside from towing that is preferable.
I think that if you were blindfolded and given two vehicles to drive and asked to truly say which one you liked the way it drove better you would chose the unibody crossover.
If I were just driving a car on road trips on the highway, sure I'd like a BOF truck based SUV, but for something that you can drive around every day and live with day in and out and also use for those road trips, I dont see how you can beat a vehicle like this X7 or a Range Rover or something like that. Its like a pickup, I'd like to have a pickup but I dont want to drive one every day. When I dont have to drive it every day I'm fine to accept truckier qualities in an SUV.
I drive a lot, I'm in the car for a lot of the day and I don't want anything that beats me up in any way or adds to the stress or discomfort of my day.
I'm in the minority I think but I actually like the huge grill BMW has adopted. They took their signature twin kidney design which is way older than everyone else's and just made it huge. X7 is very impressive based on what I've seen. But I'm sure they're going to be nightmares after 50k miles to maintain. But SW leases, so who cares. If I leased cars I'd probably try a BMW at some point.
This I would likely have to buy to get the Section 179 accelerated depreciation write off. So I would have to buy it and keep it 5 years to maximize that. So thats something to consider.
Yep, sadly I think it will be the same way for me. Even if I stay in a sedan.
Last edited by SW17LS; 12-06-19 at 06:02 PM.