HIGH-LUXURY SUV SPOILS WITH FULL-ON PAMPERING
Our expectations of lavishness were high for BMW’s all-new X7 xDrive 40i. BMW added the X7 this year, and the three-row SUV packs in a lot of features and luxury.
Aside from the X7’s imposing size — it’s just over 5.1 metres long — there’s a particular styling detail that also sets it apart from all the other X models: It’s BMW’s only SUV that doesn’t have a downward-sloping hood from the windshield forward, which gives the X7 a more commanding presence.
We’re testing the X7 xDrive
40i, which starts at $92,500, but our tester is equipped with the $15,000 Premium Excellence package, the $2,900 M sport package, and various other odds and ends, including lavish interior trim, that bump the price to $114,850 as tested.
The Premium Excellence package is pricey, but it adds a lot of pampering goodness. Among the bigger features are a panoramic sunroof with a section that extends into the third row and is controllable by third-row occupants. You also get “Comfort” front seats, which are fully adjustable, heated and vented, and include a massage function. You also get five-zone climate control, heated and cooled cup holders, and a whole slew of other features.
The package also includes an impressive suite of driver aids, including steering-assisted lane-keeping, front and rear cross-traffic alerts, adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go function, and what BMW calls Driving Assistant Professional. That last one is a truly impressive feature, if you are willing to give up some of the driving experience when it becomes more of a chore in heavy traffic. It works like a regular adaptive cruise control, maintaining the maximum set speed and minimum distance behind a vehicle ahead. It also keeps you centred in the lane and even negotiates curves.
If you’re travelling below 60 km/h and the vehicle senses that the surrounding traffic is also moving slowly. It then prompts you to activate Driving Assistant Pro, which allows you to leave the driving entirely to the X7, accelerating, stopping, and following the road without any intervention on the part of the driver.
If traffic in adjacent lanes picks up speed, an alarm sounds and it prompts you to take the wheel, while reverting to normal Driving Assistant mode.
Driving Assistant gained even more of my trust after it helped me avert a possible collision. I hadn’t anticipated a bonehead’s boneheaded move, but the X7’s sensors caught it and took over.
Its 3.0-litre turbocharged in-line six claims 335 horsepower and 330 pound-feet of torque. That’s respectable for a the full-size SUV, and capable of hauling the beast from zero to 100 km/h in just 6.1 seconds. The eight-speed automatic is mostly smooth, though it sometimes changed ratios abruptly at lower speeds. All-wheel drive is standard.
This isn’t a sporting BMW; this is high luxury and full-on pampering. Sport mode did bring out the BMW in the X7, making the ride stiffer and tighter, though after trying Sport mode, I defaulted to Comfort mode, which returned a cushy, quiet ride.
The air suspension is rideheight adjustable over a range of 80 mm. Sport mode drops the suspension 20 mm from the standard setting, and it can be lowered a further 20 millimetres from that for loading. I took my elderly parents for a drive, and dropping the suspension helped them board.
Storage space behind the thirdrow seats is good for storing about four grocery bags without squishing them. Access to the rear is through a two-thirds split power tailgate. Folding down the second- and third-row seatbacks expands storage space to a cavernous 2,560 L, and the X7’s towing capacity is 5,400 lbs. Third-row seating is generous, with ample head and legroom for two adults.
Things I liked included the single-button speed limiter, which keeps the maximum speed once set. It allows you to maintain the speed limit on residential roads without inadvertently going over. The head-up display is clear and easy to read, though it disappears from view when wearing polarized sunglasses, as they all do.
I didn’t like the non-detent shift knob; it’s easy to put it in neutral when operating the climate controls. One final gripe that stuck me like a splinter was the aluminum chassis braces under the hood. They’re plain aluminum tubes with the ends squashed flat, drilled, and bolted to the body for added rigidity. They look really cheap and unbecoming of a $100K luxury vehicle.
Combined claimed fuel consumption is 10.8 L/100 km. I recorded a realistic 12.0 driving two-thirds of the time in the city, which was slightly better than the computer’s 12.3. This gives the X7 a 695-km range from its 83-L fuel tank, and it requires premium fuel.
The 7 Series of SUVs should exude high luxury, and in that respect the X7 is splendid.