‘It’s tall and heavy. But the X7 more than lives up to the standards implicit in its badge’

The X7’s epically comfortable seats and impressive refinement made 300 miles feel like 30, and – fiddly folding seat interface apart – its interior environment is as well laid-out as it is luxurious. The iDrive multimedia system remains one of the most intuitive, and although its gesture control element feels like a gimmick (you’re more likely to change radio station in error while waving your hands chatting to a passenger than on purpose), its clickwheel and touchscreen menu interface are superbly realised.

The pair of seats in the third row are the most luxurious of their type on the market, with roof-mounted climate control, three levels of heating and even their own sunroof. You might hesitate to load the X7 to the brim with heavy objects for fear of tarnishing its trim, though. As with most six- or seven-seaters, legroom is tight in the final row but there are epic amounts of it in row two. Go on, just bask in that comfort.

These comfort and convenience features are all hugely important in the world of big, premium SUVs. But what’s more important to us is how the X7 drives.

It’s tall and very heavy, guaranteeing that the X7 is never going to be a driver’s car, but it looks after itself well enough dynamically to live up to the BMW badge, its anti-roll system and four-wheel-drive torque distribution helping it corner remarkably tidily for such a bulky car.

There’s real depth of ability here. It handled everything we’ve put it through, from scrambling over off-road wilderness to being hurled along twisting driving roads. UFO sightings and giant rocks called Giant Rock may be rarer sights in Peterborough than in Palm Springs, but well-sorted suspension and highly evolved engines know no boundaries.

The wide-open spaces, high mileages and extreme temperatures of the western USA highlight all that’s best about the X7: roomy, quiet, comfortable and composed, it feels like a car designed as much for its passengers as its driver. Roomier than the (slightly smaller) Audi Q7, dynamically superior to the GLS Mercedes and slicker inside than the Range Rover, BMW’s BFG is a very capable super-SUV.

A BMW to drive – just The X7 handles better than such an obese vehicle has a right to, acquitting itself on a tricky road better than a Range Rover – and far better than a Mercedes GLS. Audi’s sportier (and admittedly less comfortoriented) SQ7 is a far more rewarding steer however, feeling like a hot hatch in an SUV body. Adept though the X7 is, it’s not a driving experience that stays with you.