Aerodynamic lettering?
Alpina XB7 SUV has that — and more
BMW’s biggest — and arguably most luxurious — vehicle, the BMW Alpina XB7, got bigger and more expensive for 2021.
If there was any doubt the end of the SUV boom is nowhere in sight, 2020 production sold out before production began at a base price of $141,300. Fortunately, 2021 is a new year.
Assembled in BMW’s Spartanburg, South Carolina, assembly plant and finished on site in an Alpina workshop, the XB7 turns BMW’s X7 seven-seat SUV up to an 11: 0-60 mph in 4 seconds; 180 mph top speed; unique interior touches that include warm red myrtle wood, a laseretched crystal shifter and an iDrive rotary controller; and 23-inch custom forged alloy wheels and bespoke run-flat tires.
The XB7 doesn’t compete with other SUVs as much as with a marbletopped wet bar for its owner’s G5, but a few other brands also are testing the limits of SUV luxury.
At that altitude, 2021 XB7’s $141,300 base price is unremarkable, in fact $400 lower than Alpina’s B7 xDrive sedan, which qualifies as the brand’s most expensive U.S. model, at least for the moment.
Other apex SUVs include the $176,900 Aston Martin DBX, $160,000 Bentley
Bentayga, $144,000 Range Rover Autobiography, $218,000 Lamborghini Urus and $132,000 Mercedes GLS 63 AMG.
The XB7’s Alpina-tuned and hand-built 4.4L twinturbo V-8 produces 621 horsepower and 590 pound-feet of torque.
Alpina worked with transmission supplier ZF to increase the eightspeed automatic transmission’s torque capacity, and it offers either relaxed low-rpm highway cruising or sharp, fast shifts in performance modes.
The XB7’s retuned air suspension provides a smooth, comfortable ride. Unique braces and electronic controls reduce body roll.
The steering is firm and direct, making it easy to forget you’re driving a vehicle that tips the scales at over three tons when carrying a pair of a modest-size occupants.
The turbo V8’s broad torque band ensures smooth, powerful acceleration.
In addition to Ametrin
metallic paint — roughly the color of a supremely expensive eggplant — its unique visual features include satin aluminum trim and roof rails, and a front bumper featuring twin air intakes and “Alpina” in bold letters.
The typeface was aerodynamically optimized to reduce front lift at high
speed, naturally.
Between touches like that and Alpina’s leveling-up of BMW’s already superb engineering, the XB7 is clearly the ultimate three-row luxury SUV.