The BMW X7 is meant for big families that just won’t settle for anything less than a spacious cabin that’s also luxurious. The drive traits are a bonus of course.
Money can’t buy happiness. But a road trip with your entire family this summer season sure can. This is exactly where the BMW X7 steps in as a luxury, three-row SUV that may cost as much as an apartment but one that offers enough space and style to make long journeys a delicious drive. At almost ₹1.40 crore (plus taxes), the X7 is more than likely to wear the crown in a crowded garage. But beyond its asking price, beyond its styling and beyond its famed ‘BMW’ drive credentials is an assimilation of all of these. And more.
Little wonder then that it was my go-to-choice during a short road trip to the scenic hills of Ranikhet to escape Delhi’s April heat. Six on board and luggage for three days meant miserly packing, right? Wrong. Third-row likely to be for the black sheep in the house, right? Wrong again. And that’s just it – the BMW X7 proves many pre-held notions wrong.
A total drive distance of around 800 kilometres in the xDrive40d M Sport, winding through the plains of Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand before the hills just beyond Jim Corbett National Park, would take around eight hours up until the cantonment area of Ranikhet. With a tankful of fuel – at 80 litres, this SUV was a go.
BMW X7: Gobbling smart, gobbling it all
As mentioned, luggage for six people for a three-day roadtrip isn’t easy for any car to gobble. But flagship luxury SUVs tend to offer a plethora of options. The X7 stands out in this regard because its 326 litres of cargo area was just about enough to host four sidebags. The parcel tray further supported a gym bag and a laptop case on top. And while the cargo space does open up to over 700 litres with second and third-row seats folded, a fully-occupied vehicle doesn’t offer that liberty.
The stellar highlight of the BMW X7 is that even with all rows of seats fairly back, there was just about enough space for luggage and decent legroom for people at the very back. It is a delicate balance between practicality and luxury, a balance that the X7 manages to offer splendidly well.
BMW X7: On the move
BMWs are among the sportiest luxury vehicles to drive. And the X7, despite its focus on space and luxury, doesn’t curve away from its basic genetics. With its three-litre diesel motor offering 335 bhp and 700 Nm of torque, it doesn’t matter one tiny bit if the cabin is packed to the brim.
But while the SUV remains eager and sporty regardless of conditions, it is the refinement that shines brightest. Response to throttle inputs are fantastic but it is the remarkable control over noise and vibration that helps the X7 truly underline its credentials as a fantastic flagship. The 45 profile Continental tyres deserve affection for sure but a large chunk of the credit is squarely directed towards the suspension setup that helps this mammoth SUV make mincemeat of speedbreakers and most bad roads.
The eight-speed gearbox is well engineered as well and while the X7 was mostly commanded to maintain early triple-digit speeds in Comfort mode, the occasional adrenaline rush was scrumptiously managed.
BMW X7: Halt the praises
For all its phenomenal offerings, the BMW X7 still has a few chinks in its armour. These are hardly dealbreakers, minor even. But on long-distance journeys, these do gradually become apparent.
For starters, there is no massage functionality on any of the seats inside the X7. There is no seat kinetics either, like on many Mercedes models these days. Regardless of how plush the seats may be, and are inside the X7, driving for over three hours at a stretch does make you wish for some degree of pampering.
The colour scheme on the seats too are too light for Indian conditions and even before this media unit started out, the fading was apparent on the driver seat. Maintaining the upholstery over a long period may be an issue.
The other bit is the X7 lettering on the passenger-side dashboard which lights up at night. Subjective as this opinion may be, it is a bit tacky and doesn’t go well with the premiumness of the vehicle.
BMW X7: Conclusion
The X7 competes against the likes of Mercedes GLS, Audi Q8 and the newly-updated Volvo XC90. All of these models are fairly strong with enough luxury quotient to rival a business-class space on an airline.
Where the BMW X7 takes the lead, however, is in how well it manages to assimilate luxury with space and driving capabilities. It may not be the fanciest BMW to look at from the outside but in its segment, the X7 sure is a power package that commands attention.
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First Published Date: 28 Apr 2025, 08:55 AM IST
