The elevator pitch for the 2019 BMW X seven is a simple one, build a slightly larger BMW X five SUV with seating for seven passengers.
But it's so much more than that.
technically it's exactly that, but it's a much larger and more luxurious vehicle growing by about nine inches longer overall.
That's going to free up a whole lot of extra leg room, especially on the second row where with the dual rear seat infotainment and the large panoramic moon roof, it's not a bad place for an executive to spend a long road trip.
The third row on the other hand, is still a bit wanting for leg room, but with a roofline that's a little bit taller about two inches Overall, at least you won't be lacking in headroom.
But enough about that, let's get back up front and hit the road.
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The X7 cabin looks a lot like the X5 but with a bit more shoulder room, Man an extra dollop of luxurious appointment.
Looking around it kind of feels like BMW borrowed some inspiration from the Volvo XC 90 and outies design, but still kept the cabin looking like its own thing.
This still feels very much like the best of BMW's design.
My favorite elements of the interior include these $650 glass package which upgrades the start button, the hydraulic controller and the shifter to glass items.
I specially like that crystal line glass cut shifter with a floating x in the middle.
I think it looks really great when it's not covered with fingerprint.
I'm also digging the newest generation of BMW i drive technology in the dashboard.
It's I drive seven point O this year and it features two screens both 12.3 inches.
One is for your infotainment and the other.
There is your digital instrument cluster.
And we've already seen this system and the BMW X five and in the new eight series you can check out our tech check to know what we think about it there.
But the short story is that I think this is the best that BMW Tech has ever
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We've talked about iDrive, now lets talk about driving this thing for a moment.
The X7 air suspension is comfortable but surprisingly nibble underneath this full size SUV.
And there is a bit more road noise than you probably get in some of the competition.
But that's the trade offs you get for those driving dynamics and I think it's worth it.
Now it's available with two different engines.
There is an inline six with a single turbo making 335 horse power in 330 pound feet.
The step up is a V8 that makes 457 horse power and 479 pound feet.
Guess which one we've got.
It's the enlightened six.
But it's actually the better engine.
I think for most people.
335 is a good amount of horsepower even in a vehicle of this size and the fuel economy is a lot better here at an EPA estimated 22 combined, it's better than the V8 and better than the current generation Mercedes GLS There's also a little bit of off road credit available to the x seven in the form of the x off road system.
Now, checking that box adds a little bit of underbody cladding, a mechanical differential and four different x off road.
Settings for things like exams or x know, it's almost like one of the x men is a member of BMW marketing department.
For those of you who are going to spend most of your time driving on the road the X7 is available with a full complement of BMW driver eight.
Systems including adaptive cruise control, lane centering steering assist, and a feature called assistant driving plus, and we're not going to test it today because it doesn't work under these conditions.
But if you're under 45 miles per hour and in heavy traffic, you can actually set this thing up to steer itself with your hands off of the wheel.
Once you get back up to speed, it'll warn you to put your hands back on the wheel and have a Become basically adaptive cruise again.
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Overall I think this is a very strong entrant into the growing seven seater luxury SUV class.
Personally, I think I'd have this over something like a Range Rover or current generation Mercedes Benz GLS That said, Mercedes is about to strike back with its 2020 GLS with its 48 volt miles hybrid system.
That's gonna offer better power, better fuel economy and perhaps even better driving quality.
So check back and see how we feel about that in a couple of months.
Months.
The 2019 BMW X seven starts at around $74,000 for the online fix here.
Stepping up to the VA requires a price increase to around $93,000 before options then there are plenty of options to choose from.
This is a BMW after all, close to fully loaded our extra 40 here is just short of the hundred thousand dollar club at around $97,000 as tested.
Of course you can find more detailed pricing information or recommended back and see how it stacks up against the competition as part of our full review over on the road.
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