Can this luxury SUV prove that it's worth the impressive price tag that it wears or are you better off looking elsewhere? We're finding out...
The car BMW X7 xDrive40i M Sport Run by Dan Jones, Reviewer
Why it’s here To see if this luxury SUV is really worth its impressive price tag or whether you’re better off with a cheaper seven-seater.
Needs to Be versatile enough that it’s a comfortable, spacious and luxurious long distance commuter, but also practical enough to tow and carry lots of luggage or people.
Miles covered 4790 Price £90,050 Target price £87,203 Price as tested £107,110 Official economy 29.1mpg Test economy 29.6mpg Options fitted Ultimate Pack (£16,000), 22in bicolour double-spoke alloy wheels (£500), Individual piano black interior trim (£560), M Sport Package Pro (£0), Comfort Package (£0)
20th July 2023 – A lesson in excess
I have a smartwatch that has every feature you could ever imagine included within its software – and a load more that you probably can’t. Indeed, unless you’re Bear Grylls, a regular at Everest base camp or a doctor, I can’t imagine anyone really needs to know their current altitude, bearing or require access to on demand ECG tests. I know I certainly don’t, but such features can be very nice to have.
In much the same way, the new BMW X7 that I’ve chosen as my next company car doesn’t need features like heated and cooled cupholders or front seats that are heated, cooled and give you a massage, but I love that it has them.
In both cases, those nice-to-haves come at a premium, and while that’s relatively palatable on the watch, when you scale them up to the luxurious X7’s optional Ultimate Pack – which gets all of those fancy bits – it adds a fairly astounding £16,000 to the already lofty £90,050 price tag. Money like that means that one of the X7’s main challenges will be proving its worth over the equally priced Range Rover Sport, a car that we named Luxury Car of the Year at the the most recent What Car? Awards.
Right off the bat, that’s not exactly easy, but on top of that, I need the X7 to be a versatile partner in crime. On the one hand, it’ll need to be a commuter that’s comfortable, quiet and easy to drive on the 300-mile round trip from my house to the What Car? office and back. On paper, the Ultimate Pack sets it up perfectly for that task – not only because it’ll continuously heat my coffee, but because it also adds Executive Drive Suspension, which takes the standard air suspension and tweaks it for additional comfort. Combined with the upgraded Bowers & Wilkins Diamond surround sound stereo, wafting along motorways should become a joy.
Missions at the weekend will be much different though, because the X7 will need to transform into one of two things: a useful platform for all manner of watersports kit – including a small boat – or something that can comfortably seat lots of people on trips to see family, go camping or various other outings. You could, of course, go for a full-size Range Rover if you’re after seven seats and luxury, but that will cost you even more money.
In true (and very extra) X7 style, the third row of seats electrically pop up out of the boot floor at the flick of a switch. Once they have, those rearmost passengers get separate air conditioning controls and heated seats – no one in the X7 can say that they aren’t spoiled. The true test, however, will be if there’s enough space back there for adults to sit comfortably for extended periods.
You can have the X7 with either a petrol or diesel engine, and I’ve opted to have the 3.0-litre straight-six turbocharged petrol engine underneath my X7’s vast bonnet. It puts a total of 376bhp under your right foot and allows the X7 to accelerate from 0-62mph in 5.7sec, which is more than enough for everyday life and especially impressive given the sheer size of this seven-seat luxury SUV.
The fuel economy figures aren’t quite as impressive, though, and despite the X7 getting mild hybrid tech, official figures suggest that around 29mpg (combined) is going to be about as good as it gets. Due to the amount of time that my X7 will spend driving up and down motorways, usually with the eco mode engaged, it’ll be interesting to see how close to or how far beyond that figure I can get.
A year after buying my slightly silly ‘explorer’s watch’ (as it has been dubbed) it’s managed to prove that it’s more than its gimmicks. The question is: can the X7 do the same and prove itself to be a luxurious and practical SUV that’s more than its extensive list of optional extras? For the answer, stay tuned to my reports.
Buy a new car with What Car?
Like the sound of the BMW X7?
They based their deals on our Target Price, which is a fair price for your new car based on research by our team of mystery shoppers.
Keyword: BMW X7 long term test