With plenty of torque and flexibility from the engine, it’s delightfully calm and quiet at speed. That said, it’s just as happy to waft along the motorway in taller gears in Comfort mode. Indeed, the M60i hides its size well, encouraging you with well-weighted, precise steering. Air suspension with variable dampers affords impressive body control in corners. This is particularly noticeable in urban settings, where the M60i manages smooth and muscular stepoff despite its considerable weight.īMW’s fast-acting xDrive fourwheel-drive system ensures that there’s loads of traction. The quick and smooth actions of the gearbox add to the driving experience, making the most of the performance added by the electric motor. The 0-62mph time of 4.7sec is the same as that quoted for the old M50i, despite a 120kg gain in kerb weight.Ĭonsumption is claimed to have improved, now at 21.9 to 23.3mpg, although direct comparison is tricky, because the figures for the older car were attained on a different test cycle. The accompanying soundtrack is rich and entertaining, too, although with such outstanding refinement and excellent noise isolation within the cabin, its deep growl in Sport mode is always a distant delight. The V8 imbues the X7 with truly effortless mile-eating qualities and a very smooth and collected character, striking an appealing balance of allout performance under more extreme loads and refined civility in cruising. Output remains the same, at 523bhp and 553lb ft, but the 48V mild-hybrid system can add 12bhp and up to 148lb ft under acceleration. A development of the N63, it’s a turbocharged 4.4-litre V8. The M60i xDrive succeeds the X7 M50i xDrive and is the first car to use BMW’s S68 engine. The outputs of the xDrive40i have increased by 50bhp and 52lb ft to hit 375bhp and 398lb ft while the xDrive40d has gained 12bhp and 15lb ft to make 347bhp and 531lb ft. With the third-row seats in use, mind you, the boot shrinks to just 300 litres.Ĭentral among the changes to the engine line-up is the introduction of BMW’s latest turbocharged 3.0-litre straight-six petrol and diesel engines Each is mildly hybridised by a 48V motor integrated into the eight-speed automatic gearbox, this boosting both performance and efficiency.
With the choice of either a six or seven-seat layout, it’s agreeably versatile. Roominess continues to be one of the X7’s biggest drawcards. The air-con controls, meanwhile, have made way for an unnecessarily complex set of icons on the touchcreen, which are a real chore to use while driving. The restyled dashboard features a curved digital panel, like in the iX, matching a 12.3in instrument display with a 14.9in infotainment touchscreen, all controlled by BMW’s latest iDrive 8 software. While virtually no X7 customers will take their cars off the beaten track, BMW’s engineers understand that for it to be seen as credible, it has to be able to go off-road for the few who want to.The interior has also been changed signficantly. Is the BMW X7 also capable off-road?īMW doesn’t really talk up the X7’s all-terrain credentials, but the xOffroad package is optionally available with modes for sand, rocks, gravel and snow. Post-facelift cars are available with 23-inch alloy wheels and while we’re yet to sample them, the ride will likely still be serviceable – if not quite as imperious as versions with smaller alloys. Cracks and lumps in the road are ironed out, while the amount of noise making its way into the cabin is surprisingly low given that you’re enclosed inside a 2.6-tonne SUV punching a hole in the air.
Ride comfort and refinement on the standard air suspension is deeply impressive.
Combine this with BMW’s Active Roll Stabilisation that prevents the car leaning so much when cornering, and it feels impressively responsive. When speeds are much lower, they point in the opposite direction to the fronts, making the X7 even more manoeuvrable. At motorway speeds, they turn in the same direction as the front wheels for increased stability, which BMW claims improves passenger comfort as there’s less lateral movement for passengers in the back along curves in the road.
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