New BMW X7: the definitive premium SUV?

The new BMW X7 is being put through its paces in all kinds of conditions to become the definitive premium SUV. It will be presented at the end of the year.

The new BMW X7 is just around the corner. The largest SUV BMW has ever built is in the final stage of development. In fact, the new BMW X7 is undergoing a gruelling marathon of tests to become one of the most versatile SUVs on the market. The German crossover has proven its capability within the Arctic Circle, specifically in the town of Arjeplog, a municipality in northern Sweden. It has also done so under the sun of a South African desert, on winding rural roads (with a heavy load) and in frenetic urban traffic. In short, the development of the new BMW X7 points to a model capable of anything.

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BMW X7: an SAV ready for anything

The new BMW X7 belongs to a new vehicle segment. It is not an SUV but a SAV (Sports Activity Vehicle). This model combines good off-road capability with on-road driving dynamics typical of more compact models, or so BMW assures us.

New platform and design language

Its exterior design is also quite novel. The car is built on the new CLAR platform, the same technical base as the new BMW 5 Series and 7 Series. Although the camouflage reveals little about the design, we can glimpse some key aspects, such as the large kidney grilles at the front. The new BMW X7 offers generous interior space; this car is larger than the X5 or X6. Everything suggests the new BMW X7 will offer three rows of seats, so its capacity will be up to 7 occupants.

Mechanicals: will there be a hybrid version?

As for the mechanicals, the model could be available with six-cylinder engines in both petrol and diesel, and everything points to these units being quite similar to the engine used in the 740e saloon, a powertrain that delivers a total of 322 CV in the 7 Series. A hybrid version could complete the engine line-up. We do not yet know more details about the technical specifications of the next X7, but everything suggests it will offer high-performance capabilities.

The prototypes of the new BMW X7 were built at the Spartanburg plant in the USA. The production version that will be presented at the end of this year will also be built at this South Carolina factory.