Photo: S.Baldauf/SB-Medien
The first full-size crossover from BMW has been talked about for what sounds like an indefinite number of years, but the Bavarians think that we're finally almost ready to see it in the flesh.
Meet the 2018 BMW X7, one of the many modern Bimmers with no direct predecessor. Spied for the first time in production guise, the 7-seat crossover aims to take a bite out of the Mercedes-Benz GLS and the Range Rover market.
As you can notice in the photo gallery, the new X7 will not be compact in any way. In fact, it will be the largest and also the most accommodating production BMW in the history of the brand. These are part of the reasons for which you shouldn't see it as a longer BMW X5, but more like a 7 Series station wagon on stilts.
Speaking of which, the architecture employed by the 7 Series G11 and the 5 Series G30 will also be used on the new X7, but the crossover will have more in common with the 7 than with the smaller 5. The shared features will include carbon-fiber-reinforced polymers (CFRP) added as structural chassis components, the air springs and electronically controlled shock absorbers and even the four-wheel-steering system that debuted on the 7 Series.
Expect the interior to offer plenty of room for 7 passengers and a bit of luggage, although insiders are also hinting at an ultra-luxury, four-seat version sometime in the future. That variant would directly compete with the Range Rover LWB and the next GLS in Mercedes-Maybach guise.
Features like touch screen, voice commands and gesture controls will be available for the X7 as well, while the seats will get the same type of massage options as the 7 Series. An M version hasn't been confirmed, and it will likely never be, but a top of the range V12 isn't ruled out.
We should see a near-production concept of the X7 as early as the 2017 Geneva Motor Show, while the production version should be unveiled in the fall, at the 2017 Frankfurt Motor Show. Pricing should closely mirror that of the equivalent 7 Series model.
As you can notice in the photo gallery, the new X7 will not be compact in any way. In fact, it will be the largest and also the most accommodating production BMW in the history of the brand. These are part of the reasons for which you shouldn't see it as a longer BMW X5, but more like a 7 Series station wagon on stilts.
Speaking of which, the architecture employed by the 7 Series G11 and the 5 Series G30 will also be used on the new X7, but the crossover will have more in common with the 7 than with the smaller 5. The shared features will include carbon-fiber-reinforced polymers (CFRP) added as structural chassis components, the air springs and electronically controlled shock absorbers and even the four-wheel-steering system that debuted on the 7 Series.
Expect the interior to offer plenty of room for 7 passengers and a bit of luggage, although insiders are also hinting at an ultra-luxury, four-seat version sometime in the future. That variant would directly compete with the Range Rover LWB and the next GLS in Mercedes-Maybach guise.
Features like touch screen, voice commands and gesture controls will be available for the X7 as well, while the seats will get the same type of massage options as the 7 Series. An M version hasn't been confirmed, and it will likely never be, but a top of the range V12 isn't ruled out.
We should see a near-production concept of the X7 as early as the 2017 Geneva Motor Show, while the production version should be unveiled in the fall, at the 2017 Frankfurt Motor Show. Pricing should closely mirror that of the equivalent 7 Series model.
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