Photo: SB-Medien
BMW has always struggled with its design, but things have gotten a lot worse lately. Take the preview concept for the new X7, which strikes us as something made by the Brits.
The original X5 loosely used Land Rover Rover technology, but it had its own identity. This thing here is supposed to be underpinned by the 7 Series platform, but there's no spirit connecting the two.
The man we have to thank for this confusion is Calvin Luk. He seems to think that BMWs need kidney grilles that are almost like circles, as we've seen on the new X3.
Another thing we don't like is that the pronounced shoulders are gone. Instead, the profile of the X7 is almost flat from one end of the car to the other, with creases going through the door handles. The look is not unlike a Range Rover. Of course, if we wanted a Range Rover.... we'd buy one, not a BMW.
This is the first X model to have round wheel-arches. At the back, a metal strip between the lights is meant to connect it to the 7 Series sedan.
It's not all bad, though. The interior of the X7 Concept has a few features borrowed from the 8 Series Concept, such as the steering wheel controls, the iDrive controller or the shift lever made of glass.
Behind the front seats, we see nearly identical "captain's chairs" with a minimalist yet comfortable-looking design. The perforated white leather is combined with dark earthy tones. We expect the production-ready BMW X7 to have seven seats, but a six-seat luxury package might also be offered.
The concept leaves you in no doubt that this is the biggest cabin BMW has ever built. So far, BMW hasn't revealed anything about the propulsion of the concept, but we know it's an iPerformance plug-in hybrid. Given the X7 is so big, we wouldn't be surprised if it uses a 3.0-liter instead of the 2.0-liter found in the 740e model.
The man we have to thank for this confusion is Calvin Luk. He seems to think that BMWs need kidney grilles that are almost like circles, as we've seen on the new X3.
Another thing we don't like is that the pronounced shoulders are gone. Instead, the profile of the X7 is almost flat from one end of the car to the other, with creases going through the door handles. The look is not unlike a Range Rover. Of course, if we wanted a Range Rover.... we'd buy one, not a BMW.
This is the first X model to have round wheel-arches. At the back, a metal strip between the lights is meant to connect it to the 7 Series sedan.
It's not all bad, though. The interior of the X7 Concept has a few features borrowed from the 8 Series Concept, such as the steering wheel controls, the iDrive controller or the shift lever made of glass.
Behind the front seats, we see nearly identical "captain's chairs" with a minimalist yet comfortable-looking design. The perforated white leather is combined with dark earthy tones. We expect the production-ready BMW X7 to have seven seats, but a six-seat luxury package might also be offered.
The concept leaves you in no doubt that this is the biggest cabin BMW has ever built. So far, BMW hasn't revealed anything about the propulsion of the concept, but we know it's an iPerformance plug-in hybrid. Given the X7 is so big, we wouldn't be surprised if it uses a 3.0-liter instead of the 2.0-liter found in the 740e model.
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