BMW has finally unveiled its production X7 model that will occupy the top echelon of its X models portfolio, the BMW X7.
For starters; it’s quite sizable. And not just because it has the largest BMW-signature kidney grille in the history of the carmaker, but it is the largest and most towering of all X models, period.
It boasts a rather lengthy wheelbase of 3,105 mm (compared to the 2,933 mm of the X5), while its 5,151 mm length is a substantial gain over its smaller X5 sibling’s modest 4,886 mm length.
BMW X7: MORE IS MORE
The reason for this, it seems, is for the (fitted as standard) third-row seats the X7 will have on offer. And since this is BMW, and they have built a gargantuan luxury SUV dedicated to the luxury of space, we are sure this will actually prove to be a functional third row of seats that also happens to be fitted with both armrests and USB ports. According to BMW, though, the middle row bench can be specified with two individual seats instead of the conventional three-seater bench.
FEATURE-RICH
The X7 will also be offered with a host of driver-assistance features that include Active Cruise Control with stop and go functionality, a ‘Driving Assistant’ system that encompasses functions like steering and lane-control assistance, lane departure and cross-traffic warnings and the latest generation of BMW’s Heads-Up Display. A Parking Assistant package is also on offer – something, we’d reckon, this sizable brawler can’t do without.
THE POWER BUSINESS
Internationally, the BMW X7 range will be available in xDrive40i and 50i guise on the petrol front, while the diesel mills will be of the xDrive30d and the M Performance fettled M50d variety. Locally, however, only the diesel models will be available at launch.
Both diesel variants will utilise BMW’s 3.0-litre turbodiesel engine that produces 195 and 294kW respectively, while torque is rated at 620 and 760 Nm.
According to BMW SA, the X7 will arrive on local soil in March 2019 with indicative pricing of R1,562,849 for the xDrive30d and R1,862,308 for the M50d.
Report by DRIVEN EDITORIAL | Images © BMW SOUTH AFRICA
