The Rolls-Royce Cullinan is the most luxurious SUV in the world (sorry Bentayga, but it is). The BMW X7, despite many reporting it is the most luxurious, actually isn’t. I’ll be modest in my unpretentious estimates and say that the BMW X7 is the fourth most luxurious production SUV in the world. The Cullinan being the first, the Bentayga the second and, the Land Rover Range Rover is the third. So, yes, I am probably correct - the BMW X7 is the fourth most luxurious SUV in the world. It is also the biggest BMW SUV in the world.

As the world basks in the greatness of the new large BMW X7, whose price starts at $73,900, I am pressed to find all the cool facts about the thing. Or as Doug DeMuro would say, I am listing here all the strange quirks and cool features the BMW X7 has to offer.

You are in for a cool one.

The First Ever BMW X7

There never was a BMW X7. This is the first one. Ever. Let that sink in a bit.

We are witnessing the birth of an all-new car - an all-new BMW - one of the most imposing of them all. With the market shaping up to swallow big luxurious SUVs, production of a BMW like the new X7 was only expected. Heck, the world has been quite curious as to why BMW handn't tried to take on the Mercedes-Benz GLS or the Range Rover Land Rover before now. Well, here it is - with seven (or six) seats, a technology recently introduced in the freaking Cullinan Rolls-Royce, and character corresponding with the current BMW direction.

It is a natural extension that is, I believe, as luxurious as the sedan itself.

BMW X7 Dimensions - it’s humongous

Let me tell you the BMW X7 dimensions:

The BMW X7 is 203.3 inches long (about 17 feet), 78.7 inches wide (6.5 feet) and 71.1 inches tall (about six feet). Plus, the wheelbase is at 122.2 inches.

While the size of the thing implies it will look rather imposing, it seems that pictures don’t do it enough justice. Anyone who has seen this car live has only one thing to say about it - it’s awesome. So, if you did not see it, I figured it is best to keep your opinions to yourself. With that said, I cannot unsee the buck teeth on this one. Like, ever. Of course, this leads me to my next big fat fact.

2019 BMW X7 exterior dimensions

X7 xDr40i

X7 xDr50i

Length inches

203.3

203.3

Width inches

78.7

78.7

Height inches

71.1

71.1

Width including mirrors inches

87.3

87.3

Wheelbase inches

122.2

122.2


The BMW X7 Has The Biggest Grille Ever Fitted On A BMW

Or does it? See, while researching this I was strolling the web like crazy, and almost everyone said that the BMW X7 has the biggest kidney grill ever. That may still be true, but the matter of a fact is that BMW has been producing “kidney-grilled” cars for ages. I am not sure about its size (I tried to find it honestly, but couldn’t, so if you do, please comment, and I’ll update this), but its square area may be even bigger than on the X7. I admit I started my research on it after seeing a guy at Jalopnik actually commented on the BMW 303 grill size.

Nevertheless, the BMW X7 has the biggest grille of any modern BMW. That is for sure. Still, buck teeth.

The Best Surround View Camera System In The Car Industry

Ok, this is not a new thing. The BMW 7 Series has it, and I am sure you can spec it in the 5 Series as well (probably some cheaper Bimmers as well). On the other end, the Phantom has it, as well as the Cullinan. So, the X7 has to have it too. I cannot stress enough how helpful this can be when parking and driving in tight spaces. On the other hand, the surround view offers a top view, panorama view, and the aforementioned 360 degrees 3D surround view. It is amazing to see it work.

Watch it here with the 7 Series:

Standard Air Suspension For The BMW X7

Yup, even the cheapest BMW X7 (the least expensive is a more precise definition actually) has the air suspension setup. All four corners are suspended on air cushions, and they make the suspension as adjustable as it gets. Different pressures in air springs will keep the car leveled at all times.

Even more important, however, is the fact that at a touch of a button, the BMW X7 can be raised by 40 millimeters for better off-roading capabilities. On the other hand, you can lower it by 40 millimeters to ease up the loading into the boot. Finally, the X7's air suspension will hunker down 20 millimeters every time you drive 86 mph or faster.

Thanks to the smart integration of the Air suspension with the ESC, the system can actually compensate when braking. Again, keeping the front end of the car from diving towards the road.

This is some really advanced stuff, and every BMW X7 has it.

Parking Brake Switch Unlike On Any Other BMW

Ok, you cannot reinvent the wheel, but the parking brake switch on the BMW X7 is a bit different compared with that of any other BMWs. First, it is located on a newly designed central part of the console, and it is arranged next to “the gear selector, the start/stop button, the Driving Experience Control switch controls, and the buttons for the air suspension and off-road modes.”

The thing about this parking brake is that it works with the Emergency Stop Assistant. If the driver is medically incapacitated or unable to drive, pulling the parking brake switch while the car is actually traveling (on the highway or so) will bring the vehicle to a standstill. Is BMW saying that if you can buy this car you must have a high paying stressful job, plus a lot of kids who annoy the hell of you, so you are more likely to have a stroke on the road. Just joking. This is smart thinking. Safety at its best and at the fingertips of the co-drivers.

BMW X7 Has Six Electronically Adjustable Seats

All the seats in the BMW X7 are heated. All of them are electronically adjustable, and two rear rows of them can be folded down or back up at the touch of a button. This is what I call luxury. Just think about the magic happening here.This is some electric magic that even Michael Faraday would be proud of.

Now, this isn’t the most amazing thing about the seats. For me, that is the fact that all seven seats inside offer enough space for adults. Heck, if seven is a bit too much, you can order the BMW X7 with four captain chairs (two for the front and two in the second row). If you have a large family - like a husband/wife and four kids - this would be like driving them in the utmost luxury. If that isn’t enough, BMW offers a five-zone air conditioning system. Up, there are five freaking air con zones in one car. I would set the temperature high upfront and cold at the back just to see how the BMW X7 would cope with it. Seeing and reading about all of this I feel like the car industry has run out of the ideas and BMW is just smashing all it possibly could into one car.

Reversing Assistant In The BMW X7 Is Unlike Anything Any Other Car Has

As this BMW is a huge SUV, the Reversing Assistant is something I find not only practical but necessary as well. The thing with the Reversing Assistant is that the BMW X7 will actually remember the way you entered a parking space or a particularly narrow street. Then, if you are unable (or scared) to drive it back, the Ok, having this on a Texas highway isn’t exactly something many would need. In Rome? Yes, please. A system like this is one of the most impressive features of the X7. This is what BMW says about it:

“The Reversing Assistant forms part of the standard Parking Assistant and offers the highly convenient facility of automated reversing in confined spaces or situations where the driver does not have a clear view, such as multi-storey car parks or entrances to courtyards. To do this, it stores the steering movements for any section the car just drove forward along at a speed of no more than 36 km/h (22 mph).

The system is initiated by pressing a button when the vehicle is stationary, and the gear selector is in the “P” position. The system is then able to reverse the vehicle for distances of up to 50 meters by steering it along exactly the same line it took when moving forward; all the driver has to do is operate the accelerator and brake pedals and monitor the surrounding area. The car can be backed up in this way at speeds of up to 9 km/h (5.5 mph). The steering movements made during the vehicle’s last forward maneuver are stored by the system and retained, even for longer periods. This means the Reversing Assistant can be used to maneuver the new BMW X7 backward out of a parking position that it drove into forwards the preceding day, for example.”

I am actually amazed!

Bigger Doors in the Rear than in the Front

The BMW X5 is a sort of a sporty SAV/SUV/whatever. The BMW X7 isn’t like that. The result is a curious one. To help passengers get in, or get back out from the rear seats, BMW made the rear doors actually longer than the front doors. A bigger opening there means easier access, easier child seat integration, or, even more likely, more convenient entrance for a drunk Hollywood star.

It's Freaking Carnegie Hall Inside

Rich people have it really good nowadays. Just deal with it. Even the least expensive BMW X7 has a standard ten speakers hi-fi system. Ten speakers for the entry-level version. That is the level we are at right now. I am sure this sounds fantastic enough. Of course, you can do better.

Or, better yet, tear up our calculations and just go for it. Bowers & Wilkins Diamond Surround Sound System with 20 speakers and the 1,500-watt amplifier will get you a sound system unlike any other. It is specifically tailored for the BMW X7 interior and would probably make any audiophile (do these people still exists?) excited.

Autonomous Features Of The BMW X7

The BMW X7 has something called the Extended Traffic Jam Assist. This you will like. In fact, you'll like it a lot as it will free you from the traffic jam hustle. This is a mandatory requirement for any other system from any other manufacturer.

BMW handled the “hands-on-the-steering-wheel” problem by installing a camera which focuses on your eyes and the head assessing if you are looking on the road. If you are indeed looking at the road ahead than you can remove your hands from the steering wheel.

Now, I have to make a conjecture. I think that this is actually a bit of a trick. See, the thing with keeping your hands on the steering wheel doesn’t require you to look to the road. In that case, you can keep one hand on the steering wheel and the other on your Instagram feed. Not really safe, is it? BMW’s way, your hands are free to do,... something, but you cannot look anywhere except the road. I feel that somewhere deep down in the endless basements of BMW headquarters where genetically enhanced augments reside, someone did thorough research that shows what I’ve just written.

Enough with that, the matter of a fact is that the BMW X7 will drive itself in a traffic jam. Thank you, BMW.

Rear Chrome Bar

BMW never ever used a rear chrome bar between the rear lights before, save for the uber-luxurious 7 Series. Well, the number 7 obviously includes a chrome bar highlighting the premium character of the X7 SUV.

Entry-level BMW X7 Isn’t Exactly Entry

It is freaking loaded. All with a hi-fi system, air suspension, list of safety equipment no 7 Series before 2014 could even imagine, and leather inside. The engine, however, is a 3.0-liter, with six power-inducing cylinders. Nevertheless, for $73,900 you can get the xDrive40i. For $92,600 the xDrive50i. Compared with the X5 xDrive40i and the X5 xDrive50i, this translates to $12,705 and $15,855 of an increase.

BMW X7 Performance

The lightest 2019 BMW X7 tips the scales at 5,370 pounds. This is actually the 2019 BMW X7 xDrive40i - a machine with a 3.0-liter turbocharged straight-six with 335 horsepower and 330 pound-feet of torque. It is not slow. At all. This BMW will surge to 60 mph in 5.8 seconds. But, this is not the one you want.

Go for something called the 2019 BMW X7 xDrive50i. It packs a 4.4-liter twin-turbocharged, V-8 with 456 horsepower and 479 pound-feet of torque. Sure, a bigger engine means more weight - in this case, 5,617 pounds. BMW has always been conservative with its estimates. That is my merit for writing this. Let me put this in a perspective. The 203 inches long SUV with 5,617 pounds of meat will reach 60 mph in 5 seconds flat. 5 SECONDS! A bit slower with the whole family on board, mind you.

Diesels are available in Europe. For the time being, you can choose between 261 horsepower of the X7 xDrive30d or 394 horsepower of the X7 M50d. This one comes with a freaking M Sport rear limited differential.

2019 BMW X7 - specifications

X7 xDr40i

X7 xDr50i

Engine type

B58

N63

Induction

Turbocharged

Turbocharged

Cylinders

6

8

Valves per cylinder

4

4

Stroke mm

94.6

88.3

Bore mm

82.0

82.0

Displacement cm³

2,998

4,395

Compression rate :1

11.0

10.5

Engine power hp

335

456

at rpm 1/min

5,500 – 6,500

5,250 – 6,000

Engine torque ft. lbs.

330

479

at rpm 1/min

1,500 – 5,200

1,500 – 4,750

Transmission type

8HP51

8HP76

Transmission type

automatic

automatic

Curb weight lbs.

5,370

5,617

Gross vehicle weight lbs.

6,989

7,253

Payload lbs.

1,202

1,202

Tow capacity with 3rd party hitch lbs.

5,950

5,950

Tow capacity with factory hitch lbs.

7,500

7,500

0-60 mph seconds

5.8

5.2

Top speed mph

130

130


BMW X7 Off-Road Package

BMW introduced the Off-Road package for the first time with the latest generation of the X5 mid-size SUV. The new full-size X7 also got an Off-Road package option for the X7 xDrive50i model. It sports a limited slip diff, protection guards under the car, four selectable off-road driving modes - Snow, Sand, Gravel and Rocks - and a display presentation that demonstrates what the SUV is actually handling.

BMW X7 Is Making America Great Again

Trump supporters can be happy about this one as BMW will build the X7 full-size SUV alongside the rest of the range at its U.S. plant in Spartanburg, South Carolina.

Further reading

Read our full review on the 2019 BMW X7.

Is the 2019 BMW X7 Too Similar to the BMW X5?