Car UK May 2019

‘It’s tall and heavy.

But the X7 more

than lives up to the

standards implicit

in its badge’

A BMW to drive – just

The X7 handles better than such an obese

vehicle has a right to, acquitting itself on a

tricky road better than a Range Rover – and

far better than a Mercedes GLS. Audi’s

sportier (and admittedly less comfort-

oriented) SQ7 is a far more rewarding steer

however, feeling like a hot hatch in an SUV

body. Adept though the X7 is, it’s not a

driving experience that stays with you.

First drives

The X7’s epically comfortable seats and impressive refinement

made 300 miles feel like 30, and – fiddly folding seat interface

apart – its interior environment is as well laid-out as it is

luxurious. The iDrive multimedia system remains one of the

most intuitive, and although its gesture control element feels

like a gimmick (you’re more likely to change radio station in

error while waving your hands chatting to a passenger than on

purpose), its clickwheel and touchscreen menu interface are

superbly realised.

The pair of seats in the third row are the most luxurious of

their type on the market, with roof-mounted climate control,

three levels of heating and even their own sunroof. You might

hesitate to load the X7 to the brim with heavy objects for fear of

tarnishing its trim, though. As with most six- or seven-seaters,

legroom is tight in the final row but there are epic amounts of it

in row two. Go on, just bask in that comfort.

These comfort and convenience features are all hugely

important in the world of big, premium SUVs. But what’s more

important to us is how the X7 drives.

It’s tall and very heavy, guaranteeing that the X7 is never

going to be a driver’s car, but it looks after itself well enough

dynamically to live up to the BMW badge, its anti-roll system

and four-wheel-drive torque distribution helping it corner

remarkably tidily for such a bulky car.

There’s real depth of ability here. It handled everything

we’ve put it through, from scrambling over off-road wil-

derness to being hurled along twisting driving roads. UFO

sightings and giant rocks called Giant Rock may be rarer sights in

Peterborough than in Palm Springs, but well-sorted suspension

and highly evolved engines know no boundaries.

The wide-open spaces, high mileages and extreme temper-

atures of the western USA highlight all that’s best about the

X7: roomy, quiet, comfortable and composed, it feels like a car

designed as much for its passengers as its driver. Roomier than

the (slightly smaller) Audi Q7, dynamically superior to the GLS

Mercedes and slicker inside than the Range Rover, BMW’s BFG

is a very capable super-SUV.

Next month:

Tesla Model 3 vs norway

Musk’s Make-or-break people’s car

in europe’s elecTric car capiTal

40 carMaGaZine.co.uk | MAY 2019

THE 300-MILE VERDICT