2018 Los Angeles Motor Show: BMW’s massive X7 SUV shown in public

As the pinnacle of BMW’s X range of luxury SUVs, the all-new X7 has a lot to live up to. The biggest and the most luxurious offering has just made its public debut at the 2018 Los Angeles Motor Show. Following its launch next year in the US, the X7 is expected to come to the Indian market to rival the likes of the Range Rover and the Mercedes GLS. 

The new X7 will be built in the US. BMW has revealed that it will begin series production at its Spartanburg plant in South Carolina starting next week. The US launch, meanwhile, would be held in March. To be offered in two petrol and two diesel engine options, the X7 will go on sale alongside the all-new 3 Series which is also headed for the Indian market. 

Being the flagship model, the proportions of the X7 are unsurprisingly huge, measuring over 5.1-metre in length and with a wheelbase of 3.15-metre. The profile though is boxy with massive window area, high ground clearance and a long roofline. The rear gets 7 Series-like taillights along with a split-tailgate. The X7 sits on 20-inch alloy wheels as standard which can be upgraded to 21- to 22-inch lightweight alloy wheels.

The X7 will get up to four engine options depending on the market. The entry-level is the xDrive40i with three-litre straight-six producing 335bhp/447Nm. The 50i guise has a 4.4-litre V8 from the 7 Series which puts out 456bhp and 649Nm. The two oil burners are – 30d with 260bhp three-litre inline-six and the M50d with a quad-turbo three-litre diesel producing 365bhp and 760Nm of torque. Transmission is an eight-speed automatic. There are a host of driver assists and off-road hardware as well along with BMW Intelligent Personal Assistant.

In the US, the BMW X7 would be seen competing against the likes of Mercedes-Benz GLS, Range Rover Sport apart from local models including the Cadillac Escalade and the Volkswagen Atlas. We expect BMW to launch it here in India in the next couple of years.