BMW X7

SUVs are dominating buyer trends today and BMW doesn’t want to fall behind for not having a full-size luxury SUV in their portfolio. It now has the X7 premium full-size SUV that will debut in India later this year. As the X5 is an SUV to the 5 Series, the X7 is an SUV to the 7 Series.

In terms of design, the X7 has been cast in the typical BMW mould with the kidney-grille up front and the twin-barrel LED headlamps and the signature corona rings around them. The hood sits high for the big-burly SUV and the lines are square. The three-cab profile makes no bones about its size. The tail will also toe the design cues of BMW.

Inside, the X7 gets all the bells and whistles like massaging seats, separate zone climate control and panoramic sunroof. The interior will be premium and upholstered in leather with power seats in the front and foldable split seats in the back. It will get the latest i Drive interface that helps set up the car, ambient lighting and other settings with a unique controller.

For the Indian market, the X7 will be offered in m50d state of tune. This means a 3.0-litre inline-six diesel engine. It produces 400bhp/760Nm. There’s an eight-speed auto and xDrive AWD system mated to this engine. A petrol variant may also be on the cards later on and we might get both, the 300bhp 3.0-litre straight-six and the 444bhp 4.4-litre V8, as well.

The X7 is the German automaker’s new flagship SUV and will compete against the likes of the Mercedes GLS, the Land Rover Discovery, Audi Q7 and the Volvo XC90 amongst seven-seater SUVs. It will be positioned above the BMW X5 and we can expect it to be priced between Rs 80 lakhs to Rs 1.2 crores, ex-showroom, Delhi.