King size

BMW's radical new design aesthetic has reached its flagship X7 SUV along with new tech and features and we put the petrol variant through its paces

- Anagh Bhaskar

The X7 sits right at the top of BMW’s X family of SUVs, and as BMWs go, the update is rather major. Unlike the rest of the X family which maintains its design aesthetic right from the X1 to the X6, the X7 now gets a really differentiated look, which has been inspired from the latest 7 Series.

The front gets the split headlamp setup with LED matrix headlamps below and the upper section serving as LED DRLs and turn indicators. The grille is massive as before, but the excessive feeling that one got with the older car isn’t there anymore. Being the M Sport trim, the air intakes are aggressive, while it rides on 21-inch alloys. The rear gets reprofiled 3D LED taillamps and changes to the bumpers. BMW has added the flagship fizz to the X7, which when coupled with its size and proportions mean that the SUV is right up there with its competitors.

Like the latest crop of BMWs, the X7 has now moved to a more modern cabin experience. There is a curved screen setup with a 12.3-inch instrument panel and a 14.9-inch infotainment display. The aircon vents are as good as invisible, while there is an illuminated X7 graphic on the dashboard.

All the aircon controls and physical buttons are gone, and are only accessible via the iDrive system, which isn’t the most simplistic one to use, especially when you’re driving. The big gear lever that was a regular offering with BMWs is gone, replaced by a crystalline selector right beside the fancy iDrive controller. There are a few buttons for media control, ride height and drive mode selection on the central console.