The X7 reveals a new and more elegant side to the X family – showing how the Sports Activity Vehicle can also have an opulent side.

Featuring expected details, such as xDrive handling and an athletic design language, it comes with a host of luxury extras and cutting-edge technologies that ensure exploring off-road or further afield doesn’t mean going without comfort.

As chief BMW group designer, Adrian van Hooydonk explains, “The design has to arouse strong emotions while expressing the highest quality and durability at the same time... we are building a luxury ecosystem, a model family. In various forms of expression: contemporary saloons, elegant and very sporty coupés, but also vehicles that offer very luxurious space.”

A NEW LUXURY AGE.

Driving has entered a new frontier where hand-crafted materials and sophisticated design language are no longer seen as the sole makers of luxury. State-of-the-art technology and seamless connectivity – two key features of the X7 – are now equally essential aspects of any luxurious driving experience.

Fundamental to the The X7 experience is the latest BMW Operating System 7.0. Paired with Digital Live Cockpit Professional, a large central display and the optional Driving Assistant Professional, it brings the digital world into the interior space and allows for a more intuitive and personal journey.

Van Hooydonk says, “In today’s mobile world, we spend more and more time in various modes of transport. Cars are now like personal rooms on wheels. One wants to feel completely comfortable in them… The interior of a vehicle is seen as a living space.”

A SPACE ODYSSEY.

The X7 has pushed the boundaries of luxury by incorporating more traditional marks of luxury, as well as breaking conventions with a sumptuous rear passenger experience. Luxury in-car features include Individual Extended Merino leather upholstery, Panorama Glass Sunroof and optional Bowers & Wilkins Diamond Surround Sound System.

It additionally offers an optional 6-seat configuration, which boasts two captain-style comfort seats in the second row, a spacious third row and optional Rear-Seat Entertainment Professional system with 10.2-inch full-HD touchscreen displays that offer a prime viewing experience from every seat.

PUSHED TO THE EXTREME.

As BMW’s first luxury Sports Activity Vehicle, The X7 was thoroughly road-tested before finally being built. To demonstrate the model’s extreme flexibility and endurance, The X7 prototype was tested on some of the world’s most challenging terrains.

Initial winter test drives took place at the edge of the polar circle, during which The X7 was driven in Arctic conditions over snow and ice. These were followed with long-distance endurance tests on desert and gravel tracks under the heat of the South African sun.

Further testing included an additional spectrum of road and weather conditions, from stop-and-go-traffic in the city to dynamic load tests on winding country roads and motorways.

A PLACE TO CALL HOME.

The task of building the X7 has been given to BMW Group’s largest production facility – the Spartanburg plant. Located in South Carolina, it already builds many of the BMW X models for the USA and the global market, including the BMW X3, X4, X5 and X6 models.

“We are proud to produce the BMW X7 here in Spartanburg, the home of our X models," said Knudt Flor, head of the BMW Group Spartanburg plant. "This is a very special vehicle and our employees are looking forward to yet a further member of the X family. Together with the BMW X7, a total of five BMW X models will be exported from Spartanburg to all four corners of the globe.”