2023 BMW X7 First Drive Review: Long live 'The Sovereign'. https://youtu.be/lQGHIHlUiaE
Forget the 7 Series. The X7 is the king of the BMW lineup and it's been overhauled for '23.
I don’t speak much German, but I know a message auf Deutsch when I hear it. At the first media drive of the 2023 BMW X7, engineers and executives revealed the internal name for the brand’s biggest and most-luxurious people hauler: Der Souverän, or, “The Sovereign.” This came even as BMW nodded to the forthcoming appearance of an all-new 7 Series sedan and its i7 electric offshoot, cars that in any other era would be the unquestioned flagships of a luxurious fleet.
In a market that now puts SUVs on a tall-riding pedestal and treats sedans like soil-tilling peasants, the three-row X7 has clearly usurped the 7 Series throne, especially as King of America. Since its debut as a 2019 model, this South Carolina-built challenger to the Mercedes GLS-Class, Range Rover and Cadillac Escalade has found 47% of its global buyers in the United States with another 28% coming from China. Only 2% found homes in Germany.
With one eye to protecting that throne, the X7 receives an especially robust refresh for 2023. Decisive upgrades include new inline-six and V8 engines, both with a 48-volt mild hybrid assist for added efficiency, reduced emissions and a helpful shove of electric torque. The X7 xDrive40i model (starting from $78,845), brings 375 overachieving horsepower and a peak 393 pound-feet of torque from its turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-six. That’s a jump of 40 horses and 67 pound-feet, but it also runs the more efficient Miller cycle and features exhaust valves that can close during engine shutdown to reduce torque on overrun by about two-thirds. This allows the hybrid generator to absorb more regen energy for the 48-volt battery.
For the X7 M60i (from $104,095), a twin-turbo 4.4-liter V8 amasses 523 horsepower and 553 pound-feet. That’s unchanged from before, but BMW engineers say the mild-hybrid system supplies noticeably more torque to fill in any V8 lag or power gaps. Based on the M Division’s wicked S63 unit that first powered the X5M and X6M, the V8 tucks dual-scroll turbos within “Hot Vee” cylinder banks. There’s a cross-bank exhaust manifold and a strengthened crankshaft to handle the gut-wrenching torque.
There’s a new eight-speed automatic transmission, a strikingly redesigned dashboard with BMW’s sleek Curved Display, and the latest iDrive8 interface that isn’t exactly a step forward. Standard gear now includes the previously optional panoramic sunroof with a separate panel over the third row; and top-shelf heated-and-cooled Comfort seats up front. There’s a raft of new driver-assistance tech, reams of optional packages (such as M Sport and Sport Pro), and a cool Sparkling Copper Metallic paint that embeds copper particles in a blue-gray coat.
A mid-cycle facelift includes an extensive nip-and-tuck up front. Stacked LED lighting puts a squinty pair of DRLs and direction
Forget the 7 Series. The X7 is the king of the BMW lineup and it's been overhauled for '23.
I don’t speak much German, but I know a message auf Deutsch when I hear it. At the first media drive of the 2023 BMW X7, engineers and executives revealed the internal name for the brand’s biggest and most-luxurious people hauler: Der Souverän, or, “The Sovereign.” This came even as BMW nodded to the forthcoming appearance of an all-new 7 Series sedan and its i7 electric offshoot, cars that in any other era would be the unquestioned flagships of a luxurious fleet.
In a market that now puts SUVs on a tall-riding pedestal and treats sedans like soil-tilling peasants, the three-row X7 has clearly usurped the 7 Series throne, especially as King of America. Since its debut as a 2019 model, this South Carolina-built challenger to the Mercedes GLS-Class, Range Rover and Cadillac Escalade has found 47% of its global buyers in the United States with another 28% coming from China. Only 2% found homes in Germany.
With one eye to protecting that throne, the X7 receives an especially robust refresh for 2023. Decisive upgrades include new inline-six and V8 engines, both with a 48-volt mild hybrid assist for added efficiency, reduced emissions and a helpful shove of electric torque. The X7 xDrive40i model (starting from $78,845), brings 375 overachieving horsepower and a peak 393 pound-feet of torque from its turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-six. That’s a jump of 40 horses and 67 pound-feet, but it also runs the more efficient Miller cycle and features exhaust valves that can close during engine shutdown to reduce torque on overrun by about two-thirds. This allows the hybrid generator to absorb more regen energy for the 48-volt battery.
For the X7 M60i (from $104,095), a twin-turbo 4.4-liter V8 amasses 523 horsepower and 553 pound-feet. That’s unchanged from before, but BMW engineers say the mild-hybrid system supplies noticeably more torque to fill in any V8 lag or power gaps. Based on the M Division’s wicked S63 unit that first powered the X5M and X6M, the V8 tucks dual-scroll turbos within “Hot Vee” cylinder banks. There’s a cross-bank exhaust manifold and a strengthened crankshaft to handle the gut-wrenching torque.
There’s a new eight-speed automatic transmission, a strikingly redesigned dashboard with BMW’s sleek Curved Display, and the latest iDrive8 interface that isn’t exactly a step forward. Standard gear now includes the previously optional panoramic sunroof with a separate panel over the third row; and top-shelf heated-and-cooled Comfort seats up front. There’s a raft of new driver-assistance tech, reams of optional packages (such as M Sport and Sport Pro), and a cool Sparkling Copper Metallic paint that embeds copper particles in a blue-gray coat.
A mid-cycle facelift includes an extensive nip-and-tuck up front. Stacked LED lighting puts a squinty pair of DRLs and direction
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