2019 BMW X7 Large SUV is Produced in the US

What is the largest BMW SUV? Now we get the answer: the 2019 BMW X7, which comes with three rows of seats and can fit six passengers. The luxury SUV can be regarded as one of the German carmaker’s largest undertakings of this decade. It wants to join the competition field where the likes of Audi, Mercedes-Benz, and Land Rover are dominant.

All features are new in the X7, with the most striking one being the gargantuan front grille. According to BMW, the kidney grille is the biggest in the company’s history and the SUV has been designed to wear it. About appearance, you can judge for yourself, but remember that you’re looking at the biggest BMW SUV, so everything is mostly about going big.

In terms of styling, the X7 doesn’t carry the identical design language that’s used since the times of the E46. What you won’t find on it are the cloud-looking curves in panels. Instead, the car incorporates BMW’s modern sharp-edge styling and aggressive exterior lines. The vehicle’s crisp look will make its presence easily noticed, even though the front grille seems to prevail over the others.

The X7 gets a more roomy feel partly thanks to its big windows and elongated rear door that helps passengers getting in and out much easier. A two-section tailgate is also standard, and both elements are electrically controlled.

BMW’s main focus on the X7 is the third-row seat configuration. Previously, the feature was offered as an option in the company’s X5, although it never actually reached completion due to space limitations. Now that the X7 has a longer wheelbase, however, the setup can be implemented perfectly.

The interior presents an atmosphere that is more or less similar to that of the X5, the broad center console and dashboard arrangement remain in accordance with the automaker’s usual standard. The most prominent change we can spot is the incorporation of the 12.3-inch infotainment display onto the dashboard, which makes the interior different from before. The instrument cluster uses the same layout found in the new 3 Series sedan.

The new USMCA deal has made country of origin an important factor for the X7. That’s why BMW chooses its US Factory, located in Spartanburg, South Carolina as the production place for the hulking car. At the same time, the plant is also the only source for the X3, X5 and X6.

Among other members of BMW’s luxury SUV family, the X7 is the biggest and the newest one. It’s not built to be a replacement to the X5, but just to be a completely new model. BMW claims that the X7 is the most spacious luxury car it has in its lineup. It believes the car is an ideal product for US consumers, whose desire for SUVs is “insatiable”.

In the US, the X7 will arrive with two engine options include a 3.0-liter straight-six unit producing 335 HP and 479 lb-ft of torque and a more potent 4.4-liter V-8 generating 456 HP and 479 lb-ft of torque. Teamed with an eight-speed automatic transmission and all-wheel drive, the V8 engine is capable of pushing the X7 from standstill to 60 mph in 5.2 seconds.

Depending on how you configure it, the X7 can be an efficient vehicle. BMW says the xDrive40i returns 32.2 mpg. The North American variant the xDrive50i is rated at 24.8 mpg. Meanwhile, the diesel models are said to deliver as much as 43.5 mpg.

Reservations for the 2019 BMW X7 SUV will be opened soon. However, don’t expect it to have an affordable price tag. The xDrive40i will set you back from $73,900, while the xDrive50i will start at $92,600.