New BMW X7 rendered images

BMW still don’t have a full sized SUV that can accommodate seven people and that is exactly what its new X7 would like to establish. What we have here is artist’s impression of what the upcoming BMW X7 SUV could look like. It will be a far bigger vehicle than the X5, offering a fully usable third row. Currently, the X5 is available with tiny third-row seats that are suitable only for small children and mostly steal cargo room from behind the second-row chairs.

A seven-seater BMW has been rumoured for 15 years now, but BMW has never mustered the courage to do a vehicle that is so far removed from the brand’s core values. (At least it sits atop a RWD-based platform.) However, despite rising fuel prices, the desire for medium-to-large SUVs has grown, especially in the U.S., which is the market focus of this new model. And that’s also why it will be built in BMW’s Spartanburg, South Carolina, assembly plant, much like the Mercedes Benz GL class of vehicles.

The chassis will use a lot of aluminium and high strength steel and we believe that it would weight approximately the same as the current generation X5. It will have a lot in common with the 7- series, its flagship model, in terms of electronics and safety.

In the U.S., the X7 will be offered with turbocharged inline-six and V-8 gasoline engines; straight-six diesel and plug-in hybrid variants are also possible. BMW’s vast and expanding parts bin would enable the carmaker to offer even more options, potentially stretching from a turbocharged four-banger to an M version, although we doubt that these extremes will come to our market. All-wheel drive will be standard and all engines will be mated to an eight-speed automatic.

Photo Credits: Car and Driver