BMW is readying a mid-life refresh for the X7. The seven-seat luxury SUV is set to gain a cosmetic nip and tuck for 2021, to keep things fresh against the likes of the Mercedes GLS.
BMW is readying a mid-life refresh for the X7. The seven-seat luxury SUV is set to gain a cosmetic nip and tuck for 2021, to keep things fresh against the likes of the Mercedes GLS.
The significant change looks set to come at the front of the car, where much of the camouflage on this prototype is concentrated. It’s clear that the headlamp arrangement has split and has dropped lower down the car’s front end – a feature that we’ve seen previously on the upcoming X8.
Expect the lights to be integrated into a design which maintains a similarly imposing grille to the current car, plus a revised bumper arrangement which ditches the tall side vents in favour of a smoother appearance.
Despite the disguise wrap to the rear of the car, it’s clear to see that the bumper design and bootlid are almost identical to the current car. As before, the X7 will offer a split tailgate design to offer easy access to the boot.
The X7 shares its CLAR underpinnings with many other BMW models, and is most closely related to the X5. Electrification is likely to play an ever-more important role in the engine lineup, so it’s likely that the revised model will feature the 3.0-litre petrol/electric configuration of the X5 xDrive45e. A 24kWh battery allows the X5 to return a real-world electric only range of between 65 to 70 kilometres.
When the revised model debuts, it’s likely that there will be an incremental increase in prices across the board. As such, it’s likely that the range will kick off from around $140,000.
Alex Ingram