BMW X7 (G07) review: BMW's answer to a full-size Gulf family SUV
motorssouq Editorial Team
Buy the X7 only if you need the third row regularly; the X5 does everything else this car does for noticeably less money and with better handling. The xDrive40i's 380 hp is enough to move 2.5 tonnes convincingly, and the cabin genuinely seats six or seven adults for short trips rather than pretending to. Fuel and servicing costs are the highest in the BMW SUV range, so this is a purchase for buyers who have already made peace with running a large luxury SUV.
Pros
- Genuinely usable third row, unlike most three-row luxury SUVs
- Six-seat captain's-chair layout turns the second row into first-class seating
- 380 hp post-facelift inline-six moves 2.5 tonnes convincingly
- Air suspension keeps the ride composed on causeway runs
Cons
- Size is a daily negotiation in Bahrain's older multi-storey car parks
- Fuel consumption around 11 L/100 km is the highest in the BMW SUV range
- Servicing costs are firmly in the premium tier
- The X5 offers most of the same ability for meaningfully less money
The X7 exists because Gulf buyers wanted a genuinely three-row-capable BMW SUV rather than the token bench in a stretched X5, and it delivers on that brief. At over 5.1 metres long, it competes on interior space with a Range Rover rather than anything smaller, and the 2022 facelift brought the same inline-six power bump the X5 received alongside a controversial new illuminated grille.
Space and comfort
Six-seat captain's-chair layouts are popular on Gulf-spec cars and turn the second row into genuinely first-class seating, with its own climate zone and reclining function. The third row folds flat for cargo and is usable by adults for short trips, which is more than most three-row luxury SUVs can honestly claim.
Living with the size
Bahrain's older multi-storey car parks and tighter Manama streets are where the X7's size becomes a daily negotiation; this is not a car for buyers who value manoeuvrability. Air suspension keeps the ride settled at speed on the causeway, and the standard xDrive gives confident traction, but fuel consumption around 11 L/100 km in mixed use and BMW's premium servicing tier mean this is a genuinely expensive car to run, not just to buy.