Used BMW X7 2019-2022 review

The M50i M Performance version we elected to test has its own special suspension tuning, as well as an electronically controlled torque-vectoring rear differential for its four-wheel drive system as standard. BMW’s Integral Active Steering, which combines an intelligently controlled variable-ratio steering rack with actively controlled, speed-dependent four-wheel steering, is an option and our test car had it.

The car’s engine is BMW’s twin-turbocharged 4395cc ‘N63’ V8, which produces 523bhp as well as 553lb ft. That’s as much torque as the closely related ‘S63’ M division V8 makes in any current BMW M car. Although it’s close, it’s not quite the 561lb ft made by the old quad-turbo diesel 3.0-litre ‘B57’ diesel straight six of the X7 M50d, which wasn’t Euro 6d emissions compliant and is being phased out of production this month.

Fast diesel fans will be watching closely to see if anything like it will eventually reappear as part of BMW’s new 48V mild-hybrid, sequentially turbocharged generation of diesel straight sixes; but rumours from Munich suggest that the quad-turbo ‘B57D30S0’ proved complicated, expensive to make and more prone to mechanical failure than the firm would have liked. With the market for expensive diesels drying up, its replacement should not be taken for granted.

Tackling Millbrook’s Hill Route at pace in the X7 M50i isn’t a particularly pleasant experience. That’s not down to any shortage of traction. Even when pressed hard, the X7 clings on impressively. It’s more to do with how pronounced vertical and lateral body movements are at serious speeds.

Although these weight transfers remain controlled during quick directional changes, the inertia generated by the car’s sheer mass in these instances is profound. Driving quickly soon becomes quite a physically taxing process as a result. If competitive cruise lining were a thing, this is probably how it’d feel.

Nevertheless, the X7’s traction and stability systems are calibrated impressively. Progress isn’t constantly hampered by a heavy-handed line of software code, so you can carry what feels like serious speed through sharper, off-camber corners without any sudden loss of power or clamping of brakes.

Comfort and isolation

It can be difficult to quantify something as subjective as ‘comfort’, but we can at least put numbers to the acoustic element of the mix – that is, isolation. At a steady 70mph, cabin noise in the X7 M50i was limited to 62dB, which is identical to the Mercedes GLS 400d we’ve previously tested and very quiet indeed. To do better, you need to look to the most rarefied limousines in the world – cars such as the Rolls-Royce Phantom, which managed 60dB (appreciably quieter than 62dB, although the difference is not day and night) on its foam-insulated tyres. For further context, consider that the old V8 twin-turbo diesel Bentley Bentayga – a machine we considered opulence personified in 2017 – generated around 65dB.

To this sense of calm and well-being, the X7 adds its fine pneumatic-flavoured ride quality, which at motorways speeds is beautifully composed as the optional active anti-roll bars disengage. The car finds an enjoyable longwave flow that belies the 22in alloy wheels and ‘M’ designation on the rear bodywork. Owners who predominantly use these cars over distance are unlikely to regret their decision and the expansive glasshouse only adds to the sense of serene but quick progress.

One disappointment is that the car’s low-speed ride is not quite as refined as you’d hope, given all the travel in the height-adjustable suspension. Owners won’t exactly find themselves swerving to avoid potholes and wincing over rougher surfaces, but the X7 does labour such things fractionally more obviously than a Range Rover or Audi Q7.