BMW News: Rumorpile: BMW X7 To Bow At LA Auto Show

[William Maley]

It was thought that BMW would use the Paris Motor Show later this year to debut the production version of the X7 three-row crossover. But a report from Autocar says the new model will bow at the LA Auto Show. Considering the model was developed for the U.S. and Chinese markets, this move makes some sense.

BMW has already built pre-production X7s at their Spartanburg, South Carolina plant for testing. The production model will also be built here.

Autocar reports that the X7 at launch will come with a range of six- and eight-cylinder gas and diesel engines. A plug-in hybrid and an M performance version are expected down the road.

It is still unknown when BMW is planning to send the X7 out to dealers, but a safe guess is sometime early next year.

Source: Autocar

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[smk4565]

They need this badly with how the Navigator is selling.  These big SUVs are a small segment compared to small SUV but big time cash cows.  And BMW can’t have their M5 and 7-series owners going to another brand for an SUV.

[David]

This will help BMW, but not stop the flow of peeps going for the Navigator or Escalade.

King and Queen of the road is about to get a Prince as competition!  

[riviera74]

No worries: the Escalade still dominates the segment.  The X7 is climbing uphill against the leader in luxury large SUVs.

[smk4565]

The Mercedes GL/GLS has outsold the Navigator for 11 years in a row, that has been no contest for a long time.  The GLS outsold the Escalade in 2011, 2012, and 2013 in the USA, I imagine with European and Chinese market sales the GLS is the #1 selling full size luxury SUV in the world.   The X7 is in an uphill battle being new, but they'll sell them in China where there is no Escalade and I think they can make a dent in the USA.

What will be interesting is to see if Lexus and Infiniti stay at this segment or just fold up shop, because you'll have an all new GLS in 2019 and this all new X7 and an all new Audi Q8 and the Germans can be quite relentless, and they'll ride better, handle better, have more performance, and more tech than those dinosaurs.  And how will the Escalade and Navigator hold up to new competition?

[David]

9 hours ago, smk4565 said:

The Mercedes GL/GLS has outsold the Navigator for 11 years in a row, that has been no contest for a long time.  The GLS outsold the Escalade in 2011, 2012, and 2013 in the USA, I imagine with European and Chinese market sales the GLS is the #1 selling full size luxury SUV in the world.   The X7 is in an uphill battle being new, but they'll sell them in China where there is no Escalade and I think they can make a dent in the USA.

What will be interesting is to see if Lexus and Infiniti stay at this segment or just fold up shop, because you'll have an all new GLS in 2019 and this all new X7 and an all new Audi Q8 and the Germans can be quite relentless, and they'll ride better, handle better, have more performance, and more tech than those dinosaurs.  And how will the Escalade and Navigator hold up to new competition?

Yet the GLS has SubPar fuel economy per all the reviews and sorry SMK but the dash is a mess and not elegant or luxury at all.

The GLS might out sell the Escalade due to Badge snobs and global sales, but the escalade says Luxury Visually and physically.

[ccap41]

Personally, I'd take a GLS over an Escalade for a handful of reasons. Size, engine choices, SO MUCH LESS CHROME, SO MUCH LESS CHROME, did I mention that there is SO MUCH LESS CHROME? Navigator is all chromed out as well... The thing I hate most is chrome door handles and fake vents. Grilles and wheels are okay. 

[David]

13 minutes ago, ccap41 said:

Personally, I'd take a GLS over an Escalade for a handful of reasons. Size, engine choices, SO MUCH LESS CHROME, SO MUCH LESS CHROME, did I mention that there is SO MUCH LESS CHROME? Navigator is all chromed out as well... The thing I hate most is chrome door handles and fake vents. Grilles and wheels are okay. 

Size is almost identical, 2 inches different. From a comparison standpoint they seem to both hit the same check marks except one.

Current GLS Chrome Points:

Rims - Check

Door Handles - Check

Around the WIndows - Check

Roof Rails - Check

Front Grill - Check

Current Escalade Chrome Points:

Rims - Check

Door Handles - Check

Around the Windows - Check

Roof Rails - Check

Front Grill - Check

Door bump strip - Brushed aluminum Only thing extra over the GLS.

[ccap41]

I'm very confident you're confusing chrome and brushed aluminum-look. Mercedes doesn't have chrome wheels, or grilles, or roof racks. The only silver that's mirrored or chromed is probably the tri-star in the grille and on the tailgate. 

 

This is Mercedes Chrome Package. 

[David]

36 minutes ago, ccap41 said:

I'm very confident you're confusing chrome and brushed aluminum-look. Mercedes doesn't have chrome wheels, or grilles, or roof racks. The only silver that's mirrored or chromed is probably the tri-star in the grille and on the tailgate. 

 

This is Mercedes Chrome Package. 

I figured you would say that and yet the bottom GLS and the AMG is almost all Monochromatic and yet their luxury packages include all the chrome as I posted in the one picture from their web site above that shows chrome. Including link so others can quickly check it out.

https://www.mbusa.com/mercedes/vehicles/class/class-GLS/bodystyle-SUV

This one even includes a front chrome bumper in addition to the roof rails, around the windows, front grill and logo. Yes you can get Silver wheels, but they also offer chrome and of course the Aluminum rims with painted accents.

Rear bumper even appears to have Chrome

All pictures from their own web site. MB does have chrome on their SUV's. Just depends on the trim level. 550 seems to have much more than the 450 level.

[ccap41]

Show me their chrome wheels because when I go to their website and try and build I see no words saying "chrome" when looking at wheels. 

Even if all of this chrome is available it isn't standard. I would actually have to pay extra for $h!ty chrome compared to an Escalade that comes standard with the ghetto package. 

Like I said, what you originally posted, is not chrome. That grille is not Escalade chrome. Apparently you can opt for a chrome lower front and rear bumper area, like I posted with the chrome package. 

The only thing on the market that even competes with the Escalade's mass amount of chrome is the Navigator.

This is as dipped in chrome as a GLS gets and you cannot honestly tell me it has even half the coverage of an Escalade's chrome. 

https://youtu.be/pO_CMmyV9KA 

[smk4565]

2 hours ago, dfelt said:

Yet the GLS has SubPar fuel economy per all the reviews and sorry SMK but the dash is a mess and not elegant or luxury at all.

The GLS might out sell the Escalade due to Badge snobs and global sales, but the escalade says Luxury Visually and physically.

They will fix the fuel economy with the inline six and weight reduction of the new platform, and most of the competition has last decade’s V8 so this isn’t a segment where fuel economy matter that much.  And even if the new interior is E-class level it will be the best in segment and it will probably be more like S-class level.  This is an area that needs addressed because the GLE/GLS dashes are way behind the rest of the Mercedes line.

[ccap41]

I am wrong that the grille isn't chrome. The slots between the body color bars is chrome. Luckily, it isn't gaudy. 

 

Find me an OE Escalade that looks as clean and chrome-less as this. 

1 minute ago, smk4565 said:

isn’t a segment where fuel economy matter that much.

It really isn't a huge factor to this segment. What's 1-2mpg to somebody who just dropped 100k on an SUV and they pay for premium fuel? 

[David]

1 hour ago, ccap41 said:

I am wrong that the grille isn't chrome. The slots between the body color bars is chrome. Luckily, it isn't gaudy. 

 

Find me an OE Escalade that looks as clean and chrome-less as this. 

It really isn't a huge factor to this segment. What's 1-2mpg to somebody who just dropped 100k on an SUV and they pay for premium fuel? 

True, for the 450 that is a sharp monochromatic look with just a hint of chrome.

I wish GM would offer in both the Escalade and Yukon a monochromatic look as well as a black chrome look.

I know this is a custom job, but this Yukon all black chromed out is very sharp to me.

[Robert Hall]

 Ignoring the banter about chrome or not chrome, these really are apples and oranges.  The X7 will compete against Audi, MB GLS, Infiniti QX80, and Lexus LX.    The Escalade and Navigator are in their own category of larger BOF truck based NA-market SUVs. 

[David]

11 minutes ago, Cubical-aka-Moltar said:

 Ignoring the banter about chrome or not chrome, these really are apples and oranges.  The X7 will compete against Audi, MB GLS, Infiniti QX80, and Lexus LX.    The Escalade and Navigator are in their own category of larger BOF truck based NA-market SUVs. 

Yes and no, the GLS and X7 clearly compete on size and 3 rows with the Escalade and Navigator and today really outside of auto enthusiasts, who really cares if BOF or UniBody if it can both do the same thing. As some have pointed out over and over, the American products never really go off road any more than the MG or BMW products.

I think the next luxury level will be when you get the EV versions of these SUV/CUV products.

[Robert Hall]

7 minutes ago, dfelt said:

Yes and no, the GLS and X7 clearly compete on size and 3 rows with the Escalade and Navigator and today really outside of auto enthusiasts, who really cares if BOF or UniBody if it can both do the same thing. As some have pointed out over and over, the American products never really go off road any more than the MG or BMW products.

I think the next luxury level will be when you get the EV versions of these SUV/CUV products.

The other models are smaller and sold internationally, so they do compete in a different niche.  

[smk4565]

35 minutes ago, dfelt said:

Yes and no, the GLS and X7 clearly compete on size and 3 rows with the Escalade and Navigator and today really outside of auto enthusiasts, who really cares if BOF or UniBody if it can both do the same thing. As some have pointed out over and over, the American products never really go off road any more than the MG or BMW products.

I think the next luxury level will be when you get the EV versions of these SUV/CUV products.

Agreed and they for sure compete because they are similar size and prize.  The GLS has more 3rd row leg room than an Escalade or Navigator, and it beats the Escalade by a wide margin actually because the unibody design.  And most people won't know the difference in construction under the sheet metal.

What is concerning for the Escalade and Navigator is the Fleetwood and Town Car were once their own category and they died when superior unibody luxury sedans that did everything better ran them out of business.  I think Cadillac needs an Omega based SUV in a bad way.

[David]

4 minutes ago, smk4565 said:

Agreed and they for sure compete because they are similar size and prize.  The GLS has more 3rd row leg room than an Escalade or Navigator, and it beats the Escalade by a wide margin actually because the unibody design.  And most people won't know the difference in construction under the sheet metal.

What is concerning for the Escalade and Navigator is the Fleetwood and Town Car were once their own category and they died when superior unibody luxury sedans that did everything better ran them out of business.  I think Cadillac needs an Omega based SUV in a bad way.

I think GM needs to use their Skateboard EV platform for an EV Escalade that optimizes interior space and refinement of the luxury category. I will be expecting this of the germans and Asian auto companies too.

[smk4565]

2 minutes ago, dfelt said:

I think GM needs to use their Skateboard EV platform for an EV Escalade that optimizes interior space and refinement of the luxury category. I will be expecting this of the germans and Asian auto companies too.

The EV platform design does do wonders for interior space, see any Tesla as proof of that.  I know Mercedes will have EVs on a skateboard style chassis with the first on sale in 2019, the Asian car makers seem behind.

[balthazar]

2 hours ago, smk4565 said:

The EV platform design does do wonders for interior space, see any Tesla as proof of that.  I know Mercedes will have EVs on a skateboard style chassis with the first on sale in 2019, the Asian car makers seem behind.

Model S wheelbase : 116.5", total legroom: 78.1"
CTS wheelbase : 114.6", total legroom: 81.1"

[smk4565]

2 hours ago, balthazar said:

Model S wheelbase : 116.5", total legroom: 78.1"
CTS wheelbase : 114.6", total legroom: 81.1"

But the Model S can seat 5 adults and 2 kids and it has 2 trunks.

[balthazar]

34 minutes ago, smk4565 said:

...2 kids and it has 2 trunks.

Only if optionally equipped and not at the same time.

1. I'd never put my kids in that rear-facing seat.
2. If I was transporting 7 people, it'd wouldn't be in a sedan. With 7 aboard, you only have 5 CF of cargo space.

- - - - -
Red GLS above looks quite cheap as shown. Giant black plastic mesh areas need something to break up the 'holes'. Fog lights would be a good start.

Edited February 14, 2018 by balthazar

[smk4565]

You know, they better make an X8 crossover coupe, preferably with 2 doors but as large as an X7.  Because there is no idea too stupid when it comes to crossover sales.

[Robert Hall]

15 hours ago, smk4565 said:

You know, they better make an X8 crossover coupe, preferably with 2 doors but as large as an X7.  Because there is no idea too stupid when it comes to crossover sales.

I'm sure an X8 will be coming, but probably a 4dr coupe.  A big 2dr hardtop SUV coupe would be cool... 

[smk4565]

BMW should make an X9, the world’s first 4 row crossover.

[Robert Hall]

1 hour ago, smk4565 said:

BMW should make an X9, the world’s first 4 row crossover.

Yes!  Then an X10, the world's first 4 row crossover coupe. 

[balthazar]

WOnder if GM has maintained it's trademark on "X-11".

[ccap41]

1 hour ago, Cubical-aka-Moltar said:

Yes!  Then an X10, the world's first 4 row crossover coupe. 

Hahaha Exactly what I was about to say!