The 2024 BMW X7 shook opinions when it made its appearance some time ago. While the outgoing model was already pushing the boundaries when it came to exterior styling, the SUV still had a certain level of charm to it especially with offshoots like the Alpina model we experienced. In contrast, the second-generation model goes all in when it comes to embracing BMW’s latest design language for better or for worse. However, the German auto giant is undeterred and thinks that injecting more horsepower into the SUV will help draw in family buyers looking for more performance in their family commute. But is the 2024 BMW X7 M60i a solid alternative in a growing pool of performance SUV entries?
X7 M60i Has A Face Only A Mother Could Love
As we alluded to earlier, the effectiveness of the X7’s 2023 styling refresh (2024 models like our tester don’t get any major changes) will entirely depend on who is looking at it at any given moment. The front end was designed to be more expressive than before and that includes the biggest set of twin-kidney grilles that we have seen yet on the model. The SUV also gets reworked front headlights with the actual headlights and the running lights now split into two distinct sections while the lower bumper is also reworked.
The rear styling also gets tweaked but it’s not as radical of a change as the front end with the taillights receiving light tweaks and the split lift/tailgate still being present and accounted for. M60i models get darkened accents in the grille and the massive wheels with BMW designers also splashing plenty of M60i badging in key spots to help tell passersby that this isn’t just another family hauler dropping the kids off at your local carpool lane.
As a whole, the look is a bit disjointed, but the X7 is still stylish and it even manages to outdo a few of its rivals including the Cadillac Escalade-V. Our tester also arrived with a slick coat of Marina Blue paint which is a notable upgrade over standard colors like black or white which are commonplace in the segment. The color also helped make up for some of our tester’s polarizing looks but we hope that BMW will eventually rein in the size of the twin-kidney grilles since they are the most noticeable thing that helps subtract points from the X7’s styling game.
X7 M60i’s Interior Encourages You To Look Past The Cover
Slip inside the X7 M6oi and you’ll be pleased to find a cabin that’s packed to the gills with luxury and refinement. High-quality plastics and splashes of leather and carbon-fiber trim add to the ambiance. Many of the controls are made out of real pieces of glass while the comfy leather front seats give the driver and front passenger a commanding view of the road. BMW wanted to ensure that all three rows of seats got some form of luxury and passengers that make their way back there will find heated seats and surprisingly decent footroom (headroom is still tight.) The X7 is still a very large vehicle and its size is evident when you sit in the first two rows of seats with the front and second-row thrones offering copious amounts of leg and headroom. A fully digital instrument cluster is standard and our tester had good visibility front and rear.
However, a prominent weakness that emerged during our time with the Bimmer was a tech interface that needs an overhaul. Our tester arrived with BMW’s iDrive 8 interface with the digital instrument cluster and the infotainment system all being housed in one single piece of glass. While it looks visually stunning, the screen deletes many of the analog controls for climate and the heated/ventilated seats with all of these controls now being housed in the screen itself. That makes accessing these features a chore and using many of the aforementioned features now requires several taps of the screen and navigating sub-menus to access them. The problem is further enhanced by the small menu icons and how closely packed together they are which can make you miss the proper window on select occasions. At least the software is lag-free and the rest of the visual presentation is nice especially in nighttime driving.
M60i Is The Golden Ticket For Performance
Performance for the M60i model is impressive but despite having M in a portion of its moniker, this X7 variant is actually the second most powerful member of the X7 lineup with models like our tester using a 523-horsepower, twin-turbo, 4.4-liter V8. That’s short of the Alpina-tuned XB7 which uses a 630-hp version of the same engine but is meant to be more of an autobahn cruiser versus an outright track demon.
Moving things back to the M60i, and, our tester proved that it could make great use of the power on hand with BMW claiming that it could make the sprint to 60 mph in 4.7-seconds. This engine is identical to the one in the M5 Competition but it has been detuned slightly to help it cope with the X7’s weight and unique driving demands. Like other 4.4-liter BMW engines we have experienced over the years, our tester’s unit had early turbo lag but once the turbos had a chance to spool up, it transformed into a beast that proved to be a potent straight-line performer with the active exhaust system delivering plenty of noise and audio feedback to the drivers ears as the revs climbed upward. The suspension has also benefitted from a recent stream of updates and while or tester still displayed some roll when tasked with twistier sections of tarmac outside of tow, it proved to be a minor annoyance especially when all the drive modes were placed in their most aggressive settings.
An eight-speed automatic will continue to be the sole transmission available and it did a good job delivering smooth shifts with plenty of feedback when placed in manual mode. Long freeway roadtrips also revealed that the X7 is easily capable of soaking up the miles with little drama and only the nastiest of divots made themselves notable to the driver. The X7 also comes equipped with a 48V mild-hybrid system and while it still won’t make the X7 a Prius by any stretch of the imagination, the EPA does rate the X7 at 16 mpg city and 21 mpg in freeway driving with combined driving ringing in at a combined figure of 18 mpg. That’s on par with some of its rivals, but the X7’s eight-speed is a few gears short of matching the nine and ten-speed automatics that have rapidly become established in the performance luxury SUV segment. Those missing gears prevent the X7 from getting more fuel economy and in turn, prevents the hybrid system from achieving its full potential.
Value Quotient
Pricing for the 2024 BMW X7 M60i is in the upper reaches of the X7 lineup. While the XB7’s $149,400 base price makes that model the default flagship in the X7’s three-trim level family, the M60i does emerge as a compelling bargain choice for well-heeled buyers thanks to its $108,700 base MSRP. Our tester arrived with a full laundry list of optional extras which helped push the final MSRP to just over $122,000. That’s still less expensive than the Alpina and it also allows the M60i to be less expensive than similar entries from Mercedes-Benz, Land Rover, and Audi.
While the 2024 BMW X7 M60i will continue to spur plenty of debate about its exterior styling, there’s no denying that once you look past the polarizing cover, the delectable content found inside will help put a smile on your face and perhaps show owners that fun and track-ready performance doesn’t have to be sacrificed when you enter the world of family hauling vehicles.
Carl Malek has been an automotive journalist for over 10 years. First starting out as a freelance photographer before making the transition to writing during college, his work has appeared on numerous automotive forums as well as websites such as Autoshopper.com.
Carl is also a big fan of British vehicles with the bulk of his devotion going to the Morgan Motor Company as well as offerings from Lotus, MG, and Caterham. When he is not writing about automobiles, Carl enjoys spending time with his family and friends in the Metro Detroit area, as well as spending time with his adorable pets.