BMW X7 review

If driving the X7 is plush, riding in it is more so. The seven-seat layout is standard, but for an extra £600 you can have a six-seat setup that replaces the middle bench with two captain’s chairs. Said layout gives the rear passengers as much comfort and pretty much the same space as the front two, although even the seven-seater layout is hardly a park bench.

All the seat adjustment and folding is electric. Show-off, yes, but painfully slow too. 

The view out is great, with deep windows and plenty of glass – including a massive three-section panoramic sunroof as standard. Everyone gets vents and adjustable climate and reading lights and cupholders and power sockets. No cheap seats here… unless you get the optional heated and cooled front cupholders while the rest are – what – thermally passive?

If all three rows are up, the boot is a supermini-sized 326 litres. In the two-row setup, surely how people will use this car, it's a mammoth 750 litres. Fold all but the front seats flat and you’ve got 2,120 litres of space. Practical. There’s also carpeted split tailgate which makes for a great picnic bench, and the air suspension means you can drop the rear for easier loading. 

And now we must get into the really important bit – screens. The facelift has brought with it BMW’s new curved display which integrates a 12.3-inch dial display and a massive 14.9-inch central infotainment touchscreen into one long unit. Looks smart and it’s a reactive touchscreen, but messy fingerprints are a bit of a nightmare. Thankfully BMW has kept its old iDrive controller which you can use on the move. It’s just a shame that for the X7 said controller (and the gear selector) is made from a strange, tacky-looking crystalised glass. Oh, and whilst we’re on the subject of materials – avoid the carbon fibre interior bits on the M60i – it’s not saving any weight and a light wood is far classier. BMW also says that the dash is now covered in something called ‘Sensafin’, which apparently is a high-quality vegan leather.