Alpina XB7 Facelift Shows More Of Its Sporty Bodykit

The facelifted Alpina XB7 made its spy debut late last year wearing some heavy camouflage to hide the rather extensive design changes on both ends. This time, our spy photographers caught a new prototype with less camo in Munich, Germany, giving us a better hint of its redesigned face.

Besides the split headlight design that will be shared between the updated X7 and the all-new 7-Series, we can see a new bumper that is more sculpted with different intakes. Despite featuring an even larger kidney grille, BMW designers managed to fit a taller lower intake that is protruding from the bodywork. This is flanked by two slits on the bumper, likely for brake cooling, and a bumper extension with additional intakes typical of Alpina’s design touches.

The profile will be identical to the current XB7 with Alpina’s own wheel options distinguishing it from your regular BMW X7. The tail is still covered but we can see the LED graphics of the redesigned taillights and the relocated reflectors and the updated rear bumper retaining the quad exhaust pipes. Inside, BMW’s curved display from the iX could find its way into the facelifted X7 / XB7 with new software.

Despite the visual makeover, the Alpina XB7 will most likely retain the twin-turbo 4.4-liter V8 engine, which produces 612 hp (456 kW / 620 PS) and 800 Nm (590 lb-ft) of torque in the current model. Power is sent to all four wheels through an 8-speed automatic transmission and a tweaked xDrive AWD system, allowing a 0-100 km/h (0-62 mph) in 4.2 seconds.

We expect the facelifted BMW X7 to arrive sometime in 2022, with the Alpina XB7 to follow soon after. The current Alpina XB7 was unveiled in May 2020, making it only two years old this year. The addition of the sportier XM in the BMW range means that the X7/XB7 will lose the “flagship SUV” title although it will still be the one with the most room inside.