BMW iX7 Spied Testing Three Rows Of Electric Luxury As Hotter X7 M60 Tracks Close Behind
BMW gave us the first ever X5 EV this year when it dropped the 2027 iX5, but these new spy pictures prove the automaker's electric luxury SUV ambitions don't end there. While this camouflaged prototype looks about the same as it did in spy shots taken earlier this year, the fact that this one was spied at the Germany's famed Nürburgring proves that development for this massive, three-row EV continues.
Spy photographers snapped the iX7 strutting its near-silent stuff at Germany's Nürburgring, which might be about the only time you'll ever see one taking on laps of the 12.9-mile (20.8 km) forest track. The three-row EV isn't intended for track work, but automakers use the Ring for durability tests as much as they do dynamic assessments, and every BMW, whether it's a little X1 SUV or 7 Series luxury sedan needs to go through a similar assessment.
SH Proshots/CarScoops
One thing that instantly obvious in these photos is that BMW isn't giving the iX7 its Neue Klasse EV platform, so the iX7, and its combustion X7 twin, won't switch to the visor face used by the iX3, iX4 and iX5 SUVs just yet. It sticks with the split-headlight arrangement introduced for 2023, as did the 7 Series when it was facelifted earlier this year. That being said, the iX7/X7 will get a sleek new look, with a modern Neue Klasse feel to the body surfaces, and electric wings at the base of the door pillars in place of conventional handles.
Battery capacity could exceed 144 kWh
Like the iX5 and X5, the iX7 and its X7 twin ride on an updated version of today's CLAR architecture, but holding fast with that platform doesn't mean the iX7 will be stuck with yesterday's technology. It will still benefit from BMW's advanced cylindrical cell battery knowhow and electrical systems, and that should deliver charge speeds of up to 460 kW, plus the kind of drive range claims to humble rivals like the new Range Rover Electric, if not Cadillac's Escalade IQ.
The iX5 already comes with a huge 144 kWh battery, which BMW says should give an EPA range of 435 miles (700 km). But since the iX7 will likely be around 5 inches (125 mm) longer, based on a comparison of the old X5 and X7, there could be room under the floor for an even bigger pack. We'd expect the motor setups to be shared between the iX5 and iX7, though. And that means at least one version of the iX7 should get the 570 horsepower (578 PS) dual-motor setup from the iX5 60, with even hotter, M-badged versions sure to follow.
Expect more commonality inside, because BMW is rolling out its new Panoramic iDrive to its entire lineup. Whether you go for the electric iX7 or gas-powered X7 you'll get a pillar-to-pillar gauge cluster and a parallelogram infotainment tablet on the console, like the one seen on this iX5 (above).
BMW's Spartanburg, South Carlina, plant is gearing up to build the X7 and iX7 alongside the X5 and iX5, but if you want one you might have to be patient. The iX7 isn't expected to debut until 2027, and will go on sale next fall.
Updated X7 M60 proves gasoline power isn't going away
The arrival of electric power is a significant X7 milestone, but it's one that could be overlooked by American buyers. Sales of EVs in the U.S. have slowed significantly, and luxury buyers in particular tend to prefer powerful gas engines to even more powerful electric ones.
Destined to replace the current X70 M60i, the M60 drops the 'i' but will almost certainly gain something else in the process. It's likely to carry over a mildly reworked version of the 4.4L S68 twin-turbocharged V8 found in today's hottest X7, but improve on its 523 horsepower and 553 lb-ft totals. BMW's new M760 xDrive sedan gives us a possible guide as to how much extra power. It makes 563 hp (571 PS) — but leaves torque unchanged — and sticks to a mild-hybrid setup, rather than going full PHEV.
SH Proshots/CarScoops
Telling the ICE X7 apart from its electric iX7 counterpart is easy. This M60 prototype has air intakes in its giant kidney grilles (they're blanked off on the EV) and two pairs of fat exhaust tailpipes at the rear.
For M fans, the M Performance M60 is probably as good as things will get when it comes to the new X7. BMW has never made a full X7M, and we're not expecting that to change when the covers come off the new one in 2027. But it could still be possible to spend more money on an X7. Alpina is now under total BMW control, and its luxury version of the big three-row SUV should arrive in 2028, BMW Blog reports.