The 7 Wonders Of The World

The Audi Q7 is one of the very best all-rounders you can buy, but BMW is out to better it with its new X7. So, which luxury seven-seater deserves your £75k?

WE’VE HAD STATEMENT watches, statement suits and, if you’re Patrick Bateman, statement business cards. But what about statement SUVs? Well, according to BMW, its new X7 is the closest you’re going to get. From its massively imposing – some will say distasteful – grille to the ‘7’ moniker that hints at kinship with the luxurious 7 Series limousine, every part of the X7 has been designed to make an impact.

The striking design is said to reflect the tastes of the American and Asian markets, where the X7 is hoped to sell in big numbers. But how will it fare in the UK? Well, on paper at least, it has a lot going for it. Based on the same underpinnings as the smaller X5, it promises both sharp driving dynamics and impressive straightline performance, despite having a third row of seats that’s spacious enough for fully grown adults.

And with buyers increasingly opting for top-of-the-range trims, the luxuriously equipped X7 should prove popular; a digital instrument display, adaptive LED headlights, a wi-fi hotspot and massive 21in alloy wheels are just some of the highlights. And that’s before you get into the optional semi-autonomous driver aids and rear seat entertainment packages.

None of this comes cheap, of course. So, for the same price as the entry-level X7, you can have the all-singing, all-dancing 50 TDI Vorsprung version of the Audi Q7, our Luxury SUV of the Year.

DRIVING

Performance, ride, handling, refinement

On paper, the Q7 and X7 are pretty evenly matched; each weighs more than two tonnes, is powered by a six-cylinder 3.0-litre diesel engine and uses an eight-speed automatic gearbox. So you can imagine our surprise when the Q7 clocked a 0-60mph time of just 6.3sec, versus a still respectable but less exciting 7.5sec from the X7.