447kW, maybe?
German carmaker BMW is very excited about its new flagship SUV, designed to tackle the growing appetite for large, luxury overlanders that very few will ever really need. And while we have no doubt that it’ll set new standards for the brand and BMW will claim that it’s a benchmark in various areas, the boffins in Munich are not one to rest on idle hands. Even though the X7 is still waiting for its full debut, they’re already looking past it and evaluating whether or not there’s room (and appeal) for an M model.
That’s right: Despite never having tooled with a 7-Series (not properly at least), BMW’s skunkworks are seriously considering wading in and giving the new X7 a spanking and turn it into a proper, full-blown M car.
According to trusted sources BMWBlog, there’s hot debate in Munich regarding the viability and indeed the necessity of such a model. With cars like the Mercedes-AMG GLS 63, Range Rover Sport SVR and even BMW’s own X5 M all living rather comfortable lives as highly-prized commodities, there’s little question that a high-powered X7 M would be something to behold. The question now is more about whether buyers will willingly part with (quite a lot of) their money for it.
What will be interesting to see is what motivation is eventually employed for the X7 M, given that the X7 M50i has already been pipped to use the 4.4-litre V8 from the new BMW M850i, which already has 390kW and 750Nm of biturbo goodness. But considering that its (theoretical) peers are all pushing well-over 400kW, it’s possible that the V8 will be persuaded to give out even more power, around the range of 447kW perhaps.
Presently we can only speculate about how earth-shatteringly powerful and bonkers an X7 M could be, as ultimately, the model is still under consideration at this point. BMW could simply decide that giving the X7 the M treatment is an exercise in the obscene and shelve the project (the way they did with the original M8). Or they could put it into production and scare the living daylights out of a Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk…
For the best deals on a new BMW, check out our Showroom.
