This refreshed 2023 BMW X7 brings some substantial styling changes to the table.
I had to take a moment to check my notes, but it has in fact been a full three years since BMW launched its flagship X7 SUV. Lest you think, “Wait, didn’t that just come out?”, it is about time for an update, and that’s exactly what we’re looking at here. Our friend Chris caught the restyled SUV a few miles outside Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, showing off its changes under some black-and-white camouflage.
I does its job in hiding the fine details well, especially since the SUV itself is also black. Nevertheless, the headline change for the next model year is that new front fascia, with a split headlight design and a brand new (and possibly slightly larger, surprise, surprise) grille. It’s not as utterly berserk as the Concept XM we saw a couple months ago, but the Bavarian automaker is changing up its styling. Whether or not you approve of that move, as ever, comes down to your own tastes and attitude toward newer BMWs like the 4 Series, and eventually the updated 7 Series as well as its all-electric i7 counterpart.
What about the back?
While the 2023 BMW X7 is getting a major update to its front fascia, the changes aren’t quite as dramatic at the rear. It looks like the refreshed SUV gets new LED taillights and the reflectors have moved up a bit. That’s mostly it — the X7 retains its split-folding tailgate and the rest of the fascia design is largely identical to the existing model.
Sticking with the familiar, it’s unlikely BMW will fit different engines to the X7 at this point in its lifespan. At the moment, it uses the ubiquitous 3.0-liter straight-six in the xDrive40i. The M50i (which looks like what we have here) uses a 4.4-liter twin-turbocharged V8, also a thoroughly common powerplant throughout BMW’s lineup. We might see a plug-in hybrid variant in the near future, but I doubt the landscape will change too much at this refreshed car’s launch. We’ll have to wait and see.
The 2023 BMW X7 should emerge later this year. Like the current SUV, the updated version will also come from the Spartanburg, South Carolina plant.
