Car of the Year Awards 2024: Luxury Car of the Year

We wouldn’t blame you for thinking car makers have a straightforward task when it comes to making a luxury car. Just make sure it’s big and fill it with plush materials and the latest tech, right? Well, the BMW X7 is very much the most complete luxury car on sale and proves there’s more to it than just those three factors.

True, some readers might be expecting to see a more traditional saloon in this spot, but the X7 SUV combines limo-like interior space with a commanding driving position that you just don’t get in a BMW 7 Series or BMW i7.

Inside, the X7 majors on wow factor; its curved 14.9in infotainment touchscreen and adjoining 12.3in digital instrument panel set a high-tech theme, plus you get ambient lighting, glossy trim finishers and polished glass elements on the lower centre console. Everything feels as good as it looks, too, and there are soft-touch materials in all the other major touch points.

Things are at their most decadent with the optional Ultimate Pack. Yes, at £17,500, it costs more than an entire Hyundai i10 Premium, but it helps the X7 to truly pamper all on board. Not only do the (massaging) front seats heat up, but they do so in conjunction with the steering wheel and the armrests on the centre console and doors, creating a sort of winter jacket.

Second-row passengers are mollycoddled, too; the outer two get heated seats and individual climate control zones, as well as acres of head and leg room. What’s more, there’s enough room in the third row for a pair of six-footers, plus another climate control zone for them. That means seven adults can share the luxury. Try doing that in a saloon.

The impression of effortless luxury extends to the way the X7 drives, too. The xDrive40d’s torquey diesel engine is brilliantly refined, remaining hushed at all speeds, yet it still packs enough punch to get you from 0-62mph in a swift 5.9sec. Naturally, it’s just as happy at lower speeds, bimbling along with minimal fuss.

On the open road, there’s very little tyre or wind noise, and the Ultimate Pack brings even more luxurious road manners than the regular X7 can boast; it adds the Executive Drive suspension package, with its active anti-roll bars and upgraded air suspension.

These combine to give the X7 a more settled ride than a Range Rover can muster, and one that gives the Audi Q7 a run for its money. The pack also includes a four-wheel steering system that makes the X7 easier to manoeuvre around corners than its smaller BMW X5 stablemate.

As SUVs go, the Range Rover is a more capable off-roader, but the X7 will get you a fair way off the beaten track and is comfier on it. No car better blends luxury with versatility.

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