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Despite being early to the luxury crossover game with the first-generation X5 in 1999 (and the first X3 in 2003), and produced hundreds of thousands of SUVs in the U.S. every year, it took BMW a long time to introduce a large three-row SUV. The BMW X7 didn't go on sale until early 2019, and luckily BMW isn't letting it rot on the vine. A second-generation X7 is coming soon, and it's been spied at the Nürburgring in both V8-powered M60 and fully electric iX7 forms.
BMW has been seeing big successes with its EVs, especially now that all of its Neue Klasse-era electric offerings look basically the same and are branded the same as their gas-powered equivalents. That will be the case with the new X7, as both models only differ in their grille openings and presence (or lack) of exhaust. BMW's timing couldn't be better, as Mercedes-Benz just launched a second facelift of its aging GLS, and Audi is about to launch the new Q9, its first real try at making a big SUV. Neither of those other Germans have an EV version, either.
Split lights, and maybe a split tailgate
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In the above collages, the iX7 is on the left, while the iX7 M60 is on the right. We can see that BMW will be sticking with a split-headlight motif, with the lights being better resolved than on the current X7, and more like the ones on the 7 Series facelift. On the M60, the running lights be yellow, like we've seen on the M350 and iX4 M60. There are two tall kidney grilles, which have horizontal vanes on the iX7, and the front bumper has a slim intake on the iX7 and a larger one on the X7 M60.
At the rear we can see wide taillights with a pair of thick lines, the pattern being slightly different on each model. The M60 has a pair of prominent round exhaust tips on each corner of the rear bumper, while the iX7's rear bumper is smooth. It's hard to tell whether the new X7 will retain the current model's split tailgate; that feature was removed from the redesigned X5 because buyers apparently didn't care about it enough, but I imagine it's a more appealing feature on a bigger vehicle like this.
The luxury of choice
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The new X7's blocky body shape and greenhouse are quite similar to the first-gen model, but it has prominent fenders shaped like the iX3 and X5, and the same wing-tip door "handles" as the X5. Audi was working on the same sort of handles for the new Q7 and Q9 but apparently went with regular ones late in development, largely because of U.S. buyers' preferences, so I wouldn't be surprised if BMW replaces these thingies with normal handles a few years into the X7's run.
As for powertrains, it seems like a sure bet it will share its lineup with the X5 and 7 Series. Expect a mild-hybrid turbocharged inline-6 as the base X7 offering, with the M60 using a twin-turbocharged V8. Unlike its equivalent trims of the X5 and 7 Series, the X7 M60 will apparently do without a plug-in-hybrid system, which I think is a shame. As for the iX7, there will probably be a few different variants, likely all powered by two electric motors with all-wheel drive, and with an EPA range surpassing 400 miles. There should be an M Performance model of the iX7 too, though we may have to keep holding our breath for any sort of X7 M or iX7 M — but don't worry, there will surely be a new Alpina XB7.
Given the level of camouflage on these prototypes (and how long these SUVs have been testing for), I expect the second-gen X7 to be revealed within the next months, launching in both iX7 and X7 forms at the same time.