[mitch57]

Originally Posted by thenew3

What's your average speed around town? Mine is upper teen or lower 20's. Lots of stop and go and elevation changes.

How many miles do you have on the car? I expect mileage to go up once I put more miles on mine.

That could be it. Around town is between 20 and 40 MPH depending on traffic. I have almost 16K on my vehicle. Probably 75% of that is rural roads that have speed limits in the range of 45 to 55 MPH. The rest is around town.

[Germanauto]

Originally Posted by mitch57

Please elaborate.

Keep in mind, things change over time. Previous history with BMW, from what I've heard, substantiates your claim. However, please provide evidence to support your statement with 2019 model years and beyond.

2019 models are at best 2.5 years old, there is no proper reliability data for such new models beyond anecdotal evidence.

[CP911]

My wife just bought a X7 40i and it's a very, very nice driving SUV. The Coffee Merino interior is lovely, although I think it's sad that the dealership didn't spec it with Full Merino to get a matching Coffee lower dash section and a leather upper dash. She got an incredible deal on it though, so beggars can't be choosers, I guess!

The 6-cylinder has plenty of power, even for this beast. However, I don't know how the 40i will fare when towing something that is 5000 lbs.

Speaking of which, the dealership told her she would be better off with an aftermarket hitch receiver due to the power tailgate issue that has already been mentioned here. I'm not so convinced after reading this article, however.

The kicker is that she got rid of my 2019 Nissan Armada to make it happen since "we didn't need two vehicles that can tow." Fair enough. Problem is now it seems it might be a relative pain in the ass to set the X7 up for towing.

It sounds like it's still pre-wired for towing control though. Am I reading that correctly? Or do I still need to buy some kind of aftermarket tow controller and have it installed/mounted in the dashboard somewhere?

If anyone knows exactly what I'd need to get this thing set up to tow, please help inform me! It would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

[Saejin]

It's not pre-wired. You can install a hitch based on your preferences of how low you want to stick out or drop below the bumper. You could probably even retrofit the rear bumper with new trim to get the OEM hitch installed. Some X3 owners have done this and I plan to do it next spring to my X3.

And then there's the wiring and programming. Wiring is pretty straightforward if you want to tap into existing wiring. What I don't know is how to set the wiring up and get the programming done to support. Again, there's a thread on the X3 section where an owner has done this, so it may be possible for the X7.

You can do it, but there are different ways of doing it.
I just ordered my X7 with the towing pkg when I found out it could tow 7,500 pounds.

[SabineBimmer]

Originally Posted by malba2366

The new Escalade is amazing...for the passengers. Unfortunately I am usually the one driving so the X7 it is.

Very good point!

[CP911]

Originally Posted by Saejin

It's not pre-wired. You can install a hitch based on your preferences of how low you want to stick out or drop below the bumper. You could probably even retrofit the rear bumper with new trim to get the OEM hitch installed. Some X3 owners have done this and I plan to do it next spring to my X3.

And then there's the wiring and programming. Wiring is pretty straightforward if you want to tap into existing wiring. What I don't know is how to set the wiring up and get the programming done to support. Again, there's a thread on the X3 section where an owner has done this, so it may be possible for the X7.

You can do it, but there are different ways of doing it.
I just ordered my X7 with the towing pkg when I found out it could tow 7,500 pounds.

Ugh. That sounds like a major pain. Thanks for the reply.

[M3ditate]

Originally Posted by CP911

My wife just bought a X7 40i and it's a very, very nice driving SUV. The Coffee Merino interior is lovely, although I think it's sad that the dealership didn't spec it with Full Merino to get a matching Coffee lower dash section and a leather upper dash. She got an incredible deal on it though, so beggars can't be choosers, I guess!

The 6-cylinder has plenty of power, even for this beast. However, I don't know how the 40i will fare when towing something that is 5000 lbs.

Speaking of which, the dealership told her she would be better off with an aftermarket hitch receiver due to the power tailgate issue that has already been mentioned here. I'm not so convinced after reading this article, however.

The kicker is that she got rid of my 2019 Nissan Armada to make it happen since "we didn't need two vehicles that can tow." Fair enough. Problem is now it seems it might be a relative pain in the ass to set the X7 up for towing.

It sounds like it's still pre-wired for towing control though. Am I reading that correctly? Or do I still need to buy some kind of aftermarket tow controller and have it installed/mounted in the dashboard somewhere?

If anyone knows exactly what I'd need to get this thing set up to tow, please help inform me! It would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

If your car was built before July of this year, it's pre-wired, and BMW just released an OEM retrofit kit a couple days ago.

[mattssi]

In general how vehicles these days get such poor MPG? It seems nothing has changed since the 90's when I started driving. I know its not like-for-like, but if cars at that time could get 40ish MPG, how come none of those efficiencies have trickled down? I guess that's what electric is for.

[Luminor513]

We are not surprised by the praise given to the X7. We've been very happy with ours, although it's the 40i, it has plenty of power for majority of people, my wife certainly doesn't need more power. M50 is just a beast of a car.

[Saejin]

Originally Posted by mattssi

In general how vehicles these days get such poor MPG? It seems nothing has changed since the 90's when I started driving. I know its not like-for-like, but if cars at that time could get 40ish MPG, how come none of those efficiencies have trickled down? I guess that's what electric is for.

Don’t think any car in the 90s got 40+ MPG, but I could be wrong.
As for progression cars now have gotten heavier and bigger. It also has to do with emissions, so the focus hasn’t just been about MPG. Not exactly sure but the laws are forcing manufactures to be cleaner not necessarily get more MPG. Hence the push towards zero emissions vehicles aka electric.

[mattssi]

Originally Posted by Saejin

Don’t think any car in the 90s got 40+ MPG, but I could be wrong.
As for progression cars now have gotten heavier and bigger. It also has to do with emissions, so the focus hasn’t just been about MPG. Not exactly sure but the laws are forcing manufactures to be cleaner not necessarily get more MPG. Hence the push towards zero emissions vehicles aka electric.

Good point, that makes sense. Maybe not 90's, but I'm thinking circa-90's, imports specifically Civics (44/city, 51/hwy) and even that goofy Insight got really good mpg back then, but not much has changed even within those models. But like you said, focus is on emissions vs mpg. You do need like 12 Civics to match up to the size of an X7 though

[thenew3]

Originally Posted by mattssi

Good point, that makes sense. Maybe not 90's, but I'm thinking circa-90's, imports specifically Civics (44/city, 51/hwy) and even that goofy Insight got really good mpg back then, but not much has changed even within those models. But like you said, focus is on emissions vs mpg. You do need like 12 Civics to match up to the size of an X7 though

A mid 90's civic has a 70HP engine and weighs just over 2000 pounds.
Today's civic starts at 158 hp and goes up to 174 and weighs closer to 3000 pounds.
So more than 2X the HP and nearly 50% more weight (for all the safety and creature comfort features) and still rated at up to 32/42 MPG. Pretty impressive engineering considering the laws of physics never change.

The closest thing in the mid 90's size wise to the X7 is probably something like the Chevy Tahoe. It's a little bit smaller than X7. Comes with a 5.7l V8 that produces 200hp and rated at 11/14 MPG. Weighs 4800lbs. Even the X7 40i with the 3L gets 335hp and 20/25mpg and weighs over 5400lbs. So you're hauling more weight, with a engine that is about 1/2 the displacement yet has 50% more power, and gets nearly double the city mileage and 70%+ better highway mileage rating. Pretty impressive engineering.

[Saejin]

Originally Posted by thenew3

...So you're hauling more weight, with a engine that is about 1/2 the displacement yet has 50% more power, and gets nearly double the city mileage and 70%+ better highway mileage rating. Pretty impressive engineering.

And don't forget about 1/4 of the emissions footprint.

Regardless, the next few years will probably be the end of the all gasoline engines with a move towards hybrid and all electric. I'd say by 2030 you'd be hard pressed to find anything with an engine like the M50i has now. Could be a good thing...torque from an all electric vehicle is instant.

Might want to pick an M car between now and then if you still want the full blown air-breather engines.

As this thread is about towing, that brings up a good question. We know the hit on MPG for towing, how would towing impact range in an all electric or hybrid?

[thenew3]

Originally Posted by Saejin

And don't forget about 1/4 of the emissions footprint.

Regardless, the next few years will probably be the end of the all gasoline engines with a move towards hybrid and all electric. I'd say by 2030 you'd be hard pressed to find anything with an engine like the M50i has now. Could be a good thing...torque from an all electric vehicle is instant.

Might want to pick an M car between now and then if you still want the full blown air-breather engines.

As this thread is about towing, that brings up a good question. We know the hit on MPG for towing, how would towing impact range in an all electric or hybrid?

Check out their experience towing with a Model X

Can Electric Cars Tow?

[Saejin]

Originally Posted by thenew3

Check out their experience towing with a Model X

Can Electric Cars Tow?

Interesting. Still watching it, but thought of something.

Why just carry dead weight around. You can have purpose built trailers that could have an secondary battery, brakes that recharge, etc. Not practical to put a gas engine in a trailer, but imagine having a fifth wheel that has it's own electric assist drivetrain and so on and so on. Think of the uses for the 18-wheelers...

[thenew3]

Originally Posted by Saejin

Interesting. Still watching it, but thought of something.

Why just carry dead weight around. You can have purpose built trailers that could have an secondary battery, brakes that recharge, etc. Not practical to put a gas engine in a trailer, but imagine having a fifth wheel that has it's own electric assist drivetrain and so on and so on. Think of the uses for the 18-wheelers...

That would mean having to purchase a new trailer and one that has significant cost as well. Not practical for most people who have existing car/boat/horse/etc trailers.

Keeping the equation the same with the exception of the propulsion method of the vehicle doing the towing gives a more accurate comparison.

California has already banned sale of new ICE vehicles starting 2035. I think my X7 may be the last ICE vehicle I purchase. Next one will likely be electric. Plug in hybrids doesn't make too much sense when pure electric is only slightly more costly but has more pros than cons.

[Saejin]

Originally Posted by thenew3

That would mean having to purchase a new trailer and one that has significant cost as well. Not practical for most people who have existing car/boat/horse/etc trailers.
...

Agree, but for buyers who don't currently have these things it would be a good option if the market goes that way.

Just watched the video..looks like they have a long way to go before they can tow and ensure they can make it to the next superpower charger reliably. Wonder how the new Cybertruck will do.

And same here...the next family vehicle after the X7 will be all electric for us.

[HouseMD]

Originally Posted by houbmw

IMO, I think that belongs to the Lincoln Navigator.

Originally Posted by houbmw

IMO, I think that belongs to the Lincoln Navigator.

My wife has a 2018 Navigator. It is a beautiful car and great to drive. For a V6 it has great pickup. I drove some colleagues on a road trip and they were very impressed. It has lots of great tech and the tow package puts BMW's to shame.

I liked it so much I looked at the Aviator but it was too much like the Nav and I wanted some variety. I was coming from a 2013 535 and the X5 was on my short list. I settled on the X5 M50i and love it!

[Wild Blue]

Originally Posted by M3ditate

If your car was built before July of this year, it's pre-wired, and BMW just released an OEM retrofit kit a couple days ago.

Why, what happened to the tow hitch wiring after July 2020?

[Wild Blue]

Originally Posted by Saejin

Don’t think any car in the 90s got 40+ MPG, but I could be wrong.

Not important, nor anywhere in the scope of any BMW, but I recall 1990's Geo Metros getting MPG's in the 40's.

[JerryW235]

Originally Posted by CP911

My wife just bought a X7 40i and it's a very, very nice driving SUV. The Coffee Merino interior is lovely, although I think it's sad that the dealership didn't spec it with Full Merino to get a matching Coffee lower dash section and a leather upper dash. She got an incredible deal on it though, so beggars can't be choosers, I guess!

The 6-cylinder has plenty of power, even for this beast. However, I don't know how the 40i will fare when towing something that is 5000 lbs.

Speaking of which, the dealership told her she would be better off with an aftermarket hitch receiver due to the power tailgate issue that has already been mentioned here. I'm not so convinced after reading this article, however.

The kicker is that she got rid of my 2019 Nissan Armada to make it happen since "we didn't need two vehicles that can tow." Fair enough. Problem is now it seems it might be a relative pain in the ass to set the X7 up for towing.

It sounds like it's still pre-wired for towing control though. Am I reading that correctly? Or do I still need to buy some kind of aftermarket tow controller and have it installed/mounted in the dashboard somewhere?

If anyone knows exactly what I'd need to get this thing set up to tow, please help inform me! It would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

We just got a 2021 X7 about a month ago, with a factory installed hitch. If you are referring to an electric brake controller, there is a plug in the drivers side footwell / under the steering wheel area to connect an electric brake controller. You do have to buy a contoller however. There are a few posts in other forums on B P on that topic. Check out this thread - https://g05.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh....php?t=1610985 There are a number of good posts in it about hooking up a brake controller.

Another related thread is this one - https://g07.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh....php?t=1614142 I ordered the male plug and connectors from ECS that are mentioned in one of the posts, and a Redarc Tow Pro module, but have not had time to install it yet.

[Resjudicata]

that's why I'm thinking about an x7 M50i or an x8m.