[BDO]

Anyone cross shopped between the two? I don't need the 3rd row at all and will probably keep it down 99% of the time. However I do prefer the look of the X7 as well as the step up in perceived luxury.

The premium for a X7 is relatively low comparing similar MY and mileage models.

Interested in the opinions of those who tested both for a similar use case.

[Jbird73]

Originally Posted by BDO

Anyone cross shopped between the two? I don't need the 3rd row at all and will probably keep it down 99% of the time. However I do prefer the look of the X7 as well as the step up in perceived luxury.

The premium for a X7 is relatively low comparing similar MY and mileage models.

Interested in the opinions of those who tested both for a similar use case.

Well....I've got 1 of each. Mine is the X7M50i from '22 and hers is a '23 X540i. Keeping this very high level....The engines have no comparison (obviously). I will say having tested the X740i that I would not say that the X5 and X7 in that trim are materially different. Both are great engines with plenty of acceleration. My model is just different from the jump and don't test drive one unless you are ready to buy it since it is super-addictive. It's all about early acceleration as once you are cruising on the highway hard to tell the difference.

Interior is where the big differences are to me. The X7 is definitely more "luxurious" any way you look at it. Not that I dislike the X5 (we did buy one) it just doesn't have some of the touchpoints like the X7. Again though, it's not like the X5 is a slouch.

I mostly keep my 3rd row down but really like the extra space as I put ski gear and other stuff in with the 2nd row down and plenty of space for all gear and 3-4 people (3 with one seat down in 2nd row; 4 people you have to use the pass through where the armrest is for the long items.

I feel like the 2nd row in mine allows anyone to cross legs easily and have zero legroom complaints. The 2nd row also can go forward or back and has more adjustability and comfort. The 3rd row of mine is fine for kids 12 and under and adults on maybe a 15-30 minute ride.

iDrive is the same (at least to my knowledge) and I actually like the rear cargo cover and the way it operates better in the X5 than the X7.

I don't think you can go wrong so it just comes down to your perception of the price for the small differences in my opinion. Again, unless you change engines. I never drove the X5M

Good luck!

[BDO]

Looking at both with the same engine (M50d in my case), and exactly like you say the X7 feels more luxurious and refined, although I do feel that X5 drive is that little bit more "sporty" (if you can ever call diesel SUVs that).

The price differential is so marginal, which is what got me to look at the X7 in tye first place.

[keg97]

I had a '22 X5 40i (so same engine as ours) for 3 weeks recently and found several differences between the two. The X7 just has a smoother ride and more back seat leg room. I'm not sure if the X7 has a longer wheelbase or slightly heavier, but ours just soaks up bumps better than the X5...and that's even with our X7 wearing 22 inch wheels and the X5 coming with 21s.

If the $ was similar, I'd go X7 every day of the week. It has a much better presence and the additional size and useable 3rd row are differentiating factors.

[Phasers]

I have a '23 X5 45e and a '24 (formerly '22) X7 40i.

Hands down the 40i is more luxurious and rides better. All else being equal, get the X7.

X5 45e is vastly superior for gas though

[Delrazdan]

I have a 22 x5 40i. Had been waiting for x5 50e to see what we wanted for second car. Pricing x5 50e is almost 87k or so with optioned up. And no ev discount, so looked at x7. We are empty nesters so don’t need 3rd row except to put it flat 99.9% time for the dog when we travel. But then I started optioning up the x7 and fully optioned (not b&w) is around 98k or so. On a slippery slope I thought we’ll get DHP/ias … might as well go for 60i So now I have x7m60i on order. Last v8 for me probably …I am turning 58 next week. My next car will likely be an ev.
Just my perspective if it helps.

[Refujeet]

I had both…X5 40 and X7 M50.

If you are getting the same engine, it really comes down to two things:

-rear seat room. We essentially only upgraded for this reason alone. I think the rear seat room in the current generation X5 is a step backward from the previous. And no adjustment makes it worse. On the other hand, the X7 has tons of rear legroom, and a lot more adjustment. Also, don’t rely on the “official” rear legroom numbers for the X7 as they are misleading (underselling).

-suspension. I didn’t appreciate it until I got the X7…I didn’t expect it to be that much more comfortable, but it was. The X5 is small/sporty, whereas the X7 is more comfortable cruiser. I had the DHP, so it could be small/sporty too, but the real benefit for the comfort. With 22s, the X7 with DHP was gamechanging compared to the X5.

[jphcbpa]

I have owned an x5 50i, x5 m50i and now x7 40i. The x7 is the most comfortable and luxurious vehicle I have ever owned. The combination of dhp and air suspension is next level. I keep my 3rd row down full time and my son has great leg room in the bench seat.

[PinkNinja400Guy]

I mostly drive alone (no passengers) and wanted something super quiet. The X7 40i is the exact same level of quietness as the outgoing 7 series sedan (I test drove back to back on the same highway). The new gen 2023+ 7 series is supposedly much much quieter so the X7 probably lags behind the sedan now (though Car & Driver measured the new 2023+ LCI refreshed X7 to be a decent bit quieter than the pre-LCI 2019-2022 X7).

The X7 M50/M60 may have more road noise than the 40i (not sure).

I actually never drove the X5 but I really don't think it would be at the same level of quietness. The X7 has acoustic glass standard on all windows except the sunroof and potentially also the rear trunk window. The X5 has acoustic glass as an option which I don't think has been available to order since covid. And I believe there are significant differences in other sound insulation parts (another example is rubber vibration dampers on suspension parts, the X5 only gets them with certain 22" wheels; the X7 has them as standard).

So if noise is a factor to you, you may want to at least try comparing the X5/X7 on a test drive.

Others here have already spoken about suspension.

On the interior there's not really much of a difference in materials or tech if you equip them with the same options & upholstery (alcantara headliner, full leather). The X5 has black plastic window switches & buttons whereas the X7 has galvanized buttons, but that's pretty much the only difference. And on the LCI X7, the door lock/unlock buttons have been downgraded to plastic, so the difference is a bit smaller now.

Oh, and the X7 has power folding 2nd/3rd row seats whereas they're manual on the X5 (and the second row seats don't recline back on the X5 afaik). Even though I don't carry passengers, it's still nice to be able to fold & unfold the seats with the touch of a button in the trunk.

Where there could be a difference is in options availability. If you wanted a fully loaded vehicle, in the past few years you had to get the X7 since BMW was reserving limited availability parts for the higher end models. Not sure what the situation is now.

If you don't really *need* a SUV, the sedan is going to provide a much more luxurious experience. The previous gen 2022 sedan was better than the 2022 X7 (it also cost a few thousand $ more). The 2023 X7 refresh is not a huge change, but with the new 2023 7 series they've really upgraded the level of quality in the sedan, so there should be a much bigger difference between 7 and X7 now. Though the cost difference has also gone up a bit with the new 7 series. The Germans in general seem to consider the sedans as their pinnacle product, for example the S class sedan is also superior to the GLS (and also costs more).

[007 G07]

I considered the X3 then the X5 and then the X7 - only bought the X7 (my first BMW ever). I'll be honest: my main reasoning for going for the X7 was my perceived increase in prestige (emphasis on "my") with it being the flagship luxury SUV from BMW and the fact that it was the best full-size luxury SUV in its segment by multiple car journalists at the time (2020). My rationale also included the fact that the price premium wasn't as much as I had expected and seemed more than worth it.

As you can see, I didn't NEED an SUV, let alone, a full-size one (would've been fine in an X3), but those were the major factors initially that allowed for the evolution to the X7. Only after deciding on the X7 for final I reinforced my decision by uncovering the technicalities of how the X7 is better than the X5 is a lot of the areas that have already been mentioned - like ride quality, suspension, DHP (X5 I think has it, but the package comprises of different features than the X7's DHP), 2nd row room, more free/airy cabin feel, quietness, etc.

As for the flagship luxury SUV compared to its sedan counterpart, I do agree that the flagship luxury sedans are more luxurious in certain key aspects across German luxury automakers like BMW and Mercedes-Benz. However, I will say that it makes sense to me, at least, that they are like that. I think it was intentional on the manufacturers' parts to do that since SUVs are inherently used for more utilitarian purposes and so the diminished luxury quotient, compared to their sedan counterparts, makes sense. I guess if you did want a 7-series (or better, frankly) kind of product from BMW (kinda) that is also an SUV then there's the Cullinan; and, for Mercedes-Benz, it would be the GLS 600 Maybach.

I initially wrote an entire novel as my answer to this thread, talking through how I went from considering an F15 X5 sDrive35i/xDrive35i to a 2018 X3 sDrive30i/xDrive30i to a 2019 X5 xDrive40i to a 2020 X5 sDrive40i to a 2020 X5 xDrive40i to a 2019 X7 xDrive40i to a 2019 X7 xDrive50i to a 2020 X7 M50i, before finally pulling the trigger on a unicorn build (aka truly fully loaded with literally every option) 2020 X7 M50i sent from car heaven. But that saga will have to postpone its release for some other thread haha - I didn't want to "force" it onto this one lol.

[2024X7M60i]

Here's a good comparison.

[nvsocr7]

I went from an x5 m50i to x7 m60i. Granted these were lci so looks wise I won’t comment but function wise the x7 feels the same as the x5, you absolutely have to get DHP with this size vehicle. I drive with third row down, think of this as an x5 with a bigger trunk and much more leg space for second row. If you have the funds and prefer the look you won’t regret the x7 but you will find the x5 to be small if you drive both/haul things other than groceries(Home Depot runs are much easier). With that being said…I absolutely do not like
The hybrid engine simply because I can’t turn off auto start stop in comfort and Idrive 8 is a bit buggy but otherwise I would choose x7 m60i again hands down.

[bagekko]

Home depot runs & hauling cargo are only better in the X7 if you have the bench 2nd row, with captains chairs the X5 is better.

I have the captains chairs and its been my biggest complaint since day 1, just this past weekend bringing wheels to the tire place the captains chairs we're unlocked forward with the car yelling at me the whole time and not being able to have the drivers seat in the normal position as that was the only way getting the wheels to fit. In my X5 with the second row down it's no problem. Once I had two sets of 19" wheels in the X5 with one on the pass seat.

I may be one of the rare ones who would say if you never have a need for the 3rd row I would rather have an X5 over the X7. Sure the X7 is nice, but not worth extra $15-20k if you don't need 3rd row.

When I got the X7 I was expecting 7er to 5er step up in luxury, the X7 to me is not the step up from an X5 as the 7 series is to 5 series.

Originally Posted by nvsocr7

If you have the funds and prefer the look you won’t regret the x7 but you will find the x5 to be small if you drive both/haul things other than groceries(Home Depot runs are much easier). .

[jphcbpa]

Originally Posted by bagekko

Home depot runs & hauling cargo are only better in the X7 if you have the bench 2nd row, with captains chairs the X5 is better.

I have the captains chairs and its been my biggest complaint since day 1, just this past weekend bringing wheels to the tire place the captains chairs we're unlocked forward with the car yelling at me the whole time and not being able to have the drivers seat in the normal position as that was the only way getting the wheels to fit. In my X5 with the second row down it's no problem. Once I had two sets of 19" wheels in the X5 with one on the pass seat.

I may be one of the rare ones who would say if you never have a need for the 3rd row I would rather have an X5 over the X7. Sure the X7 is nice, but not worth extra $15-20k if you don't need 3rd row.

When I got the X7 I was expecting 7er to 5er step up in luxury, the X7 to me is not the step up from an X5 as the 7 series is to 5 series.

You can't get full leather in the x5 unless you jump up to the x5m.