Luxury SUV Showdown: X7 vs. GLS vs. Model X
Can the BMW X7 beat out the Mercedes GLS and Tesla Model X in a drag race and luxury SUV comparison?
BMW’s flagship seven-seat luxury SUV goes head-to-head with rivals from Mercedes and Tesla in a new video from UK car-buying website CarWow, published earlier this week to the company’s YouTube channel. In the piece, CarWow’s resident reviewer Mat Watson drives and compares the BMW X7, Mercedes GLS and Tesla Model X side-by-side, and offers his thoughts on the hefty trio of 2.8-ton, all-wheel-drive vehicles. It is, says Watson rather jokingly, “quite literally … the battle of the bulge. They’re huge!”
Watson also offers up standing-stop and rolling-start drag races comparing all three SUVs’ performance on CarWow’s track. While entertaining, though, it’s possibly not the most scientific comparison in that respect, as the races were held on a damp track, and the configuration of all three cars varies significantly. As configured in the video, the BMW guzzles gas, the Mercedes drinks diesel, and the Tesla takes the electric option.
The video doesn’t state the exact specification of the vehicles as reviewed, but we do at least know the basics. Watson compares the BMW X7 M50i with both a Mercedes GLS 400d and a Tesla Model X Long Range. The M50i, which hasn’t yet officially launched in the UK, has the top-of-the-line 4.4-liter, twin-turbo V8 engine, which turns out a whopping 530 horsepower and 553 lb-ft of torque.
The Mercedes, meanwhile, is equipped with a three-liter inline-six turbodiesel that can output 330 hp and 516 lb-ft. Tesla’s Model X Long Range rounds out the group with 469 hp and 572 lb-ft. Although the trio is at least somewhat even in the torque department, that’s a pretty wide gap in terms of horsepower, despite closer comparisons being possible. But while the drag races are more about entertainment than a meaningful real-world test, there’s nevertheless quite a bit of useful info here.
Starting off with perhaps the most subjective point, Watson gives Merc the nod in terms of exterior styling, although he also likes the look of the BMW X7 “despite its controversial grille“, which he thinks gives it “plenty of attitude.” The Tesla, meanwhile, is slammed for a design birthed in the wind tunnel for efficiency’s sake. “It looks like a blob, not an SUV,” says Watson.
On the inside, though, it’s a clear win for the Beemer. “It doesn’t have the initial wow factor of the other two cars,” Watson reveals, “[but when] you spend a bit more time in it, this is actually the best interior. Everything just feels a little bit more solid and better put together … there’s nothing cheap anywhere in this car.”
The Merc is singled out for its excellent infotainment system and its roomy cabin, but it’s held back by some questionable and even cheap materials choices. And he’s even less of a fan of the cramped Tesla interior, which is noisier than its rivals and just “doesn’t feel quite as well put together as the two Germans.” Its infotainment screen, meanwhile, is poorly-positioned and distracting.
And things are even worse in the back of the Model X, in large part due to its showy, double-hinged gullwing doors. “Kids will be OK [in the GLS 400d’s third-row seating],” says Watson. “Adults, not so much.” For the best third-row experience, he again recommends the BMW X7. “I could go quite a fair distance in the very back of this car,” he continues, “Even with people in the other two rows.”
Enough of the Interior, What are They Like to Drive?
Watson gives the Tesla Model X the nod as the sportiest of the trio, but nevertheless says he feels the BMW X7 is the nicest to drive. And while the Merc is the best bet if you want to drive off-road or haul a heavy trailer, the BMW is a lot closer to its German rival than is the upstart American. (Especially if the latter is rolling on 22-inch wheels, which slashes its hauling capacity to barely half that of the BMW and Merc.)
So who does Watson give the nod to, as the best car for your hard-earned dollars? We won’t spoil the result here; suffice it to say that the overall pick might be just a little controversial. Be sure to watch the video above for the full story! Suffice it to say that Watson really likes the BMW a lot, though. It has “a load of pulling power,” he reveals, “it’s smooth, it’s lovely, and it sounds good.”