The M60i is BMW's flagship X7. Picture: Jaco van der Merwe
While boxing’s lighter weight divisions often make for entertaining viewing, nothing beats watching the heavies slug it out.
The same rings true for high-performance SUVs.
The fastest compact models are capable of setting supercar-like sprint times. But when the two-and-a-half-ton pugilists enter the ring, you better be ready to rumble.
Enter the BMW X7 M60i.
This seven-seater was recently introduced as the new big daddy in BMW’s top SUV weight division.
Updates to the line-up saw the models being reduced from three to two, the introduction of the 7 Series-specific split headlights and interior changes.
The M60i replaces the M50d, which 3.0-litre straight-six quad-turbodiesel punched out 294 kW of power and 760 Nm of torque.
The BMW X7 M60i is powered by a 4.4-litre V8 twin-turbo petrol engine with mild-hybrid assistance. It punches out 390 kW/750 Nm which goes to all four wheels via eight-speed Sport Steptronic transmission.
As a full-blown M model is not offered for the range, this is as hot as an X7 will get. Off the assembly line that is.
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While the mere sight of the power outputs is enough to take your breath away, so is its weight. Weighing in at 2 545 kg, it is a proper heavyweight that comes in 168 kg more than the M50d.
BMW claims the X7 M60i will sprint from 0 to 100 km/h in 4.7 seconds. And The Citizen Motoring was in for a big surprise when we ran it against the clock at Gerotek last week.
This Munich monstrosity took only 4.53 seconds to reach 100 km/h from a standstill. The BMW X7 took 12.81 seconds to reach a quarter mile and 20.12 to get to half a mile.
It’s perfectly normal to scientifically assume that nothing this heavy should move as fast. But there are actually a handful of others that do. And this is where the good ol’ heavyweight bout gets exciting.
In the opposite corner we have the Mercedes-AMG GLS63 S, weighing in 85 kg more at 2 630 kg.
This is a proper Affalterbach product. And the M60i is not a Pukka M car. But it’s as close as we can find on our time sheets.
So don’t let the tell of the tape stand in the way of a good fight.
But just for the record, the GLS63 S is the only AMG model on offer in Merc’s large seven-seater SUV range. It is powered by AMG’s familiar 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbo petrol engine which sends 450 kW/850 Nm to all fours.
Road Test Editor Mark Jones ran a best 0 to 100 km/h sprint time of 4.31 seconds in the GLS63 S, just 0.22 faster than the BMW X7 M60i.
The Merc’s quarter mile (12.54 seconds) and half mile (19.62) times indicate that it started pulling a bigger gap the longer the virtual slugfest went on.
To add some addition spice to the contest, we also pulled up the time sheets for the godfather of the heavyweights, the iconic Merc G-Wagon. The AMG G63 we tested in 2019 fits the bill as it is at 2 560 kg within 15 kg of the X7.
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Powered by the same 4.0-litre V8 powerplant as the GLS63 S, the twin-turbo mill produces 430 kW/850 Nm in the G Wagon.
It reached 100 km/h from a standstill in 4.38 seconds, 0.15 faster than the M60i. But at the quarter mile mark, the BMW X7 had overtaken the G63 (12.85 seconds) ever so slightly.
And the Merc fell further behind the BMW by clocking 21.12 seconds at the half mile mark.
If the BMW bosses do change their minds and decide to make an X7M, the fight against the Mercs heavies will get even better. But for now, despite not being a “proper” M car, the BMW X7 M60i has no reason to fear another heavyweight in the ring.
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