BMW X7 M Performance Crossover Already Under Consideration

BMW, it should come has no surprise, is hard at work bringing a new three-row flagship crossover to market. But before the highly anticipated new X7 arrives, word has it that the automaker is already considering an M performance variant.

According to BMWBLOG, the debate is already being waged in the halls of BMW’s headquarters in Munich as to whether such a model should be made.

Given that the top-of-the-line X7 M50i is already expected to pack 523 horsepower (390 kW) and 553 lb-ft (750 Nm) of torque – courtesy of the M850i’s new 4.4-liter twin-turbo V8 – the mounting speculation has it that the X7 M could boast a solid 600 hp (447 kW) or so.

That would make it even more powerful than the outgoing X5 M (and X6 M), which boasts 575 hp (429 kW). It’d also pip the Mercedes-AMG GLS 63, with its 577 hp (430 kW), and the 575-hp (429-kW) Range Rover Sport SVR and 557-hp (416 kW) Range Rover SVAutobiography.

The question is whether BMW will approve such a model for the full-on M treatment, which has traditionally been reserved for less bulky vehicles. In the 46 years of the M division and 41 years of the 7 Series, the Bavarian automaker has yet to produce a full-on M7 sedan – the current M750Li coming the closest with its 6.6-liter twin-turbo V12 (borrowed from Rolls-Royce) kicking out 602 hp (449 kW) but stopping short of an M7 designation.

But then, as BMWBLOG points out, the idea of an M-badged crossover seemed unthinkable before the first X5 M was released in 2010. So suffice it to say, we’ll be watching this development rather closely to see how it shakes out, if it ever does.