New SUV Time
Lexus Fanatic
Joined: Nov 2011
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From: ON/NY
I get that it's not a true M but a M-Lite but I guess I just expected more from a $3,400 handling option. I test drove the GLS and while I didn't have a lot of seat time in it, we liked the X7 much better.
My X7 did come with run flats but here lies the problem. I bought it with 22" staggered wheels with summer runflat tires which are 275/315 front/back widths..They don't make all seasons in this size so I bought new wheels and I swapped those summer tires to the new "summer" wheels. I used the factory wheels for my winter set and it's nearly impossible to get any tires (summer or winter) in the factory sizes as they are all backordered so I ended up putting 285 width winter tires (Vredestein) on all four corners that are not runflats. It's really unfortunate BMW used tires where there is really only one choice in the factory sizes. . .
Luckily I was able to get the tire patched because if I hadn't, the winter tires aren't available until next fall although I did just put my summer wheels on last weekend anyway.
My X7 did come with run flats but here lies the problem. I bought it with 22" staggered wheels with summer runflat tires which are 275/315 front/back widths..They don't make all seasons in this size so I bought new wheels and I swapped those summer tires to the new "summer" wheels. I used the factory wheels for my winter set and it's nearly impossible to get any tires (summer or winter) in the factory sizes as they are all backordered so I ended up putting 285 width winter tires (Vredestein) on all four corners that are not runflats. It's really unfortunate BMW used tires where there is really only one choice in the factory sizes. . .
Luckily I was able to get the tire patched because if I hadn't, the winter tires aren't available until next fall although I did just put my summer wheels on last weekend anyway.
Last edited by Toys4RJill; Mar 26, 2022 at 06:22 PM.
Lexus Champion
Joined: Jan 2012
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From: Knoxville, TN
Thread Starter
Lexus Test Driver
Joined: Jan 2003
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From: Maryland
I’m too impatient. Twice when I had a flat, one in my Lexus and then this time in my BMW, they were taking too long so I just changed it in about 10 minutes. One was at 1am in 20 degree weather and this time it was after 6 hours of driving late on Sunday. I just wanted to get home ASAP.
Lexus Fanatic
Joined: May 2012
Posts: 68,651
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From: Maryland
I’m too impatient. Twice when I had a flat, one in my Lexus and then this time in my BMW, they were taking too long so I just changed it in about 10 minutes. One was at 1am in 20 degree weather and this time it was after 6 hours of driving late on Sunday. I just wanted to get home ASAP.
Lexus Champion
Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 17,087
Likes: 514
From: Knoxville, TN
I’m too impatient. Twice when I had a flat, one in my Lexus and then this time in my BMW, they were taking too long so I just changed it in about 10 minutes. One was at 1am in 20 degree weather and this time it was after 6 hours of driving late on Sunday. I just wanted to get home ASAP.
Lexus Fanatic
Joined: May 2012
Posts: 68,651
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From: Maryland
I'm the most impatient person alive so I get it. It's just I feel like changing my LX tire would be a huge PITA bc it's sturdily mounted to the undercarriage and you need tools just to get it out, as opposed to just lifting it out of the bay of the bottom of the trunk of a car. KNOCK ON WOOD I've never had a flat.
Lexus Champion
Joined: Oct 2019
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From: Ohio
I'm the most impatient person alive so I get it. It's just I feel like changing my LX tire would be a huge PITA bc it's sturdily mounted to the undercarriage and you need tools just to get it out, as opposed to just lifting it out of the bay of the bottom of the trunk of a car. KNOCK ON WOOD I've never had a flat.
Thread Starter
Lexus Test Driver
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 5,003
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From: Maryland
I'm the most impatient person alive so I get it. It's just I feel like changing my LX tire would be a huge PITA bc it's sturdily mounted to the undercarriage and you need tools just to get it out, as opposed to just lifting it out of the bay of the bottom of the trunk of a car. KNOCK ON WOOD I've never had a flat.
Thread Starter
Lexus Test Driver
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 5,003
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From: Maryland
One other thing I forgot to mention is that I finally got decent mileage out of the X7. Averaging 75-85 mph through winding hills I as was able to get around 20-21 mpg in sub zero weather which I thought was pretty good. Up to this point the mpg has been disappointingly low considering even my old SRT somehow had better mpg so I was happy about that.
Lexus Champion
Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 17,087
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From: Knoxville, TN
One other thing I forgot to mention is that I finally got decent mileage out of the X7. Averaging 75-85 mph through winding hills I as was able to get around 20-21 mpg in sub zero weather which I thought was pretty good. Up to this point the mpg has been disappointingly low considering even my old SRT somehow had better mpg so I was happy about that.
Lexus Champion
Joined: Aug 2006
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From: Illinois
One other thing I forgot to mention is that I finally got decent mileage out of the X7. Averaging 75-85 mph through winding hills I as was able to get around 20-21 mpg in sub zero weather which I thought was pretty good. Up to this point the mpg has been disappointingly low considering even my old SRT somehow had better mpg so I was happy about that.
CL Community Team
Joined: Oct 2011
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From: US
X7 M50i Update:
So I finally took a long trip (about 7 hours) in our 2021 X7 M50i from Maryland to Niagra Falls, NY a couple weeks ago so I finally got some good seat time to provide a fair assessment. I ordered the X7 so I optioned it with everything available with the exception of captains second row seats.
The drive itself was long and up and down long winding mountain roads. The cabin noise for this trip was excellent, much better than the Durango SRT it replaced (obviously) and the seats were much more comfortable although not as supportive as the SRT. The massage function was great for the long trip. It's not that it really massages you because it is really just a bunch of air bladders inflating and deflating, but it keeps your back and butt moving so you don't get restless which was great. The seats are some of the most comfortable I have sat in and the adjustments are infinite. The adaptive cruise control is excellent, goes around turns very well and also allows you to automatically change lanes just by using the turn signal stalk.
As for the engine, having 523hp on tap really helped going up and down the mountainess roads espcially when averaging about 75-80 mph and it was really effortless. I do still miss the instant torque of the large V8 in the SRT vs. the small V8TT in the X7. Where I was a little disappointed was in the handling. I started out with the suspension in "adaptive" mode which allows the intelligence of the vehicle to automatically adjust throttle sensitivity, steering shifting and dampers and while driving on the winding roads it was very floaty, enough that my wife complained about it from the passenger seat. Although floaty, the suspension itself was really nice over any road imperfections and very very smooth. I then tried putting the suspension in sport mode "individual" which I set up to put the suspension in sport mode (which also puts ride height one notch below normal) but I kept the steering and engine in normal mode. This made the driving experience much better but it still had a little more body lean than I would have liked. I have the $3,400 dynamic handling package and I still feel like the handling could be better especially for the price and what it says it does. It just didn't feel confidence inspiring going around the winding roads at the speeds I was going compared to my old SRT which handled unbelievably for a large SUV although was not as comfortable.
The bad part of the trip was when we were in Pennsylvania, about an hour and a half from home, I took an exit to grab a quick bite to eat and I ran over something in the road that punctured my tire. The object punctured it so bad that the air went out in about a minute. Basically, the TPMS sensor light went on and by the time I checked the tire pressure on the screen, it was at zero. I pulled over into a vacant parking lot and called AAA even though I could have called BMW roadside assistance. In my experience they both just call a local tow truck anyway but of course they said it would be 60-90 minutes until someone could get to me. Luckily for me I paid for $150 for a spare tire because I had my winter tires on which are not runflats and it was a Sunday night around 7pm so there wasn't anywhere around I could get the tire patched. Of course the tire is under the rear cargo area so I had to unload all of the luggage to get to it. The SRT and my old GX460 are much better since the tire is under the SUV and it is a bigger spare. The X7 spare is a little donut and you are not supposed to exceed 50mph on it. So I finally get the tire out and figured I would wait for the tow truck to arrive so I could use their jack instead of the crappy scissor jacks that come with cars. Well after about 10 minutes of waiting I got impatient and just changed it myself in about 10 minutes and was on my way. Luckily it was the back tire so it didn't affect the drivability too much. The whole time I was driving I was remembering the discussions here about having a full size spare and how beneficial but regardless, the donut got me home which is all I really needed.
All in all, the X7 is an excellent SUV for traveling and I am having a hard time finding something out there that I would want to replace it with right now. It's not perfect, but it's really really good at most things.
So I finally took a long trip (about 7 hours) in our 2021 X7 M50i from Maryland to Niagra Falls, NY a couple weeks ago so I finally got some good seat time to provide a fair assessment. I ordered the X7 so I optioned it with everything available with the exception of captains second row seats.
The drive itself was long and up and down long winding mountain roads. The cabin noise for this trip was excellent, much better than the Durango SRT it replaced (obviously) and the seats were much more comfortable although not as supportive as the SRT. The massage function was great for the long trip. It's not that it really massages you because it is really just a bunch of air bladders inflating and deflating, but it keeps your back and butt moving so you don't get restless which was great. The seats are some of the most comfortable I have sat in and the adjustments are infinite. The adaptive cruise control is excellent, goes around turns very well and also allows you to automatically change lanes just by using the turn signal stalk.
As for the engine, having 523hp on tap really helped going up and down the mountainess roads espcially when averaging about 75-80 mph and it was really effortless. I do still miss the instant torque of the large V8 in the SRT vs. the small V8TT in the X7. Where I was a little disappointed was in the handling. I started out with the suspension in "adaptive" mode which allows the intelligence of the vehicle to automatically adjust throttle sensitivity, steering shifting and dampers and while driving on the winding roads it was very floaty, enough that my wife complained about it from the passenger seat. Although floaty, the suspension itself was really nice over any road imperfections and very very smooth. I then tried putting the suspension in sport mode "individual" which I set up to put the suspension in sport mode (which also puts ride height one notch below normal) but I kept the steering and engine in normal mode. This made the driving experience much better but it still had a little more body lean than I would have liked. I have the $3,400 dynamic handling package and I still feel like the handling could be better especially for the price and what it says it does. It just didn't feel confidence inspiring going around the winding roads at the speeds I was going compared to my old SRT which handled unbelievably for a large SUV although was not as comfortable.
The bad part of the trip was when we were in Pennsylvania, about an hour and a half from home, I took an exit to grab a quick bite to eat and I ran over something in the road that punctured my tire. The object punctured it so bad that the air went out in about a minute. Basically, the TPMS sensor light went on and by the time I checked the tire pressure on the screen, it was at zero. I pulled over into a vacant parking lot and called AAA even though I could have called BMW roadside assistance. In my experience they both just call a local tow truck anyway but of course they said it would be 60-90 minutes until someone could get to me. Luckily for me I paid for $150 for a spare tire because I had my winter tires on which are not runflats and it was a Sunday night around 7pm so there wasn't anywhere around I could get the tire patched. Of course the tire is under the rear cargo area so I had to unload all of the luggage to get to it. The SRT and my old GX460 are much better since the tire is under the SUV and it is a bigger spare. The X7 spare is a little donut and you are not supposed to exceed 50mph on it. So I finally get the tire out and figured I would wait for the tow truck to arrive so I could use their jack instead of the crappy scissor jacks that come with cars. Well after about 10 minutes of waiting I got impatient and just changed it myself in about 10 minutes and was on my way. Luckily it was the back tire so it didn't affect the drivability too much. The whole time I was driving I was remembering the discussions here about having a full size spare and how beneficial but regardless, the donut got me home which is all I really needed.
All in all, the X7 is an excellent SUV for traveling and I am having a hard time finding something out there that I would want to replace it with right now. It's not perfect, but it's really really good at most things.
I wonder how he would feel with his SRT in the same setting. This (non M) X5 I have I feel almost like driving my 4GS F Sports but a bit faster and burns less gas.
Lead Lap
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 4,585
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From: Washington
Great roadtrip update. In regards to your ride/handling notes, I have found that you'd need either an e-ABC equipped GLS or an Alpina XB7 (my favorite!) to truly address what you were feeling. I'm still kicking myself for not picking up an Alpina XB7 that was languishing at a rural BMW dealer last year. I could've gotten it below sticker.
In mountain situations I love putting these turbo V8s in sport mode. I feel like they keep the engine exactly where it needs to be without being obnoxious. I haven't ever once missed a NA V8 I must say.
In mountain situations I love putting these turbo V8s in sport mode. I feel like they keep the engine exactly where it needs to be without being obnoxious. I haven't ever once missed a NA V8 I must say.
Lexus Champion
Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 17,087
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From: Knoxville, TN
I found GX's pickup to be adequate enough for me and it was smooth, but 4.6 versus 6.4L consisting of pushrods is a huuuuuuuge difference. That is a humongous V8 engineered for low end torque from the get-go.