2025 BMW Alpina XB7 Review: A Statement SUV for Grownups

The best BMWs BMW makes right now aren’t just BMWs. There’s usually some special badge involved that makes it special. They’re CSes, they’re CSLs, they’re “Handschalters,” and—whisper this part—they’re Toyota Supras. For drivers interested in not just going fast, but also going with class, here’s the name to look out for: Alpina.

Because the 2025 BMW Alpina XB7 is quietly one of the coolest, most interesting, and downright best things the company makes.

The Basics

In its basic, non-Alpina form, the BMW X7 may look a little nondescript, but this Alpina version, with its baller-ass wheels, dark green paint, quad exhaust tips, and ALPINA script on its chin, really does turn heads. It’s a great-looking car in its own right, but a lot of its curb appeal also comes down to the fact that the XB7 (or any Alpina, really) is a car most people simply do not see every day, even if you happen to live next to a Versace store. It’s less top-of-mind than any Bentley or Brabus, and in the realm of niche, ultra-luxury automobiles, that’s probably a good thing.

Remember that kid in middle school who was always listening to bands you’ve never heard of and was therefore Cooler than you? Show up to a dinner party in an Alpina, and you will be that kid forever and always.

Don’t take the XB7’s obscurity as a red flag regarding its quality, though. It’s beautiful inside, with quality materials everywhere you look and touch. Bouncy, tan leather meets rich, dark woods separated by cold, brushed metals, and it’s all punctuated by gorgeous, clean-cut crystal and Alpina-themed instrument displays.

The 1,500-watt, 20-speaker Bowers & Wilkins audio sounds pretty great, and I don’t even mind the touch-heavy iDrive infotainment system that much. A jewelry-grade rotary knob letting you manipulate things on the screen easily on-the-move and the sheer quality of the screens themselves (and indeed everything that surrounds them) helps a lot.

XB7 is practical, too. Front seats are sumptuously supportive, heated, ventilated, and massaging, while middle-row captain’s chairs are comfortable, spacious, power-adjust, and accompanied by power sunshades. The third row is reasonably big, too, as I’m able to sit “behind myself” pretty comfortably at five-foot-eight. Luxury reaches all the way back here in the form of three-stage heated seats and a dedicated mini-moonroof (in addition to the big pano one in front of it) that makes the space feel airier and brighter.

As nice as it is, the back of the Alpina isn’t outfitted with the executive-grade lounge chairs you’d find in, say, a Bentayga EWB or even the 7 Series sedan. So, it’s not the sort of luxury car ripe to come with a chauffeur … partly because you’ll want to drive it yourself.

Driving the BMW Alpina XB7

Alpina has breathed on BMW’s 4.4-liter twin-turbo S68 V8 to let it make 630 horsepower and 590 lb-ft of torque, 107 hp and 37 lb-ft more than it does in the X7 M60i. The XB7 gets from zero to 60 mph in just 3.9 seconds, covers the quarter mile in 12.4, and tops out at 180 mph. Mighty numbers for a full-size SUV that can seat up to seven, but driving it, you get the sense that the XB7’s performance was calibrated with a focus on quality rather than quantity.

The granite-feeling powertrain, for example, doesn’t feel like it was made to go drag racing. It feels like it was made to devour and waft down a highway with effortless power and effortless elegance. The V8 sounds wolfish, borderline exotic—it curdles, almost like a Lime Rock E92 M3 and feels alive—even just waltzing around town. But it’s also never too loud like other high-performance luxury SUVs can be, nor does it obnoxiously burble or snort on shifts. Alpina is too dignified for that sort of manufactured buffoonery.

Similarly, the shifts themselves from the eight-speed auto are some of the smoothest, least perceptible I’ve ever experienced—if you’re hearing impaired, the XB7 may trick you into thinking you’re driving an EV.

Clearly tuned for pragmatic on-road dominance, acceleration is always smooth and never violent, even at Sport Plus mode full throttle. Once you get up to speed, the XB7 cruises at high-highway speeds with the vibe and solidity of an airliner (Airbus, not Boeing). Barely-there road and wind noise combine with a low V8 hum and adaptive air suspension to make you feel like you’re crossing an ocean 30,000 feet above—business class, of course.

This being a BMW at the end of the day, it feels nice in the corners, too. Brakes are powerful and appropriately long in the pedal while steering is crisp, light, and precise, but not too light or precise, y’know? It’s impressively nimble for an SUV of this size but retains a sense of luxurious heft and pleasant truckishness to always remind you that you are in the Big Daddy Bimmer.

The XB7 is one of the most endearing vehicles I’ve ever driven, not just because of what it offers but also because of what it doesn’t. This is an extremely quick luxury SUV that is refreshingly free of misplaced aggression and fluff. Silly would-be carbon shift paddles are replaced with little leather-hidden buttons you may never even notice. There are no ridiculous Track or Off-Road driving modes that owners will statistically never use—there is, however, an Alpina-only Comfort Plus configuration that lightens up the steering and softens the ride even more. This is a car that has its priorities sorted out.

Quick Verdict

Patently more interesting than a Bentayga, more athletic than a Cullinan, less cliche than a G-Wagen, and—on paved roads, at least—an all-around nicer product than a Range Rover, the 2025 BMW Alpina XB7 delivers luxury in both the practical and privileged sense in equal measures.

At $153,395 to start, though, it’s appreciably more accessible than the Bentley and Rolls, and its backseat comfort and amenities don’t really match up to the star-filled lounges of those vehicles. From the driver’s seat, though, the Alpina shines, reminding us why and how BMW built its reputation for genuinely engaging, battleship-steady, quietly sumptuous, autobahn stormers.

This is, ironically, one of the highest compliments you can give a new BMW, but the XB7 reminds me of an old BMW. The seats are soft, the engine sings, and there’s a mature, understated vibe to everything that just isn’t there in a lot of the brand’s other current products. It is the anti-XM and a magnificent luxury item I’d happily live with for the rest of time, a qualification that surprisingly few cars are worthy of, regardless of price.

Quick Take

Understated, opulent, comfy, and rapid all at the same time, this is a luxury SUV that knows what’s good and what’s good for you.

Got a tip or question for the author about the Alpina XB7? You can reach him here: chris.tsui@thedrive.com

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