While not as sexy as the BMW 8 Series or Z4, the upcoming BMW X7 is arguably even more important to the brand. The full-size luxury SUV segment is getting quite big at the moment but it seems as if Mercedes-Benz has it sort of locked up. The GLS-Class (previously known as the GL-Class), is the most popular car in the segment. But it’s a race in which BMW lacks a horse. So the Bavarians need to compete with the GLS-Class and it’s going to need the X7 to do so.

Such a car is on its way and will soon be released this coming November. Until then, though, we don’t really know what it’s going to look like. The only thing we have to go by is its Concept and spy photos and we don’t really want to go by the former as its, umm, hideous. So we need to look at, dissect and analyze spy photos in hopes that it won’t turn out like the X7 Concept. Thankfully, these new spy photos show off more of the X7 than ever before (we don’t own them but they can be seen here).

From the side, the new X7’s silhouette isn’t that dissimilar to the Mercedes-Benz it’s attempting to compete with. It actually reminds me of the GLS-Class quite a bit. Which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, as I’ve always liked the GLS, personally, and have always felt it to be a handsome SUV. Where things get interesting is at the front, which is where the Concept drew the harshest criticism. Thankfully, it looks better than the Concept. Unfortunately, no by much.

At the front, the Kidney Grilles are large enough to inhale most children. Flanking each grille is a narrow headlight that’s similar to what we’ve seen from the upcoming BMW 8 Series and Z4. This specific tester being an M Sport model, it also has a large from air intake built into its front apron and it looks okay. We’re not entirely sure how well it’s going to look in production guise but I guess we’ll find out soon enough.

Out back, it also sports really narrow taillights, which look odd on such a large car but I think they’ll look good in production. BMW’s taillight design has been quite large these past few years, so it’s refreshing to see smaller, thinner ones.

Overall, the X7 is a bit of a mixed bag so far. It’s overall shape looks good and handsome but its face still might look a bit odd. We’ll obviously wait to see it unwrapped before we really pass judgement but, until then, we’re being cautiously optimistic.

[Source: Autocar]