2024 BMW ALPINA XB7

If the regular BMW X7 and its top-trim 523-horsepower V8 engine leaves you flat, consider the 2024 BMW Alpina XB7. It's built on the X7's foundations but adds more power, a more sophisticated suspension, and distinctive styling — the latter perhaps most recognizable in the Alpina's signature oversized "turbine" wheels. The Alpina also amps up the interior refinement, with luxury touches such as climate control for all three rows, diamond-quilted leather and select glass-crystal controls. The XB7's price reflects Alpina's boutique approach and exclusivity — the specialist makes fewer than 2,000 cars a year for the world market — but it also comes with all the benefits of BMW factory warranty and support.

Ever wondered why BMW doesn't offer the X7 in an ultra-performance M trim, as it does most other models? It's because the XB7 serves as a surrogate M model. That's conjecture, but likely truer than not, as the XB7 makes 631 hp, has standard all-wheel drive, and sprints from zero to 60 mph in 3.9 seconds — freakishly fast for a 6,000-pound SUV and swift enough to satisfy any theoretical M series brief. The XB7 also uses air springs at all four corners that can raise or lower it over a range of 3.2 inches. Active anti-roll bars help control body roll, while rear-wheel steering and a limited-slip rear differential deliver shockingly precise handling. The XB7 is unchanged from 2023's model, when Alpina gave it more power and extra driver assist features, including a self-driving mode.

At nearly $150K, the XB7 joins the upper echelon of three-row luxury SUVs, including the Mercedes-Maybach GLS, the Land Rover Range Rover and the Cadillac Escalade V. For a more earth-bound price, the X7 M60i still delivers a thrill. It's not a true M division car — more like an appearance package with extra sauce — but with 523 horsepower, it can warm the blood. The Audi SQ7 is even more affordable, and while it can't match the Alpina's finer details, it's supremely comfortable and just as fast, reaching 60 mph in 3.9 seconds in our testing. There's the new BMW XM. It costs as much as the XB7, but with just two rows, a V8 plug-in hybrid engine, and 738 hp, it's a wholly different and visceral animal. Read our Expert Rating below to see if the XB7 is right for you.

The BMW Alpina XB7 is offered in only a single trim with just a handful of options. We'd add the 20-speaker Bowers & Wilkins audio system and the second-row captain's chairs if we didn't need regular seven-passenger capability. We'd also consider swapping out the ginormous 23-inch wheels for the smoother ride quality of the no-cost optional 21-inch wheels. The big wheels are a trademark component of the Alpina's signature look, however, so we might tolerate the extra noise and chatter they introduce.