[Saejin]

So, wanted to start another post with some initial impressions picking up, dealership experience, and driving her home.
Right up front I'd say it's a much better overall vehicle than the pre-LCI X7. However, if I were currently in an X7, not sure I'd upgrade if options were the same. If going from a 40i to the M60i, of course. If adding additional options from what you have to the LCI X7, then maybe.

I'll start with the drive for those who won't make it to the end of the post. Bottom line, it's pretty freaking awesome. A bit different that what I remember our M50i driving like. It's been a year, so probably the same, but coming from the SQ5, the ride is like driving on clouds in comfort mode. The SQ5 had air suspension as well and I could tell the difference between it and our X3. I've got the 22 bi-color wheels and it was fine. Smooth over all bumps and highway imperfections.

I'm in the 300 mile break-in period, so performance is limited, however it still drove very well with some good power. Transmission was smooth as silk, power was never abrupt and came on smooth, start/stop was hardly noticeable, and steering very BMW link, but of course still lacking some road feel which is fine for this large SUV.

iDrive 8, screen, and ambient light impressions...
Not as distracting as I thought it would be at night, but the new passenger light effect on the dash does reflect on the passenger side glass. I was able to dim the interior lighting using the dial by the headlights and that made things much better. I didn't dig around to see if I could turn off the main center display...looks like you could because there is a separation. idrive 8 was very responsive and easy to read...screen is huge and apple maps is gigantic on it. My first taste of the new menus, so had a hard time finding settings for things, but I'll poke around more later.

Climate control - easier than I thought to change temps and set seat settings, fan settings, etc. It does require you to take your eyes off the road for a bit since all the adjustments look the same...you have to find which one to adjust. But once it's set, then not much more to change. In winter I'll usually run at 70, set seat at medium, set steering for auto heat upon start...not much changes after that.

Headlights - the pattern has a dead spot and it looks like that's by design since the matrix capability isn't turned on I guess. It pretty much prevents you from blinding on-coming traffic on the closest lane coming towards you. Overall it's bright and provides great visibility. Again, since it's been a year, I can't recall the laser lights, but remember they were very good as well plus they move in the direction you were turning...I miss that.

Bench seat is a must...just as comfortable as the captains chairs, but much more flexibility. Wish we would have gotten the bench in our previous X7.

Color - we got Brooklyn Gray and it's awesome. Tartufo interior, carbon fiber trim. Really great combo. Looks so clean on the outside.

Dealership experience and picking up.
We bought from Schomp BMW in Denver. Great experience. Car arrived Wednesday and since I had reserved it, no test drives were done by other buyers. Car was staged in their delivery room, so we got to go hang out with it for a bit while the paperwork was being done. Got to inspect the vehicle pretty good, try out all the features to ensure they operated correctly, etc.

Paid MSRP, but got some discounts on other items. They don't have a doc fee, so that was nice. Can't recall how many dealers insist that doc fees are mandatory and can't be waived.
Got $500 off of tint in their shop...they use Llumar Ceramic IRX...price for all front, side, and rear was $750, so I only paid $250. Need to schedule later. Independent tint shop using same tint quoted me $700, so dealer price is competitive.
Got the all weather liners and cargo liner for free if I purchased their key protection plan. They charged me $200 for the plan and gave me all the liners for free...not a bad deal.
Got a military rebate of $1500 on the X7. I'll take what I can get.
Schomp was easy to deal with...pretty straightforward deal so made it easy. Didn't pressure any warranties, but did present them and I easily passed. I did pick up the ultimate care+ to cover the wear and tear for the first 36,000 miles.

Overall very happy with the purchase. Sad to see the SQ5 go, but we missed the space. I could see the SQ5 or a Macan back in our garage later as a second car, but right now we only need one...you know, the whole work from home changed the commuting dynamic.

Thanks for all the feedback on my previous post...glad to be back in an X7 and will be posting more threads and supporting other threads. Posting up some pics, not the best, but it's all I took tonight.

[Saejin]

Oops…here are the pics.

[TheGooch]

Congrats man. Love the spec

[dc2023x7]

Awesome!