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So when it comes to German automakers, they tend to match each other very closely
That's why when BMW released the all-new three row x7 earlier this year you already knew that
Mercedes would surely be hot on its heels with their all-new GLS
But now that they are both out the question remains who has executed better overall
Without further ado. Let's find out
The first thing on the agenda is pricing and equipment
Now the equipment level of these two very more than we usually like
So for fairness sake we will still mention a few features that may not actually be equipped
We will be viewing these models as both having
$15,000 of options over the base price, which is pretty close to fully loaded
All told they're priced virtually identically
So beginning things here with the exterior these two could honestly not look more different from each other than they do about
The only thing they share are very similar dimensions of over 200 inches in length
But outside that, they operate on very different design themes
BMW has chosen the bolder route with large and in-your-face. Kidney grilles accented by slender LED lights
While Mercedes chose the classic grille design and full LED lights that are more normal-looking
Both these models are of the luxury design themes
However, the BMW still looks sporty, er thanks to its more aggressive side body lines and rear design
But overall, it's definitely going to be subjective whether you prefer the more conservative and classy look or a bolder design
Which is why I'm not going to award any points here
Both of them have 21 inch alloys. However, the X 7s are painted black which also contributes to that bolder design
Now moving past the design choices both crossovers are loaded with features like the standard height adjustable air suspension
For the mirrors both have every feature that can possibly be thrown at them including blind spot monitoring on the safety front
Now as far as all your other safety features
As you would expect these have some of the most advanced safety features available in the entire industry
So in addition to your usual forward emergency braking Lane Keeping Assist adaptive cruise control and auto high beam headlights
Both also come equipped with low-speed autonomous highway systems to take the stress off the driver
Next we have the warranties which are both 4-year/50,000 mile for basic and powertrain, but Mercedes does not do
complimentary maintenance at all while BMW does three years
and
Finally in regards to the maximum towing the two are very close to each other at 7,500 and 7,700 lbs
in the GLS
Which is below our five percent point threshold
But that pretty much wraps up the exterior, so now let's see which cabin spoils the passengers the most
So walking up to the vehicles both are obviously going to have smart entry systems, but you'll notice on the BMW
We have the optional display key
While it is cool realistically all the features it gives you are also in BMWs and Mercedes respective applications
Now checking out the interiors they are vastly different just like the exterior on the Mercedes
We have a clean design finished in black leather and accented by real grey Lindenwood
Our BMW on the other hand has a much more colorful cabin featuring cognac vernasca leather and high-gloss walnut wood trim
as
Far as the seats themselves both have more ways of adjustment than one can count plus heating ventilation and massaging
Beyond the seats both interiors offer absolutely amazing material selections
On the GLS. We have a leather covered dashboard and then we have generous use of the wood all through the middle portions and
Of course, all the lower areas are also covered in leather
the BMW also features a full leather upper - and through the middle there is generous use of real wood and aluminum
The two are pretty much the same however the x7 will get the edge for having the uber luxurious touch of all glass controls
As you can see both come with fully customizable digital gauges
however, the new MBUX system has the edge here since it allows for a lot more customized ability inside of three different sections of
Course it pretty much goes without saying that both have power adjusting heated and leather wrapped steering wheels
Complete with power shifters on the back and rain sensing wipers controls
Now Mercedes and BMW are known for liking to match each other very closely and indeed with the storage
It looks like they follow the same template
They both have wireless phone charging USB type-c ports and heated and cooled cupholders
Heading to the shifters both have electronic ones but in totally different locations and when it reverse both will pull up
360-degree camera systems
That being said BMW system has an extra trick up its sleeve
Since it has the ability to go into a drone like view and spin around the vehicle
And now that brings us to our audio systems. So let's take a sample
Overall both these sound systems sound fantastic
Now the next thing to look at are the climate controls
I like that both are controlled via physical knobs almost exclusively besides for a few extra functions like the fragrance systems
The one problem with the x7 though, is that the buttons it uses are very small, especially
To adjust the temperature up and down which is why the GLS is a little bit better here
Another small ergonomic nitpick is that the x7 seat heating and ventilation share the same button thus requiring you press a second virtual button
But now that brings us to the brands brand new infotainment systems first off these are very complicated systems
So we will just be looking at the surface details
With the new iDrive 7.0 system
You have a twelve point three inch display that can be controlled four different ways the touch screen controller knob
gesture or through the advanced voice assistant
The all-new MBUX system in the GLS also has a 12.3 inch display and it can be controlled in these same ways
Beyond the standard navigation systems with the Mercedes you have standard android auto and apple carplay
while BMW only has apple carplay and
BMW also makes you pay a subscription to keep apple carplay after the first year that
Being said though the X7's carplay system can run wirelessly, which is something Mercedes has not rolled out yet
Finally ending the front both have giant panoramic sunroof
Now checking out their rear seats we don't have exact dimensions for both of them, but they do feel pretty much the same
Both seats are actually power adjusting but our Mercedes does not have the optional seat feeding
Digging into the rear features both have power
Sunshades as well as two more zones of climate and vents in the center and on the pillar
Both also have two USB ports, but the GLS also throws in a household outlet
Now moving back to the third row both have fully automated seat folding processes
Which we did totally mess up on the BMW, but rest assure it does work
Legroom once again is roughly even and we're looking at the same kind of amenities with vents and USB ports
The BMW has the advantage though because as eclipse, it has both a fifth zone of climate and heated third row seats
Plus BMW also throws in a special moonroof for just the third row
Now moving on to utility we don't have full measurements for every single configuration
But as far as maximum cargo volume the x7 does have the edge with ninety point four cubic feet
versus eighty four point seven cubic feet
All right, so we still have a close race so now let's get under the hoods and see how they drive
So heading out onto the road in these two you'll find that they have two very different ways of coming to similar results
BMW uses a traditional setup with a three litre turbo inline six while Mercedes also uses a three liter inline six
but with an extra mild hybrid component
this gives it more horsepower at
365 versus
335 horsepower in the x7 and a similar advantage for torque as well
Alright so we just got a little
Short initial takeoff here than the GLS
But power is definitely
Feels really good right from the start. They're remarkably good
Power feels really good. That was kind of like a I don't know what you wanna call it rolling start
Yeah, you don't find this engine flat anywhere and the power is available to you as you need it
So first taking off in the BMW x7
I'm saying definitely an impressive how it takes off. I
was not even pressing the throttle very much at all as a matter of fact and
It really has a lot of grunt for sure right off the line
Both put down power through extremely smooth shifting 8 and 9 speed automatic
transmissions and advanced all-wheel drive systems
But one important drivetrain difference is the GLS is ability to have an advanced auto start/stop system
Thanks to that mild hybrid setup
Because of this it can engage more frequently operate with uncanny smoothness and even go into a coasting mode before stopping
Alright now if you're paying attention you will notice that
The auto start/stop engages before you come to a complete stop
That's what I was talking about
And the powertrain where I was taught at the advanced auto start/stop system
This basically has a coasting ability
So as you come to a stop and you're coasting down the engine power is off and it powers off when it's not needed
That's because it has the battery power to go off now
That does save fuel
But it's tremendously smooth yeah, it all just works together in a way that you can't feel it and
By having the engine turn off while you're still even in motion. It just blends it
Seamlessly and then when I take back off
I'm going to start the battery power is going to be the first thing that kicks in
Yeah, we talked extensively about this in the g le review and like drew mentioned. This is the same powertrain. I
Seriously hold that as the best auto start/stop system in the entire automotive industry and I the same is true here
Find it you just don't feel anything. It's hard to describe how good it is
You may have experienced different types of auto start-stop systems and vehicles
That you don't have written in
Really until you experienced this set up here in this GLS and the goe
You can't really understand how smooth it is like it is truly imperceptible
As far as driving dynamics are concerned as you would expect the BMW has more of a sport emphasis
It is surprisingly button down feeling when rounding corners and the steering is definitely more dialed in than the GLS
Around that corner there
You can immediately tell just how good the handling is. Yeah
This is a huge vehicle. So obviously
don't expect it to drive like an exotic sports car or anything, but boy it feels a
Surprisingly buttoned-down for something so big, you know, usually when you get in a vehicle like this, it's a big lumbering
You know monstrosity but I have to say this definitely has a much more manageable feel than I expected
Yet honestly
Riding along even in the passenger seat you can tell the huge difference like between this and an Escalade even though they are technically competitors
the Escalade is just a big vehicle and
Well, this car does not feel nearly as big in it
Like you said, it doesn't have the body roll or anything that that car does
But I mean it actually feels surprisingly agile
For its size. The steering is really quite responsive as you can see it responds really fast
there's something so big and it really doesn't have
It's a little touch of numbness. Of course, the steering is on the lighter side
That's not to say that the GLS is sloppy since it
Definitely is not it's just to say that it's more luxury focused which is also why it's bride is softer in out
really comfortable, you know, I'm just kind of trying to take this in for a second because you know
we're cruising down 40/45 miles an hour and
I mean almost no car on the light no cars on the market have like the level of isolation that
Right now I feel like I am completely
isolated from
everyone and everything
around me like I can't hear a car have you know anything I mean, no traffic a
Helicopter went over it is the second to go couldn't hear it. You could just see it couldn't hear it
And finally, the last thing to mention is the fuel economy
oddly enough the mild hybrid GLS actually comes in a little bit below the X7 at
21 combined versus 22 combined though. That's not a big enough difference for a point
Well guys that's where we're going to finish up this comparison video as
you can probably tell these two crossovers do an outstanding job at delivering the full flagship experience at
The end of the day what it's really going to boil down to is personal taste
So make sure you check them both out in person before making a buying decision
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