BMW’s newest SUV is yet to be unveiled, but it already seems larger than life
It is perhaps widely known that the BMW X7 will spawn a coupe version called the X8, which therefore fits in line with the German automaker’s practice of designating its sportier, coupe-style models with even numbers.
So, what do we know so far about the upcoming SUV? It is a given that it will utilise the X7’s CLAR platform, which also, incidentally, underpins the G05 X5. But the similarity stops there as renderings and spyshots have revealed that it will have a much more distinctive design to complement its sloping roofline and sportier nature.
The accuracy of these renderings might be questionable but they at the very least provide an idea of what the X8 could look like when it hits the market in 2022. Looking closely at the digitally rendered images and spyshots, the gargantuan SUV will arrive sporting a two-tier headlight design made up of thin a daytime running light strip running along the edge of the hood and a headlight cluster on the bumper.
Despite all the controversy, the massive kidney grille found on the X7 will feature on the X8, and thus taking up a large a portion of its front fascia. Positioned below the much-talked-about design element is a large air intake, which is flanked by a pair of angled apertures, aka BMW air curtains.
The air intake on the X8 M (yes, there will be a full M model) is evidently larger, so are the air curtains, which are now put in a vertical position to form an L shape in conjunction with the main headlight units. Look closely and you’ll also see a lip spoiler and the M trademark aerodynamic wing mirrors.
According to reports, the X8 will carry over the 340-PS 3.0-litre turbocharged inline-six and the 530-PS 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8 mills currently found in the xDrive40i and M50i trims of its odd-numbered sibling. As for the X8 M, there’s a chance that it will be powered by a 625-PS version of the V8 engine, which is the same amount of power as the current M5 Competition.
The North American market will reportedly get a plug-in hybrid variant with a total system output of 394 PS and 600 Nm courtesy of the X5 xDrive45e’s powertrain.
