Why the Final ALPINA XB7 Is the Last X7 That Will Feel Like This
by Horatiu Boeriu · BMWBLOGArticle Summary
- The XB7 Manufaktur is limited to 120 cars for the US and Canada at $180,000 plus $1,550 destination, in one fixed spec and two matte colors.
- It keeps the 631-hp twin-turbo V8, the rotary iDrive controller, and a real instrument cluster, all of which the Panoramic iDrive-equipped G67 X7 drops.
- BMW's takeover of the ALPINA name took effect January 1, 2026, making this the final ALPINA the Bovensiepen family approved for this market.
On the show field at Amelia Island in March, BMW parked the XB7 Manufaktur a short walk from an original ALPINA 02 on twin carburetors. The intended message was continuity. What it actually marked was a cutoff. Everything to the left of that green SUV belongs to a company in Buchloe that no longer owns the name, and everything to the right belongs to BMW. This is the last XB7 made in Buchloe and might be more special than many think.
What The Manufaktur Actually Is
BMW will build 120 of them, all for the United States and Canada, starting in September with deliveries in Q4. There is no configurator, per se. One fixed, fully loaded specification, $180,000 plus $1,550 destination, and a single decision: Frozen ALPINA Green or Frozen ALPINA Blue, neither of which has been offered on an XB7 before. The silver trim goes gloss black, including the 23-inch ALPINA Classic wheels, the double pinstripe runs down each flank, and Manufaktur badges appear on the B-pillars and the tailgate. Inside there is a numbered plaque, headrest embroidery matched to the paint, and two handmade weekender bags in brown Lavalina leather sitting in the trunk.
The mechanical package is untouched. The 4.4-liter twin-turbo V8 still makes 631 hp and 590 lb-ft, still runs through the eight-speed with ALPINA Switch-Tronic, and BMW still quotes 3.9 seconds to 60 mph. The air suspension is ALPINA-tuned at both axles, the anti-roll bars are electromechanical, there is rear-axle steering, and Sport mode drops the body by up to 1.4 inches. It will also tow 7,500 pounds, which is not something you say about many 4-second vehicles.
Why This Is Peak X7
BMW never built an X7 M. For six years the XB7 kinda filled that hole, and it filled it in a way M probably wouldn’t have. M would have chased lap times in a 6,000-pound seven-seater and produced something slightly embarrassing. ALPINA went the other way, adding torque and ride quality and leaving the aggression alone, which is what the company had been doing since the E38 B12.
That formula is gone from the price list after these 120 cars. The G67 X7 arrives with the ALPINA version splitting off under its own G69 code, which signals a bigger gap between the two and, almost certainly, a bigger price gap too. It’s also rumored to come as an ALPINA X7 electric.
The Cabin Is The Part That Won’t Come Back
Let’s be honest about the starting point. The XB7 is not a button festival. The G07 facelift already pushed climate control into the touchscreen, and the dashboard is down to defroster switches, a volume knob, and the curved display running Operating System 8.5. Anyone calling this car analog hasn’t sat in an E70.
But look at what survives. There is a physical iDrive rotary controller with shortcut keys next to it on the console. There is a real 12.3-inch instrument cluster in a binnacle, in front of the driver, where a cluster goes. There are Switch-Tronic paddles. The whole layout is angled at one seat.
The G67 will likely undo all of that. Panoramic iDrive replaces the cluster in all new BMWs with a projection running the width of the windshield, the central touchscreen grows, the rotary controller is expected to disappear, and BMW is pushing the X7 into 7 Series territory with automatic doors and a rear entertainment system. BMW hasn’t confirmed a passenger display for the SUV, but the updated 7 Series fits one as standard, and the X7 sits in exactly the part of the lineup where that feature lands. Assume it is coming, and assume it will be a screen the driver does not control.
I don’t think that’s automatically worse. The iX3 cabin works better than the spec sheet suggests, and the Vision BMW ALPINA concept shown at The Quail in August used crystal controls instead of ordinary switchgear, which reads like a company that still cares about what things feel like under a fingertip. The G69 might well be the more special object. It will just be special in a way that has nothing to do with a driver-angled dashboard and a knob you can find without looking.
The Last One The Family Signed
BMW’s acquisition of the ALPINA name took effect on January 1, 2026, but this car was developed and approved before the handover. It is the final ALPINA the Bovensiepen family put its signature on for this market, even though it rolls out of Spartanburg rather than Buchloe. That detail is its own small piece of history: the XB7 was the first ALPINA ever completed outside Buchloe when production started in 2020.
Buchloe is still building cars, incidentally. Andreas and Florian Bovensiepen now run Bovensiepen, whose Zagato coupe makes 611 hp, is limited to 99 units, and costs €369,495. ALPINA, meanwhile, becomes a BMW sub-brand aimed at Mercedes-Maybach, with the first BMW-era model due in 2027 on the 7 Series.
Is It Worth $181,550?
On paper, no. A fully loaded XM Label costs about $12,400 less and has more power. You are paying a substantial premium over the standard XB7’s $156,000 sticker for matte paint, black trim, a plaque, and luggage.
On the other hand, the XM Label is a car people already argue about, and the XB7 is one almost nobody does. Six years, no controversy, no reinvention, no apology. My reservation isn’t the price, it’s the timing: BMW is charging a final-edition premium for a car it is about to replace with something more expensive and more capable, and the people writing those checks know it.
What they are actually buying is the end of a comparison. The G69 will be measured against a Maybach GLS. This one only ever had to beat the X7 M that BMW never got around to building, and it won that argument for six years without raising its voice.
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