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A shortened cycle isn't so surprising given that the F15 was more of a "E70 Super LCI" rather than a new model. The original post-E70 X5 was to be based on the F10 5 Series, but proved to be too heavy. That the F15 is still competitive is a testament to the greatness of the E70 platform, but it's also demonstrates that the F01/F10 platform was too bloated. BMW would be in a bad place if they'd used that platform given that most others are getting lighter. Hopefully the lightweight tech that they invested in for the i models will pay off as it is used more and more for the various G series.
On a related note, the new Q7 is impressive, with a killer interior. Shame about the outside, which manages to look less sexy than many minivans. It will be interesting to see what they can do with this platform in the Cayenne, which is quite long in the tooth.
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