At first it was a bit of a shock to see the latest design direction that BMW was willing to follow with utter conviction. Unwavering, BMW would continue to shock its audiences with entirely new designs on their most prominent of cars except perhaps the business end of the saloon 5 series. Since the launch of the latest M3/M4 definitively split opinion, BMW have gone on to win over people somewhat. As cars are becoming more and more similar in design (outside and inside) manufacturers have to be clever in getting people’s attention.
Special mention : Luxurious & stylish interior, immense presence, swift, burble from that V8 4.4 engine, 87km battery range, slow charging is good, comfort and interior style, incredible pace.
Needs work : Exterior looks are divisive, price is in the very high end, touch screen and apps make the home screen busier than it needs to be. Will it be taken on track?
| 653 HP | Petrol / Auto |
| 0-100 km/h in 4.3 seconds | Road Tax €140 |
| Price: from €191,645.00 As Specc’d €195,366.00 | Boot Space 500 litres |
BMW continue to push the boundary with the XM. It’s very in your face and wants you and everyone else around it to know it’s there. Don’t worry, you won’t miss it. Most of the XMs muscle comes from the twin-turbocharged 4.4-litre V8. But it’s not all combustion muscle, with a 29.5kWh battery on-board, there’s around 87 kms from the 148bhp electric motor integrated into the ZF eight-speed auto gearbox.
You might not think so, but the XM sits between the X5 and X7 so it’s big and has a lot of space to play with. On the inside there isn’t much more you could ask for and would happily spend hours at the helm enjoying your surroundings. The infotainment works well but could do with a format to the layout, the touch screen is fluid with crisp graphics and it very much looks the part.
The cabin is the utmost in luxury. Metal effect trim, leather and Alcantara covers the dash and surrounding passenger space. The iDrive 8 infotainment display is surrounded by matt carbon fibre too. There’s also an enormous, contoured roof panel that changes colour with the driving mode which makes for a cosseting ambient environment for those long commutes home in the winter. I enjoy the fact that BMW refers to the second-row seats as ‘the M Lounge’ like while you’re waiting for your M5 to be serviced, you could hang out here. In the back it has somewhat of a classy neon edge to it.
On the outside there’s a lot to talk about. On the rear the stacked quad exhaust pipes emit a low hum and are trimmed with more gold, emulating the stripe along the side. it has an attention grabbing LED-lit kidney grille and there’s more gold trim where chrome would have dominated. BMW reckons the US and China will be where the XM sells most and on our demure grey/white/black shores of play it safe colour choice, is it just that bit too shouty or should we welcome its ability to stand out in a sea of greyness?
The set up of the XM is track day ready, yet we don’t (for now) see many SUVs doing laps or in the paddocks unless they’re towing the track car. This is BMW M’s very first hybrid, and its plug-in powertrain will appear in the next M5, more than likely with increased power and torque. As for now, it already produces a whopping 644bhp and 590lb ft.
SUVs gained in popularity due to their ability to take lots of gear, kit, people, animals and move them in relative swiftness and comfort. Some more than others have become a status symbol, such as Lamborghinis Urus. So where does our XM sit? Well it’s probably closer to Urus levels of practicality. The boot floor has no extra space due to the placement of the M differential and the fuel tank. With all the seats up there’s 527 litres of space which is actually less than the Lamborghini Urus. As for their German neighbours there’s Mercedes G Wagon and Audi’s previous gen RS Q8 holds the title of fastest SUV around the Nürburgring.
And in that vein, the XM weighs a hefty 2710kg which is a shame that so much power is used to just move it about and to add insult to injury there’s the extra weight of the battery. While it’s no slouch taking just 4.3sec to get to 100km/h it doesn’t necessarily feel 644bhp quick. First we had BMW fans with fake M badges now we have BMW adding monikers where we ask does it really feel ‘M’. They added M to the i4 and as it turns out the cheaper, lighter version is endlessly more agile and fun.
It is an entertaining powertrain, in the default Hybrid mode (there are others for electric-only and battery hold), the XM sets off more or less silently before the V8 slightly enhanced, explodes into life with endless ferocity.
Ramp up the modes (quickly done via one of the red M buttons on the wheel) and the XM turns in crisply and handles precisely. There’s a thoroughbred balance here but honestly the contact patches are so obscenely large and the body control so iron-cast (on account of the heft and high centre of gravity) that there’s little in the way of true agility or fluidity. On the flip side if you turn off stability control you gain access to a 4WD Sand driving mode, which primes the xDrive system and the M differential’s locking characteristics for dunes.
Even in Comfort mode, the XM’s high-speed gait is essentially the same as that of the M3 Touring only with a little more travel. The low-speed ride is crashy and requires the smoothest of surfaces. Luckily the seats are comfortable, supportive and lavishly upholstered with M Logos, and they come with multiple manual adjustments.
So driving the beastly XM confirms what its styling suggests, it’s powerful, has charisma in spades and it’s purpose, here at least it to leave the audience in shock and awe. If the M badge history is anything to go by, proper driving satisfaction in a truly usable and practical package, is already available in smaller and lighter vehicles. It’s heavy and expensive but for some, this is exactly what they want, for people to look, pay attention and strike up a conversation wherever they go.