This is the brand new, first ever BMW XM and to my knowledge I am the first person on YouTube that’s been able to drive it and review it – so a huge thanks to my friends at International BMW for letting me have a go!
This is the first M exclusive SUV from BMW and it’s kind of the spiritual successor to the legendary M1..of course in SUV form
BAD:
1 – Design
The design of the car has gotten more commentary than anything else so far, and I can see why. It’s a Crazy design. It’s polarizing, but if I’m honest I don’t hate it
It’s draped in San Marino Blue
And this car gets black accents, BUT you can get gold all over the car – which is awesome
The face is certainly imposing and different
You get big but proportional illuminated kidney grille
Yopu’ve got a split running light design similar to X7
And the gold accented 23 inch wheels are standard (22in option)
This car unfortunately doesn’t get the weighted hub caps like we saw on the concept
Front the profile you can see the sheer size of this thing
Almost the size of an X7 while not being a 3 row (we’ll talk more)
You get a subtly Sloped roofline
Intricate door handle details
M wing mirrors
charge port on driver front fender
And of course how could we not mention the black body line
Wish it was gold but it’s interesting
rear end design is wild and minimal
Your rear glass is flush and looks cool with the BMW logos etched
Below you get vertical stacked exhaust
Im a sucker for it every time (Alfa, Lexus F, every time)
And interestingly in your rear bumper you have an F1 style reverse light
I think what it comes down to for me is that I like each of the individual styling elements they have here, but when you put them all together on one car it’s just a bit much
2 – Weight
This is something pretty unavoidable with a PHEV setup, but this thing is heavy
And with the styling they’re playing on the old M1 and that was a simple, lightweight, barebones missile
This is a product of the times and this is what the market wants…a 6000 lb super SUV
For frame of reference that’s about half a ton or 1000 lbs heavier than the X5
And here’s the craziest part….this XM weighs MORE than the battery EV iX…
More than an EV….think about that…we’ll talk about it more in a second
3 – Price
Starting at 160k for the XM It’s significantly more than the AMG and the Audi competitors
But even in crazy Label Red spec starting at 185k it’s less than the Porsche, Lambo, and Aston Martin
So weirdly…the more expensive one is the bargain
4 – The Electric Elephant
I know this is full M and the idea of having a full M car being an EV is outrageous, but I just wanted to bring this up as zoomed out view of the entire landscape real quick
What we have here is a $160k dedicated ground up M super SUV
The best SUV M can make right now
The most power the most pace
It makes 644 hp and 590 lbft
The Label Red will do 735 hp and the same in torque
And then BMWs own iX M60 – not even a iXM, just the M sport lite model
It gets to 60 in almost a full second quicker
And does it with only 610 hp
Now, I’m a driving enthusiast so I know there are things like dynamics and balance and braking that go into a car
But I get a lot of comments on my videos from what I call “power enthusiasts” who only care about peak HP or 0-60…and for them, the iX is going to be quicker
…and here’s the crazy thing…the iX M60…it’s lighter too…by like 100 lbs…
Ladies and Gentlemen…we’ve reached the tipping point
But there’s a lot of interesting and good things happening here so let’s talk about that
GOOD:
1 – Engine
This is the most powerful production BMW ever made
It’s more powerful than an
Audi RSQ8
Porsche Cayenne Turbo GT
AMG GLE63+
It’s making 644 hp and 590 lbft – typical BMW it’s probably underrated
It’s only less powerful than a Lamborghni Urus or Aston Martin DBX 707
Or a Jeep..or a Dodge…lol
This is also the first PHEV from BMW’s M division
The engine itself is good for 483 hp and 479 lbft
The 25.7 kWh battery along with the electric motor integrated into the gearbox adds another 194 hp and 207 lbft
Which gets you the 644 hp and 590 lbft
Aka the most powerful production BMW ever
But it’s also pretty economical
You get 30 miles of full EV range in this behemoth
BUUTTT if all this wasnt enough for you and you wanted to fight against Urus and DBX 707s then you want to wait for the Label Red which will bring 735 hp and 735 lbft…and 0-60 in 4 seconds
It’s crazy how, in terms of power, in the base spec you have the usual competitors – but then in Label Red spec you’re fighting Lambos and Astons and Ferraris…and that’s when this thing starts to make a lot more sense
2 – Tech
This wont come as a shock to anyone, but the tech here in this XM is great. It’s packing BMW’s new iDrive 8 system which we’ve reviewed in the i4 M50, iX, and a couple other videos but here are the highlights
Sweet new graphics and animations
Iconic sounds (Hans Zimmer)
wireless ACP & AA
Wifi hot spot
360 cameras
reverse assist
Driver assist is brilliant
HUD
Heated and cooled cupholders
If it’s luxury, features and tech you’re looking for, you’re in the right place
3 – Dynamics
This is a hard thing to talk about because there’s 1 issue that I have…well really it’s about 6000 issues
It’s heavy…ike 3 tons heavy…like heavier than the iX heavy
HOWEVER, if we get past that fact and we address the rest of the car behind the wheel it’s REALLY impressive what they’ve been able to do dynamically
This thing drives like something 1000 lbs lighter than it is
Interestingly the XM goes for coil springs rather than air springs
I guess the M division tried both and the coils were better
You still get adaptive dampers
You still get active anti-rolls bars
And you get a rear steer module
And you get crazy wide grippy tires
I’m not going to lie to you and say it feels super playful or agile
But it does feel strong and confident and grippy..but with all this power and weight be ready to pay for tires if you’re going to drive this thing hard
Ultimately, I’m amazed what they were able to do dynamically
4 – Luxuries
It may be an M-only vehicle but that doesnt mean you dont get some nice lux-y frills
Pano roof
Lighted sky roof
wild headliner
Crazy ambient light throughout the cabin
Light up Bowers & welkin speakers
Heated and Cooled Seats
Heated and cooled cupholders
Huge screens
Massage seats
All the M pace with all the stuff to match
5 – Rear seats
Remember how I said this thing was almost the size of an X7, but only brings 2 rows of seats?
Well this is where you get the benefit of that
The rear seats are huge and super comfy
They’re heated and can be cooled
You get climate zones
And chargers everywhere
And then the leather has a really cool and interesting design to it – only bummer is you don’t get all the crazy screens and things from the 7 series
Conclusion
So that’s the best and the rest of the first ever BMW XM
This thing is crazy – from the way it looks, it’s the most powerful BMW ever, it’s the first PHEV from M, and the Label REd brings it right into contention with things from the prestige segments
This has been quite the experience so thank you again to International BMW for letting me have a go!