Price (as tested) 💲: $168,395
Powertrain ⚙️: Twin-turbocharged 4.4-liter V8 + Electric Motor + 25.7 kWh Battery
Output 💪: 644 hp/590 lb-ft of torque
Transmission 🕹: 8-Speed Automatic
0-60 MPH 🚦: 4.1 seconds
Top Speed 💥: 168 mph
MPG (as tested) ⛽️: 19 combined MPG /46 combined MPGe + 31-mile electric range
Curb weight ⚖️: 6,100 lbs
Putting aside the fact that the XM is the first M-exclusive model since the M1 supercar of the ‘70s, let’s look at its merits as a $160K performance SUV.
Fusing output from a twin-turbo V8 and electric motor, the BMW XM touts 644 horsepower and 0-60 runs in the low 4-second range. Among hybrid rivals, you can find more potent options, though none with greater dedicated EV range. Among non-hybrids, the XM’s power is competitive, though its quickness is not.
The battery-laden body attempts to disguise 6,100 pounds via well-weighted steering and steel springs. It’s enough to secure a smile when powering through sweepers, but rapid direction changes prove too much for the active anti-roll bars.
The decision to exclude an air suspension (found in just about everything short of the Urus Performante) does open the door to a busy ride. Nothing intolerable, and perhaps even a worthwhile trade off – if not for the XM’s less-than-convincing //M dynamics.
The rest of the XM is just as perplexing.
Don’t get too attached to (or insulted by) any one view of the thing; exterior styling is cohesive only in its mission to stir remark. Each angle appears designed by a different individual, with scattered BMW family signatures to loosely tie it all together.
Inside, quilted leather, suede, and ornate lighting put an emphasis on luxury. Large vivid screens and a stellar Bowers & Wilkins Diamond sound system add a dollop of tech. Sporty touches are modest, including a thickly wrapped steering wheel with large shift paddles, and carbon fiber inlays.
Would the BMW XM be an appropriate torch-bearer for the performance-obsessed //M
of decades past? No. But it does seem a fitting statement for the new “lifestyle” brand…and that makes me a little sad.