FIRST DRIVE: New BMW XM is large and in charge

BMW shocked the world in 2021 when it revealed the XM Concept. This was the first standalone M product since the legendary M1 of the 1970s, so it had a tough act to follow.

BMW immediately announced that the XM would become a production reality. The large SUV, or SAV in BMW speak, was first shown in SA at M Fest last year. Last week was its formal introduction into the local market. 

The XM is not your typical M performance model. It is a large SUV that makes an X5 seem mid-sized. BMW’s designers persist with oversized kidney grilles. The pair on the nose of the XM are some of the largest we’ve seen and they even light up on this model. The XM rides on huge alloys as standard (up to 23 inches optionally) with a pretty complex design. Other stylistic highlights are laser etched dual badges on the rear window (a nod to the twin badges on the M1) and funky, stacked tailpipe finishers.

There are many detractors to BMW’s current design language but, think what you will, the XM is certainly imposing up close. We suspect its sheer size is an indication of its key geographical target markets that is the US, Middle East and China.

Visual highlights in the cabin include M-specific displays ahead of the driver. The company’s curved display takes up most of the real estate across the fascia. There are also M1 and M2 buttons for your own preset drive modes. Some bits feel extremely hi-tech while BMW has adopted a rather interesting approach to the rest of the cabin. 

Luxury is placed above sportiness as vintage-look coffee-coloured leather is contrasted with light-coloured leather on the seats and carbon fibre trim. A large rear seat bench has deep seat recesses and leather that stretches onto the doors to create what BMW refers to as the M Lounge. Another highlight is the three-dimensional surface of the headliner.

Under the large domed bonnet is a twin-turbocharged 4.4l V8 engine that delivers 360kW of power. Peak total power is lifted to 480kW thanks to a 145kW electric component. The same hybrid system lifts torque to a peak of 800Nm. Those figures make the XM the most powerful M car to ever go on sale to the public. 

But if that isn’t enough, BMW will introduce a Label Red derivative early next year. That version boasts 550kW and 1,000Nm of twist effort. But you’d better hurry as just five have been allocated to SA. 

Interestingly, the BMW XM can be driven as a pure EV, not using any petrol, for up to 90km on a full charge. The battery can be charged from an external source and does not rely on the  internal combustion engine for recharging.

Regardless of the power level, drive is directed to all four wheels through an eight-speed automatic transmission with a rearward bias. The “regular” XM is said to dispatch the benchmark 0-100 km/h acceleration test in 4.3 seconds.

We’re inclined to believe the acceleration claim as the XM shunts from just about any speed with an urgency that belies its near 2.8-tonne heft. Its in-gear acceleration will probably leave a few sports cars and most hot hatches floundering in its wake. Flick a few gears down using the steering wheel paddles and the XM dials up numbers on its speedo about as quickly as the digits on a petrol pump.

Almost as impressive as the large car’s acceleration is its dynamic prowess. The XM uses just about every suspension trick in the book, from low-profile tyres to adaptive dampers and active roll control, to keep its mass in check. You can’t really hide from the laws of physics, but the XM sure does try to outrun them. There is a level of composure displayed at speed through sweeping corners that I did not expect.

The XM, as BMW M CEO Frank van Meel admitted at M Fest last year, is a rival to models such as the Lamborghini Urus, and probably to the likes of the speedier Bentley Bentayga derivatives. BMW was losing a lucrative slice of this ever-growing segment and the XM now allows the German firm to offer a standalone model for those with deep enough pockets.

The BMW XM will retail for R3,400,000.