Is the BMW XM the ultimate M Car and can it beat its rivals?
Exterior – Front
So, lets have a look at the styling as this is the most striking design element. At the front you get this big grill that is surrounded by gold trim. This grill also lights up at night so people can tell that you are driving a BMW. Talking of lights you get this new split headlight design that BMW is doing to their top of the range cars. Up top you get these LED Daytime running lights and further down you get some Digital Matrix LED headlights. Connected to these are some side vents and they are also connected to the big central lower vents with this black panel. The bonnet is flat like the BMW iX but you do get some creases which I do like.
Exterior – Side
Moving round to the side and there is a lot to talk about. To start with we have this gloss black cladding on the lower part of the car as well as round the square wheel arches. You also get this gold trim that is below the rear window and it turns into the window surround up top which is very unique. We don’t get flush door handles which would have been nice but what we do get are these sporty and unique looking 21 inch wheels with a unique central logo that is an all-black BMW logo with the BMW lettering in the middle. Wheel sizes can go up to 23 inches though. Moving near the back we can see that the taillights bleed into the side of the car.
Exterior – Rear
Round the back and we can see a unique design with this approach. We do get you typical taillights that you would find on a BMW but the whole rear design is very unique to the XM. To start with we get this hidden spoiler and some BMW logos up top on the rear window. The XM badge is also almost in the middle of the tailgate. Lower down we get this gloss black again but we do have some gold trim. Finally, we get these quad exhausts that don’t look like anything on any other BMW. Let’s have a look at what makes this car really special.
Car and engine specs and price
So, you may be wondering what makes this car special. Well, that’s the engine. This is because the BMW XM is the first full fat M Car with a plug in hybrid powertrain. Yes. That’s correct, the BMW XM is a plug in hybrid. So, what engine does it have? Well, it has a 4.4 litre twin turbo V8 mated to an electric motor. Combined you receive 651 bhp and 800 nm of torque. 0-60 takes just 4.3 seconds and it can go all the way to 155 mph but the limiter can be raised to 168. For the electric part you get a 25 kwh battery pack that gives you 55 miles of electric only driving. Charging is slower than its other rivals at 7.4 kW but it will only take four and a half hours. There is a more powerful version coming out later in the year called XM Red Label. This will have 746 bhp and 1,000 nm of torque. The price of the BMW XM starts at £148,060 which is a lot of money for a car like this. The good outcome though is that this powertrain will be in the upcoming M5 but with less power. Let’s have a look on the inside.
Interior – Design
So getting inside the XM and we have a mixture of design elements which for me lets this car down. We get the new BMW iDrive 8 setup which is great but we get older elements like the old steering wheel and centre console as well as older switchgear. Considering this car came out when the BMW 7 Series had just come out it feels like a bit of a step backwards in my opinion. Do get me wrong we get a nice driver focused design as well as some very luxurious elements like this old style leather that looks like saddle leather. You also get premium sporty seats that hug you and you also have some metal switchgear too. The overall design is very unique, but I do think it wont age as well as the BMW 7 series for example. Let’s check the rear seats out.
Practicality
So getting in to the back of the XM and this is where it feels much better. To start with you get this wrap around rear style which makes this car feel very luxurious. You also get these sport seats that look similar to the front seats and again are supportive and luxurious. Legroom and headroom is fine in this car and you can sit 3 in the back. You also have your own climate control and arm rest. The overall feel is better in the back than the front which is odd as this is a drivers car, not a rear seat car like the BMW 7 Series. Let’s check the boot out.
Boot Size
So opening the boot on the BMW XM and you are welcomed with 527 litres of space with the seats up. This is quite respectable for this type of car, and it is similar to its rivals. Dropping the rear seats and this expands to 1,820 litres which again is about the same as its main rivals.
Summary
So, in summary then what is the BMW XM like. Well the exterior is unique and in the blue and gold colour combination it makes the car looks special and it will definitely stand out from the crowd. Practicality is also decent compared to its rivals and the engine is again top notch. It also drives like a proper driver’s car. The only element that lets it down for me is the dashboard design. If it had newer switch gear, then it would be the ideal luxury Super SUV.
Exterior 5/5
Interior 4/5
Practicality 5/5
Total 14/15
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