The iconic BMW M1 from 1978 and the new 2.7-tonne, plug-in super-luxury XM SUV have something very special in common: they are the only two bespoke BMW M production models in the brand’s 51-year history.
Whether such a vehicle should occupy such an important place in M history is open to debate (and there has been lots of it already).
For BMW M chief executive Frank van Meel, on hand for the Australasian launch, the XM makes perfect sense: “In the early 1970s, every company that wanted to show its performance and what it could do, tried to make a super sports car. That was a big and important segment.
“Now, the big segment is SUV and what you see is cars like [Mercedes-AMG] G-Class, Lamborghini Urus, Bentley Bentayga, Aston Martin DBX – Ferrari also – and that is currently the place to be. Car companies are focusing there to show what they can do.
“We also want to show what we can do, because a lot of customers have been saying ‘why are you not in this segment'?
“We see it as an expansion. It’s not a sign that all M vehicles in the future will be SUVs; it’s filling a gap that was empty.
“I can understand M3 fans saying ‘I’m not going to drive this one’. They don’t need to. But there are a lot of fans who are waiting for a car like this from BMW M.”
Those fans are best represented in the United States (where the XM is built) and China, with the Middle East, Germany and Korea also in the big gold frame. They are wealthy, obviously; but they are also “extroverts”, says van Meel.
It’s an extreme machine in every respect. The 25.7kWh battery is good for a claimed 88km of pure-electric range (and up to 140km/h), but what it’s really all about is power and more power. Combined with the 4.4-litre TwinPower V8 engine, there’s 480kW/800Nm on tap – or if you can wait for the limited-edition Label Red Model towards the end of the year (30 units for this part of the world), an epic 550kW/1000Nm.
The V8 hybrid is an obvious link to BMW M’s Le Mans racer, and much more acknowledges van Meel: “If it’s good for endurance racing it’s good for performance vehicles. And I think it’s no secret that with a drivetrain like that, it’s not going to be in the XM only.”
It’s xDrive of course, but van Meel argues it’s something else in spirit: “I don’t want to call it four-wheel drive. It’s rear-drive, with extra traction.”
BMW is famous for its options, but the XM is a car that comes with almost everything as standard. There are 22-inch wheels as standard, but 23s are a no-cost option (NCO). Vintage leather upholstery for the dashboard is also a NCO, making each car unique. There are 54 BMW Individual colours as NCOs. And so on.
The XM is as much about the cabin as the outrageous performance. “Normally you say the front is First Class and the second row is Business or Economy,” says van Meel. “But that’s not true with XM: the second row is also First Class.
“We call the XM the ‘rock star’ of the range... so the second row is backstage.”
In fact, while the boot is decent enough at 527 litres, it’s not huge for a car of this size. The priority is given to rear-seat space, with limousine levels of legroom. The roof is a striking “3D prism” design that lights up in M colours on startup and then moves to ambient lighting. It’s all sumptuous beyond belief.
But also fast beyond belief. It’s not just the 0-100km/h time of 4.3sec, which is incredible for a car of this size and weight (Label Red does it in 3.8sec!), but the seamlessly explosive way in which the hybrid powertrain delivers that performance.
BMW M has thrown every possible piece of tech at this car: Adaptive M Professional Suspension with electronic dampers, four-wheel steer, M Sport brakes. All to metaphorically shrink this monster SUV and make it feel more nimble on the road.
Our time with the XM on-road was short and it was the only one of the three M-cars on the launch programme that we didn’t drive on track. Although you theoretically could… that’s still the KPI of any full M-car.
That said, it’s no corner-carver. The XM is staggeringly fast and grippy – especially in the way that RWD+traction (or whatever) system can get all that power to the ground. But not especially agile, definitely more of a warp-speed limo. Hugely refined too, although the M-chassis and monster wheels did make the ride seem awfully busy on urban roads.
It’ll be interesting to drive the XM properly, at greater length, on Kiwi tarmac. For so, so many reasons.
If the XM puzzles and annoys you, Frank van Meel might consider that job done: “It’s very extroverted. A lot of the details are very, very special. For example, for the quad tailpipes are not next to each other, but on top of each other. We did that on purpose, to provoke. I think we succeeded in doing that.”
BMW XM
ENGINE: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8 with 25.7kWh plug-in hybrid system
POWER: 480kW/800Nm
GEARBOX: 8-speed automatic, AWD
CONSUMPTION: 1.6-1.7l/100km, CO2 35-39g/km (WLTP)
PRICE: $299,300
