2023 BMW XM review: International first drive


BMW M’s latest model has been conceived as both a high-end luxury SUV and hardcore driver’s car. Can the petrol-electric XM deliver on both fronts? Greg Kable joined the German car maker in Arizona to find out





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What we love
  • Electric mode drivetrain refinement
  • Hybrid mode response and performance
  • Spacious and luxurious cabin
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What we don’t
  • Synthetic electric mode sound
  • Firm ride and excessive tyre roar
  • High price tag

The XM is the first standalone production car from BMW M since the M1 supercar over 45 years ago: a uniquely styled SUV that accommodates up to five adults and provides ample room for luggage and other odds and ends within its genuinely luxurious and spacious interior.

You won’t find a version of the XM in the ‘standard’ BMW model line-up. It remains exclusive to BMW’s M performance car division, which was charged with its conception and development.

With a starting price of $297,900 before on-road costs in Australia, it is the most expensive offering from BMW M yet. A good $50,000 more than the just-announced 2024 X6 M.



The plush petrol-electric powered model is also it’s most powerful to date as well.

Key details 2023 BMW XM
Price From $297,900 plus on-road costs
Colour of test car M Marina Bay Blue Metallic and Mineral White Metallic
Drive-away price $315,964 (estimated in Victoria)
Rivals Porsche Cayenne Coupe | Audi RSQ8 | Lamborghini Urus

In standard guise, as driven here, the XM’s plug-in hybrid drivetrain, consisting of BMW M’s familiar twin-turbocharged 4.4-litre V8 engine in combination with a gearbox-mounted electric motor and a 25.7kWh lithium-ion battery sited underneath the rear seat, delivers 480kW and a rather stout 800Nm of torque.

It doesn’t end there, though.



Ticking the box marked Red Label gets you on the list for the ultimate XM, with an even more luxurious interior and an added 70kW and 200Nm from its electrified drivetrain at 550kW and 1000Nm. Not before September, though, when the range-topping version of the new M model is due to land in Australia at a price we’ve been told will be close to $350,000.

Putting this into perspective, the mild-hybrid version of the turbocharged 4.4-litre V8 engine used by the X6 M, along with the X5 M the most powerful of BMW M’s existing SUV models, kicks out 460kW and 750Nm with the support of much smaller electric motor and without the pure electric capability of the XM.

But while the X6 M tips the scales at 2320kg, the XM brings an additional 390kg to the party at 2710kg. This makes it not only the most powerful but also the heaviest production car in BMW M’s illustrious 50-year history.



Explaining the new flagship M model’s positioning, van Meel, says, “Early in the conceptional phase we gave all our upper-end SUVs a title. We made the X5 the boss, the X6 the beast and the X7 the president. Standing above them is the XM, which we like to call the rockstar.”

It is certainly not for shy and retiring types. If you think it looks bold and brutish in photographs, wait until you see it in the metal. The XM is both daring and challenging all at once. It’s an SUV that demands attention and, going on the reaction we witnessed at the international media drive in Phoenix last week, receives it.

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The more prominent design elements can be darkened, with a high gloss shadow line treatment coming as a no-cost option. In Australia the blinged up gold highlights come as standard, so to the illuminated kidney grille. The standard wheels are plenty large enough at 22-inches in diameter for the Australian market, but they can be supplanted for larger 23-inch items for added pose value, too.

2023 BMW XM
Seats Five
Boot volume 527L seats up
1820L seats folded
Length 5110mm
Width 2005mm
Height 1755mm
Wheelbase 3105mm

Dimensionally, the XM sits smack bang between the X6 and X7, with a length of 5110mm, width of 2005mm and height of 1755mm. A wheelbase of 3105mm and front and rear tracks running to 1726mm and 1690mm also give it a large footprint for a car conceived with just two rows of seats. Van Meel says it is aimed primarily at the US and Chinese markets, “where size counts as status”. 

Inside, the XM shares many of its design elements with both the recently facelifted X7 and BMW’s electric-powered iX.

For such a big car, the front feels quite snug, owing to a big expanse of dashboard, wide centre console, substantially padded seats and rather high belt line.

There’s a curved digital instrument panel housing a 12.3-inch display for the instruments and a larger 14.9-inch display for the infotainment functions as well as the same multi-function steering wheel, with prominent red M1 and M2 drive mode buttons and shift paddles, as other recent new M models.

Between the driver and front seat passenger, the centre console houses a traditional gear lever, the latest version of BMW’s round iDrive controller, a host of different buttons for the various driving modes, cupholders with a heating and cooling function and a smartphone charging pad. Further back is a rather substantial oddment bin.



There are lots of different materials within the dashboard. However, they are all of high quality. Overall build quality is very impressive. Overhead, the headliner boasts an unusual three-dimensional prism structure. It can also be illuminated, giving the interior of the new M model a rather unique look and feel at night.

In the rear, there are vast swathes of space. Here, the XM is limousine-like in terms of accommodation. Legroom is truly generous, aided by proper footwells that allow you to slide your feet well underneath the front seats. It is all very spacious and supremely comfortable.

The boot is not so clever. With a 527 litre capacity underneath the cargo blind, it offers 53 litres less than the X6 M, extending to 1820 litres when the rear seat is folded away. There’s no extra stowage bin within the boot floor to place a dirty charging cable, either. Instead, the XM comes as standard with a designer bag in which to stow it, taking up space that would overwise be dedicated to the stowage of luggage.

The loading lip is quite high owing to the packaging of the battery further forward within its platform – the same cluster architecture (CLAR) structure that underpins the X3, X4, X5, X6 and X7, alongside which the XM is produced at BMW’s Spartanburg factory in the US.

In line with its high price, standard equipment is comprehensive. The highlights here include front seats with massaging function, rear seats with heating for the backrests, four-zone air conditioning, a head-up display unit with augmented reality functions for the navigation system’s directional prompts and a 1500-watt Bowers and Wilkins sound system. The infotainment system supports both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto mirroring, while an optional Digital Key Plus allows iPhone users to open and lock the doors via their smartphone.

Predictably, it also comes with a list of standard driver assistant systems too long to mention here.



 So what’s it like to drive?

Forget the usual aural theatrics of an internal combustion engine bursting into life with a hearty blare of exhaust upon start-up. This new M model represents something of a new beginning for the company founded in 1972, and it does things differently. Thumbing the starter button on the centre console gets you …well, nothing. Nothing except the engagement of the electric motor, which is virtually silent.

When you then draw the gear lever down and move away, a deep underlying hum mixed with various sci-fi-inspired background tones is played over the speakers. It has been composed by Hans Zimmer of Hollywood movie fame, which is all very well. But the synthesised soundtrack, which builds into a more defined whoosh as you begin to gather speed, is not at all fitting of a car that wears the M badge. It is horribly contrived and awfully monotonous over any given distance. Thankfully, it can be switched off.

That said, the electric motor provides the XM with genuinely swift and smooth qualities. The synchronous unit, produced in-house by BMW, develops 145kW and 280Nm, which is more than sufficient to propel the big SUV along at speed with truly superb drivetrain refinement.      

The lithium-ion battery, mounted low down largely ahead of the rear axle for the best possible weight distribution and a low centre of gravity, gives the new M model a claimed WLTP electric range of between 82km and 88km at speeds up to 140km/h. There’s no provision for high-powered DC charging, though, so you’ll need time on your hand to replenish the energy stores; the standard 7.4kW on-board AC charger is said to provide a full charge in just less than four and half hours on a typical wallbox installation.

At a glance 2023 BMW XM
Warranty Five years, unlimited km
Service intervals Condition based
Servicing costs TBC
Battery size 27.5kWh
Driving range claim (WLTP) 82-88km
Charge time (7.4kW) 4h 30m

Hushed as the electric motor is, the XM is far from quiet when cruising along without the help of its internal combustion engine. Tyre roar from the 275/40 ZR22 front and 315/35 ZR22 Pirelli P Zero Tyres worn by our test car is particularly excessive on anything but ultra-smooth roads. There is also quite a lot of wind buffeting from the mirrors when you up the pace away from the city.



Switching into hybrid mode awakens the V8 engine. Its engagement is perhaps not as seamless as in other less powerful BMW M Performance hybrid models. But with a button on the centre console engaged to open the flaps within its complex exhaust system, it instantly shatters the otherwise silent properties of the plug-in hybrid drivetrain, providing the new SUV with a far more fitting bass-driven sound. It’s not all genuine exhaust blare, though. Even in hybrid mode, the new BMW M model resorts to a synthetically backed soundtrack. It’s a rockstar remember…

The driving character depends greatly on just what mode you choose – and there are plenty, with the drivetrain and chassis offering the choice between Comfort, Sport and Sport Plus. There are also varying settings for the brakes, steering, energy recuperation, and properties of the four-wheel drive system.

Comfort is definitely the best choice for constant throttle highway cruising, at which the XM never feels remotely stretched. The deep reserves of power and torque from both the electric motor and internal combustion, provide the new M model with tremendously flexible and great long-distance properties.  

Sport hardens each individual aspect of the XM, making it more responsive, a good deal tauter and quite athletic. But it is not until you dial up Sport Plus that the real fireworks begin.

The XM’s electric motor provides so-called boosting properties to the 360kW and 650Nm delivered by the internal combustion engine to endow the XM with magnificently urgent in-gear performance.

Throttle response is razor sharp, with the additional electrical reserves serving to eliminate any lingering lag as the two turbochargers come on boost. The electric motor is also used to fill in momentary lapses in power and torque during gear changes, giving the new M model terrific momentum on upshifts, which can be quite brutal at times.



The twin power sources provide the XM with great potency, most notably at the lower end below 5000rpm where it is arguably at it best. However, it never feels as quite as free-revving as those M models fitted with the mild-hybrid version of the twin-turbocharged 4.4-litre V8 petrol engine as you seek out the 7500rpm ignition cut out.  

Drive is sent through a specially tuned version of  BMW M’s M xDrive four-wheel drive system. It constantly varies the amount of power and torque delivered to each end, giving the XM tremendous traction off the line. There’s also a torque vectoring function to individually apportion drive to each of the rear wheels in combination with an M Sport differential. Most of the time it is rear-biased, but it can favour the front end when road conditions demand.

Fuel Usage Fuel Stats
Fuel cons. (claimed) 2.7L/100km
Fuel cons. (on test) Not recorded
Fuel type 98-octane premium unleaded
Fuel tank size 69L

BMW claims 0-100km in 4.3sec, which is mighty given how much the XM weighs. However, it is also officially 0.4sec slower than the lighter and less powerful X6 M to the traditional benchmark.

So, the bets are off. At least until the arrival of the Red Label model later this year. For now, BMW M’s most expensive model is not its fastest accelerating SUV. And nor is it the fastest outright. Top speed is limited to 250km/h, or 270km/h in combination with an optional Driver’s Package. The same as the X6, no less.

Alongside its sheer performance, the crowning achievement of the XM is its ability to control body movement when you push it hard along challenging roads. In this respect, the new M model is very impressive indeed. It is extremely nimble for its size. More like a well-sorted performance wagon than a big, high-riding luxury SUV.

A 16.2:1 ratio, gives the steering agreeable sharpness and accuracy. But the weighting is lighter and less consistent than we’re used to in full-blown M models. It’s also devoid of the feedback and feel of some performance SUV rivals. Integral Active Steering – BMW speak for  four-wheel steering – is standard and clearly aids agility, providing up to two degrees of steering angle to the rear wheels for agreeable precise turn-in and road placement. 



The XM’s suspension is similar to that used by the X6 M. It uses double wishbones coupled with added control arms at the front and a multi-link arrangement at the rear, together with steel springs and electronically controlled variable damping.

It also receives a 48-volt electronically-controlled Active Roll Stabilisation system with additional Active Roll Comfort. It operates on the anti-roll bars to keep everything in check, suppressing any tendency for the body to lean as the new BMW M model is guided from one corner to another and dials out pitch and dive under acceleration and braking. The result is a remarkably flat feel to the handling.

The problem is that in achieving the taught dynamic qualities demanded by typical BMW M buyers, the XM is forced to compromise comfort to a considerable degree. The ride goes beyond firm even in its most forgiving driving mode. It is uncompromisingly hard on anything but the smoothest of roads. It is quite fidgety, too. High-frequency bumps and other small bitumen imperfections tend to unsettle the big SUV in its more performance-based settings, spoiling its otherwise impressive balance and outright grip.

There is loads of grip and great drive out of corners thanks to the performance-based tyres and quick-acting qualities of the M xDrive system on smooth roads. But the XM never feels quite as resolved or as focused from a driving standpoint as the more athletic X6 M.

This is partly because of its weight, which is omnipresent. Though I suspect that it is also a consequence of BMW M’s decision to attempt to provide the XM with the broadest appeal possible.

On the one hand, it’s positioned as a luxury SUV with all the features its price tag demands and a brief to offer true boulevard cruising properties. On the other, it is supposed to elicit the sort of driving qualities we’ve become accustomed to seeing from the performance cars delivered by BMW M over the past five decades. In the end, it never really manages to distinguish itself at either. Not in standard guise, at latest.



Key details 2023 BMW XM
Engine 4.4-litre V8 twin-turbo plug-in hybrid
Power 360kW @ 7200rpm petrol
145kW electric
480kW combined
Torque 650Nm @ 1600-5000rpm petrol
280Nm electric
800Nm combined
Drive type All-wheel drive
Transmission Eight-speed torque converter automatic
Power-to-weight ratio 177kW/t
Weight 2710kg
Tow rating 2700kg braked
750kg unbraked
Turning circle 12.5m

What the new XM does do is open the door to other plug-in hybrid-powered M models. The XM is incredibly sophisticated and much of its technology will be seen on successors to the M5, X5, X6 and X7. But given the build-up that surrounded its launch and the fact that this is only the second standalone M car ever, we expected a more traditional BMW M driving character.

A rockstar, perhaps. But more of the glam rock genre than true classic rock.

Ratings Breakdown

2023 BMW XM Wagon

7.9/ 10

Infotainment & Connectivity

Interior Comfort & Packaging

Greg Kable

Kable is one of Europe’s leading automotive journalists. The Aussie expat lives in Germany and has some of the world’s most powerful executives on speed dial.

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