2023 BMW XM review: Australian first drive
The BMW XM is only the second-ever standalone M model from the German automaker. But is this near-three-tonne SUV worthy of the full ‘M’ badge?
2023 BMW XM
It seems almost absurd that the BMW XM exists as an M car. As only the second-ever standalone M model, behind 1978’s original M1, the XM has some pretty big boots to fill.
The original M1 is revered today, its Giorgetto Giugiaro design as mesmerising today as it undoubtedly was back in 1978 when it was launched. But, and with all due respect, no one is looking at the XM and thinking, ‘that’s a beauty’.
And that’s partly by design, BMW wanting to make a statement with the XM, a bold, blunt, in-your-face statement.
Global BWM M boss Frank van Meel told Drive the XM exists because BMW felt it did not have a rival to the recent slew of super SUVs, including the Lamborghini Urus, Bentley Bentayga, and Aston Martin DBX.
This, then, is M’s take on the formula, a V8-powered plug-in hybrid behemoth that can hustle from 0–100km/h in 4.3 seconds, can drive 82–88km (WLTP testing protocols) on pure electric power and, according to BMW, make a “statement of exclusivity, presence and performance”.
It certainly has ‘presence’, its angled and blunt countenance married to its upper-large SUV dimensions hard to miss on the road, harder still to ignore when filling your rear-view mirrors.
As for ‘exclusivity’, thanks to an eye-watering $302,200 (before on-road costs) price tag, the XM’s exclusivity is assured, certainly here in Australia.
And ‘performance’? A 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8 married to an electric motor powered by a 27.5kWh lithium-ion battery pack is a good place to start. Total outputs run to an impressive 480kW and 800Nm.
For those wanting even more X with their XM, the soon-to-arrive BMW XM Label Red not only ups the bling inside, but also adds 70kW and 200Nm for a mind-boggling total of 550kW and 1000Nm. You’ll have to wait for the even harder-corer XM, though. It’s due in Australia later this year.
How much does the BMW XM cost in Australia?
The BMW XM isn’t for the faint of heart or the faint of wallet. With a starting price of $302,200 plus on-road costs, the XM enters the stratosphere of super SUVs with a bang.
Still, it undercuts its stated rivals and by a fair whack in some cases. The Lamborghini Urus kicks things off in Australia with a price tag of $409,744, while the Aston Martin DBX comes in at $356,512. The Bentley Bentayga, meanwhile, makes no apologies for its $378,600 entry point. That makes the BMW XM a relative bargain in this rarefied air of super SUVs.
And you get a lot of rare air for your money.
The standard equipment list is almost too long to handle, but the basics include 22-inch alloys (with the option of 23s for extra kerb appeal), a 14.3-inch curved infotainment touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, satellite navigation, four-zone climate control, ambient interior lighting, a head-up display as well as a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, premium Bowers and Wilkins surround-sound system, heated seats, armrests and steering wheel, as well as heated and cooled cupholders up front.
There’s an active ‘M’ differential, adaptive M suspension, a variety of M xDrive modes including 4WD, 4WD Sand and 4WD Sport, M Compound brakes, as well as regular drive modes – hybrid, electric or eControl (internal combustion only to save and harvest electrons).
Outside, the gold shadow line trims that adorn the window frames and that in-your-face grille are standard. They certainly add an element of in-your-face styling helping to set the XM apart from regular BMW SUVs in the range. In the forthcoming Label Red XM (yes, Label Red, not the more obvious Red Label), those elements will be, unsurprisingly, red.
A full suite of active safety is bundled into the XM, which we’ll detail later.
For a full run-down of features and equipment, click here, keeping in mind that BMW has raised prices since first announcing the model for Australia.
| Key details | 2023 BMW XM |
| Price | $302,200 plus on-road costs |
| Colour of test car | Dravit Grey |
| Options | None |
| Price as tested | $302,200 plus on-road costs |
| Drive-away price | $322,472 (in NSW) |
| Rivals | Lamborghini Urus | Aston Martin DBX | Bentley Bentayga |
How much space does the BMW XM have inside?
BMW M has made no apologies for its interior treatment in the XM, which is at once opulent and a little edgy. Lashings of soft and supple leather line the cabin, augmented by swathes of distressed leather across the dash and door cards.
BMW says this treatment ensures each XM is unique, no two cars sharing the same leather pattern. We can see how that could appeal to some buyers.
The seats are supportive and comfortable, adjustable in myriad ways, and offer both heating and cooling. The M steering wheel is familiar to anyone who’s sat in an M car, and pleasingly it remains round, BMW long eschewing the trend for flat-bottomed tillers.
Sitting in the driver’s seat offers a commanding view over that long and blunt bonnet. It feels reassuring and it feels big. Which, of course, it is.
Overhead, BMW’s prism headlining offers a tactility not usually found overhead in cabins, its sculpted shapes begging to be touched. Ambient lighting encircles the headlining, adding another element of ‘specialness’ to the interior.
It’s in the second row where things get interesting. Strictly a five-seater (there is no seven-seat XM), the second row is a place to relax and luxuriate in comfort. There are acres of space in all key areas, allowing second-row travellers to bury themselves deep into those soft, leather seats. The rear seats are heated too, while individual climate controls ensure the ambient temperature can be set to individual tastes.
As for cargo capacity, BMW claims 527L, which sounds like a lot but is actually less than the smaller X6 M, because batteries. Folding the seats away liberates 1820L of cargo capacity.
| 2023 BMW XM | |
| Seats | Five |
| Boot volume | 527L seats up 1820L seats folded |
| Length | 5110mm |
| Width | 2005mm |
| Height | 1755mm |
| Wheelbase | 3105mm |
Does the BMW XM have Apple CarPlay and Android Auto?
A large 14.3-inch touchscreen, gently curved and blended with the almost as wide 12.3-inch digital instrument display, is the centrepiece of the XM’s infotainment set-up.
It impresses at first glance, a sleek, nicely integrated design that doesn’t leap out and scream ‘look at me’ like some high-end systems can do.
BMW’s iDrive 8 operating system underpins the infotainment, which brings satellite navigation and a host of connected services. The system’s primary function can be accessed in myriad ways including via touch on the screen, a rotary dialler nestled in the centre console, buttons on the steering wheel or via a ‘Hey BMW’ voice command.
Inside is an almost bewildering array of features and functions, which our short time behind the wheel didn’t allow for deep exploration. We’ll get to that soon with a full garage review of the XM. What we can say is that no matter the input (except for maybe the sometimes glitchy ‘Hey BMW’), the system proved responsive and effortless.
There’s wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone mirroring, and again the system was quick to pair up the chosen device.
The 12.3-inch configurable driver display presents driving and trip data in a clear fashion, although the system still lags behind some of its rivals in terms of functionality and ease of use.
Is the BMW XM a safe car?
As is so often the case with high-end, luxury cars, the BMW XM remains untested by Australia’s safety body ANCAP. Nor has it been crash-tested by ANCAP’s European counterpart, Euro NCAP.
| 2023 BMW XM | |
| ANCAP rating | Untested |
What safety technology does the BMW XM have?
A full suite of advanced safety systems underpins the XM including autonomous emergency braking, lane-keeping assist and lane-changing assist, adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go function, front and rear cross-traffic alerts, and blind-spot monitoring.
There’s also tyre pressure monitoring, a driver attention alert, and a suite of airbags covering both rows of occupants. The excellent rear-view cameras offer 3D 360-degree views in crisp resolution.
Our short launch drive didn’t show any glaring over-attentiveness in BMW’s suite of safety assists.
How much does the BMW XM cost to maintain?
BMW covers the XM with its standard five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty, which is par for the course in today’s new car landscape.
Service intervals are condition-based, and in good news for those who hand over their $300,000-plus hard-earned, the first five years or 80,000km of scheduled servicing are included in the purchase price.
As for comprehensive insurance, the XM is too new to the market for us to obtain an indicative quote.
| At a glance | 2023 BMW XM |
| Warranty | Five years, unlimited km |
| Service intervals | Conditional |
| Servicing costs | Included in purchase for five years/80,000km |
| Energy cons. (claimed) | N/A |
| Energy cons. (on test) | 7.3kWh/100km |
| Battery size | 27.5kWh |
| Driving range claim (WLTP) | 82–88km |
| Charge time (7.3kW max rate) | 4h 30min |
Is the BMW XM fuel-efficient?
BMW claims the XM will, thanks to its hybrid system, use just 2.7L of premium 98-octane unleaded per 100km. That’s laughably ambitious.
Our time behind the wheel included stints in hybrid mode (where the petrol engine and electric motor worked together), as well as electric-only mode and stretches of letting that monstrous V8 do its thing by itself.
Combining all three, our time behind the wheel at launch returned an indicated 9.9L of 98-octane unleaded per 100km while also using 7.3kWh of electric energy.
BMW claims the 27.5kWh battery array is good for between 82–88km of pure electric driving, and our time at launch didn’t afford us the opportunity to test that claim.
Nor were we able to test recharging times. There is no ability to use rapid DC charging. Instead, BMW says the maximum charge rate the XM can tackle is 7.4kWh. That means it’ll take just over four hours to replenish the battery from 0–100 per cent with a home-installed wallbox. A regular household socket will likely double that time, still good enough for an overnight recharge at home.
Fuel Consumption – brought to you by bp
| Fuel Useage | Fuel Stats |
| Fuel cons. (claimed) | 2.7L/100km |
| Fuel cons. (on test) | 9.9L/100km |
| Fuel type | 98-octane premium unleaded |
| Fuel tank size | 69L |
What is the BMW XM like to drive?
One of the exciting moments in an M car, just about any M car, has been the sound the highly tuned engine makes when turning the key or, in recent years, pressing the ‘Start’ button.
There’s no such joy here, the starter button eliciting merely the slightest hum as the drive systems are activated.
It’s a soulless beginning to what should, usually, be a moment of excitement as the spark of internal combustion fires up cylinders that growl with intent. No such theatrics here. Instead, a low-frequency hum is the only giveaway that something is happening.
That hum remains in place as you move away from standstill under regular throttle application. BMW says the XM can hit speeds of 140km/h on pure electric propulsion, but the reality is the big 4.4-litre V8 rumbles into life much earlier.
Still, around town and at city speeds, there’s little need for the V8 to do anything but wait in readiness for its time to shine. Instead, the Hans Zimmer-composed soundtrack accompanies electric motivation with a whoosh that feels as engineered as it is. It starts to grate after only a short time behind the wheel.
The electric motor alone is good for 145kW and 280Nm, enough to propel the 2710kg XM in an acceptable fashion at suburban speeds. Be warned, though, this is no highway cruiser in pure electric mode. Yes, you can sit at 110km/h on the motorway using nothing but electrons (and we did), but it’s murder on the batteries.
We saw an indicated 33.1kWh per 100km at a constant 110km/h. That’s in keeping with XM’s claimed electric-only range of 88km, but highway touring isn’t the best use of those reserves.
Instead, hybrid mode is your friend here, which not only unleashes the combined system’s full 480kW and 800Nm, but also ensures driving is effortless and relaxed. It’s a grand long-distance tourer, even if Hans Zimmer, even in hybrid mode, continues to impose his synthetic soundtrack into the cabin.
It’s only when eControl is selected that the 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8 is allowed to star in its own right. Here, the electric motor sits idle, allowing the true star of the show to shine. And shine it does. But only to a point.
Yes, it allows for rapid momentum and, yes, you can hear the gods of combustion bursting their song out through the exhaust tips. But it all remains a little muted, little more than background noise rather than the full operatic experience. It’s very un-M-like in this regard.
What’s not un-M-like is the engine’s responsiveness thanks to its standalone (without electric power) outputs of 360kW and 650Nm. That’s more than enough to hurtle the hulking SUV to highway speeds in a flash. And it’s more than enough to keep it at those speeds in an utterly relaxed and unflustered manner.
But, the weight impost of 2710kg of SUV can be felt. The XM makes no apologies for its heavy bluntness, and while there’s more than enough power and torque under your right foot to ensure getting up to speed is effortless, it lacks the excitement, that rush of primeval adrenalin that M cars are known for. It all feels a little too easy.
Things get interesting under wheel. BMW’s M xDrive all-wheel-drive system is constantly varying the amount of torque and power it distributes to each wheel. This makes for a surety of grip that’s hard to believe in an SUV of this size. The default is rear-biased, and the M Sport differential takes it a step further by apportioning power and torque to each of the rear wheels. However, our short drive at launch didn’t allow us to exploit the XM’s true dynamic abilities, although a short stint through some winding sections did highlight the XM’s impressive agility for a vehicle of this size.
The steering feels a touch on the light side, but its razor-sharp precision – aided by four-wheel steering – made light work of even the sharpest of corners.
The bumpy nature of the country roads that formed our launch drive also highlighted the biggest glaring shortcoming of the XM.
A sophisticated electronically controlled variable-damping suspension set-up does its best impression of an M-tuned suspension. While that might work, and work well, in a lighter application, it does the heavy and large XM no favours.
Ride comfort is harsh, with even the merest hint of coarse-chip surfaces telegraphed into the cabin dramatically. BMW has dialled in firmness and sportiness into its suspension tune, which even in its most forgiving Comfort setting is anything but.
Dial it up to Sport and your spine feels like it might shatter at any moment. We understand the need to imbue the XM with a big dose of ‘M’, but we question whether this is the right vehicle for it. Even on the relatively smooth surface of our highway run, the XM’s suspension served a constant reminder of its brittleness.
No doubt, riding on 22-inch alloys didn’t help its cause here, nor the fact that it weighs almost three tonnes. It’s a shame really, the overall driving experience – lusty acceleration, comfortable cruising speeds, and even a degree of surprising agility – marred by a brittle, loud harshness on the road that’s simply too hard to ignore.
| Key details | 2023 BMW XM |
| Engine | 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8 and single electric motor |
| Power | 360kW @ 7200rpm petrol 145kW electric 480kW combined |
| Torque | 800Nm combined |
| Drive type | All-wheel drive |
| Transmission | Eight-speed torque converter automatic |
| Power-to-weight ratio | 177.1kW/t |
| Weight (kerb) | 2710kg |
| Spare tyre type | Tyre repair kit |
| Tow rating | 2700kg braked 750kg unbraked |
| Turning circle | 12.5m |
Should I buy a BMW XM?
The second-ever standalone M car is certainly imbued with the qualities that make the performance sub-brand of BMW so revered today.
But, in this application, a little less ‘M’ would have served much better, we feel. Yes, its hybrid drivetrain is capable of prodigious feats of acceleration. And yes, that lovely V8 under full throttle is music to the ears.
But there’s no disguising the overly compromised ride comfort, a result of the XM trying to be a little too M for its own good. The hunt for that inherent M performance diminishes what would otherwise have been a statement-making, luxurious super SUV.
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