BMW XM: Plug-In Hybrid SUV With Extreme Performance

The BMW XM 2023 is a powerful 644-HP plug-in hybrid SUV. It’s BMW’s new flagship model which is a high-performance luxury SUV with unique styling. Let’s check out the design, features, engine, performance, and pricing.

BMW XM Design:

BMW XM has a bold design and unique styling. There are two big kidney grills on the front end with illuminated outlines. It is combined with the hood bulges, golden trim, super slim LED running lights, and the dark-tinted headlights “hidden” in the bumper below.

On the back, there are thin taillights wrapped around the rear fenders and hexagonal exhaust tips on the rear bumper. Exhausts are vertical, sculpted, angular, and aggressive. Windows look beautiful as there’s a trim around them that is available in gloss black or NightGold colors. There are BMW logos engraved into each upper corner of the rear window.

BMW XM has standard 23-inch wheels with summer performance. You can choose 22s with aerodynamic inserts, a dual-color 23-inch wheel design that has a 3D BMW script at the center cap.

BMW XM Interiors:

The BMW XM interiors are beautiful. The SUV has a unique dashboard design and some fascinating details. There’s a matte carbon-fiber panel with a curved 12.3-inch iDrive screen set in it. It features an intuitive design, BMW’s latest driving technology, the BMW iDrive 8 Operating System, cloud-based navigation, and an Intelligent Personal Assistant. There is a pearl-effect chrome trim around this panel.

BMW remarks the rear passenger compartment is an “exclusive M Lounge.” There’s a plentiful amount of head and legroom. Rear passengers have climate controls, ambient lighting, and an optional heating system available.

The back seats have luxuriously soft pillow cushions, integrated headrests, and quilted leather panels. The XM is also available with Vintage Coffee Merino leather on the dashboard and door panels as a combination with the Silverstone or Deep Lagoon main colors. The headliner has a 3D sculpture effect to its Alcantara surface that is augmented by fiber-optic cables featuring 100 LEDs in the border around the roof panel.

In the headliner, The LED lighting elements pulse when you receive a phone call or try to open the door when an object is sensed outside.

BMW XM Engine, Dynamics, Power:

The BMW XM is the most powerful SUV ever produced by BMW M. It comes with a 483 horsepower twin-turbo 4.4-liter v8 engine. Just like other plug-in hybrids, there’s a 29.5-kilowatt-hour battery pack (of which 25.7 kWh is usable) in this hybrid SUV. It has a 194-hp electric motor integrated into the 8-speed M Steptronic transmission. The total output of this electric engine is 644 hp and 590 lb-feet of torque.

Now everyone agrees that the acceleration in most electric vehicles is really impressive. BMW XM can reach zero to 61 mph (0-96 km/h) in 4.2 seconds and can reach a top speed of up to 168 mph (270 km/h).

There are 3 modes BMW XM drivers can choose by pressing a button: Hybrid, Electric, and eControl. Hybrid is the default mode. Hybrid Mode in BMW XM combines gas and electric power through an intelligently managed interplay between engine and motor.

In pure electric mode, the BMW XM SUV becomes a fully emissions-free state and can go around 30 miles (48 km) on a single charge and run at up to 87 mph (140 km/h). There’s an M Hybrid charging up to 7.4-kW AC that can charge the battery from 0 to 100% in under 3.29 hours.

In eControl mode, the system locks the charge in its current state to conserve battery and uses gas power.

BMW XM’s rear-biased xDrive all-wheel-drive system provides fully variable torque distribution from both the engine and electric motor to all four wheels. An electronically controlled rear differential ensures maximum power delivery with minimal understeer and loss of grip.

There’s a 4WD Sport mode that sends even more power to the rear wheels for “M-typical” handling, and a 4WD Sand mode can be activated for low-traction surfaces. The BMW XM also comes standard with a 48-volt active anti-roll bar setup, rear-wheel steering, and adaptive suspension.

BMW XM Engine Sound:

BMW partnered with film composer Hans Zimmer to create engine-like sounds that flow through the surround sound system when accelerating in electric or hybrid mode.

“The M-specific electric drive sound provides authentic feedback to every movement of the accelerator pedal,” BMW says. If the Sport or Sport Plus setting is selected while the drive system is operating in hybrid mode, a boost sound will underline the electrical assistance being provided to the combustion engine.

Other car companies are also using sound to recreate the traditional muscle car vibe. For example, the “Fratzonic Chambered Exhaust” on the Dodge Charger Daytona SRT concept EV makes the vehicle not typically loud for an electric car.

BMW XM Hybrid SUV Price:

The BMW XM’s production started at the end of December 2022 in the Spartanburg, South Carolina plant. BMW XM’s price is around $160,000. The pricing includes a $995 destination charge. With this price, BMW XM became one of the most expensive BMW cars. It will be available in the US, Europe, and Asia in April 2023.

Arriving in fall 2023, there will be the limited-edition BMW XM Label Red, which boosts power to 748 hp and 735 lb-ft (995 Nm) of torque. It will come with unique paint, wheels, trim, and interior upholstery. The price of this limited-edition XM Label Red model is around $185,000.