2023 BMW XM | First Drive

For the latest BMW XM pricing and information:
www.kbb.com/bmw/xm/

The XM from BMW is a watershed moment in performance for the company. Why? Well this is the 50th year of the M performance division and the XM is the first hybrid M vehicle. I’m going to throw a whole bunch more numbers at you now.

The all-new plug-in M Hybrid system pushes out a massive 653 horsepower (4.4L V8 = 489hp/electric motor w/25.7 kWh battery = 197 hp). Combined it makes 590 lb-ft torque.

It will go from 0-60 in less than 4.3 seconds. If you move up to the XM Red Label, which BMW are saying it their most powerful road vehicle in their history that’s going to gets 748 hp and and 737 lb-ft of torque. Those are insane numbers.

But let’s talk about what the XM is for a second. A two-row SUV with a 122-inch wheelbase. It’s the size of the BMW X7. It doesn’t look dissimilar either, but we’re not here to jimmy-jack around with how it looks. I’ve only got a couple of hours with the XM, so I’m just going to share with you what it’s like from the driver’s seat.

Out of the gate, my first impression is “COMFORT”. It’s super luxurious with heated everything and a real cockpit vibe in here that’s clearly driver focused.

There’s a 12.3-inch touchscreen that’s equipped with BMW’s OS 8 that isn’t yet my favorite operating system. It’s not super intuitive, especially the nav, I got lost a couple times. But I’d like to spend more time with this newbie before passing judgement. You also get a 14.9-inch driver information screen. I love how both of these screens integrate into the dash. And you get some buttons for key functions but it doesn’t overwhelm. Excellent.

If you’re lucky enough to sit in the second row you’ve got a ton of space and a real loungy feeling including cushions that can allow you to sit in the corner and face the person next to you. And of course, you get your own AC zone back here. The prism headliner – when I first saw it I wasn’t sure how I felt, but I LOVE it. It’s different and there’s a great ambient light show when you fire up the car.

Off the line throttle pedal feels too eager and skittish at the expense of smooth. But this thing for its size is very quick. Both in a line and around and coming out of turns.

Moving all that power around is a chassis that’s super rigid and sporty. Even in Comfort mode. Maybe it was the road and the 22-inch wheel and tire package, but I never quite got a full on luxury feel. But the M line isn’t necessarily just about lux, it’s about performance. So buyer you should level set here.

When it comes to turning and handling, you can call it exceptional. The XM has an active anti roll system that’s tuned perfectly. The transitions around turns are smooth and there’s so little roll on something this big that could feel too heavy really easily. Then you add in that ridiculous power and good night. This thing handles better than I’d have ever expected.

While you can adjust the regenerative braking there is nothing close to one pedal driving. Which frankly I’d expect from an M car. There is nothing sedate about it. The brake pedal feels solid, I like its engagement point.

BMW uses integrated dynamics management tech to network all of those drive systems, the suspension, brakes, steering, as well as a limited slip differential. Those are all communicating with each other and working in concert to deliver the best possible scenario when it comes to your driving experience.

You can drive in pure EV mode which allows you a top speed of 87 mph and gets you between 50-55 miles of range depending on how and where you drive.

There are Road and Sport modes. Those will adjust driver assistance settings, but when it comes to how you want the XM to feel those systems like braking, chassis and steering you set yourself. The M1 and M2 buttons are great shortcuts for set ups you use a lot.

Visibility in the XM is surprisingly good. And you do get BMW’s suite of safety features to augment any blind spots you might encounter. You can even get an optional steering and lane control assist and an active cruise control.

If your current car isn’t sufficiently lounge or rocket-ship like and you want to upgrade, click here to see what it’s worth and sell it!

Word to the wise, though, you might need to sell a lot of cars because the XM has a starting price of $159,000.

It’s a lot to take in in just a couple of hours, but something tells me were going to be seeing this hybrid technology find its way across the entire M lineup before too long. I can’t wait to see it in sedan form and can only imagine what kind of power numbers that Competition is going to pump out. Subscribe to the KBB YouTube channel and stay tuned.
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00:00 2023 BMW XM
0:25 Power Output
1:16 Interior
2:30 Driving Impressions
5:07 Range
6:46 Pricing