2023 BMW XM: What We Know So Far
The first hybrid developed by BMW’s M Division boasts big power, style, and pricing.
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The cream of the BMW M Division crop is now a brutally styled SUV with an available 735-hp hybrid powertrain.
The new 2023 BMW XM—no relation to the satellite radio firm—is the automaker’s motorsports division’s first in-house SUV and its version of a 50th birthday cake. Let’s find out what makes the M Division’s first SUV so unique.
BMW
Performance
The XM uses a big, competition-developed, twin-turbocharged V8 paired with an electric motor integrated into its automatic transmission. Combined, the two produce a total system output of 644 hp and 590 lb.-ft. of torque, shuffled to all four wheels via an all-wheel drive system.
While 644 hp doesn’t exactly convey eco-friendliness, the XM is a plug-in hybrid capable of offering a BMW-estimated 30 miles of emissions-free, all-electric driving on a full charge. BMW says that the 25.7-kilowatt-hour battery pack can be charged from depleted to full in a little under three and a half hours.
BMW says a higher-output version called Label Red will be offered for a limited period. Its 735 hp and 735 lb.-ft. represent a hefty increase over the base XM.
It may wear an SUV body and weigh over 6,000 lbs, but BMW is touting the XM’s handling. All that heft is split roughly 50/50 between the front and rear axles, which should help. Additionally, BMW fits adaptive dampers that can stiffen or soften at the tap of a drive mode button, and an electromechanical roll-bar system that essentially pushes down on the suspension as needed to keep body lean in check.
Standard rear-wheel steering is designed to make the SUV more nimble in town and more stable at speed, too. Oh, and those wheels: they measure a massive 23 inches in diameter.
BMW
Technology
Larger than the mid-size BMW X5 but smaller than the full-size X7, the two-row, five-passenger XM doesn’t break as much styling ground for BMW inside as it does outside, though there’s plenty of tech. A pair of gently curved screens sit in front of the driver, with the left one serving as an instrument cluster and the right operating as a touchscreen for the infotainment system.
In contrast with all that tech, BMW will offer a leather trim package that features Nappa leather hides that have been deliberately aged for a vintage appearance. BMW says the coffee-hue leather is designed to look worn and creased from the get-go.
BMW
Pricing and availability
BMW says that the South Carolina-built XM will arrive sometime in the first quarter of 2023, followed by the limited-run XM Label Red later in the calendar year. Other XM Label versions are slated for the future, though BMW has released no details on these models.
Pre-orders have already started, and they require a $5,000 refundable deposit.
The standard XM will cost around $160,000 to start, while the Label Red will run over $180,000. The BMW M hybrid SUV’s base price is well above the $144,500 that Tesla currently asks for its Model X Plaid, though under the $172,500 or so Porsche wants for its Cayenne Turbo S E-Hybrid.
