2023 BMW XM Review
2023 BMW XM
Price as tested: $168,395
Engine: 4.4 Liter Twin Turbo V8 w/19.2 kWh AC Motor
Combined Power: 644 HP / 590 TQ
0-60: 3.4 Seconds
MPG as observed: 15.6 as observed
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Guy who did stuff : Yousef Alvi
Remember so-called Hybrid revolution? The very late 2000s and most of the 2010s automaker’s lineups and all the headlines dominated with Hybrid vehicles. From the Prius to the Porsche 918. Everything had a hybrid drivetrain and it showed the world the flexibility the ICE can deliver.
BUT, there was an achillies heal to all of that flexibility. Manufacturing costs. Let’s be honest, adding two different drivetrains to a vehicle isn’t the easiest thing in the world to design, engineer and finally build. Add that to the increased gas mileage and emissions regulations, the path of least resistance (cheaper) is apparent. Just slap a full electric drivetrain in a vehicle and call it day. Now around the sametime, the world’s governments finally released that climate change is real and started passing stringent regulations on emissions and fuel economy. Add those two cross polinating ideas, it was a perfect storm for hybrid drivetrain obsolescence and the subsequent ICE demise nearly a foregone conclusion.
BUT (redux), let’s fast forward today. EV’s are dominating the headlines and consumers are approaching them with excitement rather than apprehension. The issue lays in the infastructure around it. It just plain sucks. Sure they are charging stations a plenty but finding one that works and has fast charging capabilities is like finding a ruby in your corn flakes.
I can hear you screaming: ‘‘BUT you idiot, you leave your house on a full charge, so your argument is null in void’’
True and if you happen just to cruise around suburbia or the city…yes you would be fine. BUT (triplicate) take that EV on the highway and set your speed to 80 mph and watch your lovely range fall down a cliff. Then the so-called range anxiety starts to creep up the back of your neck.
So what is the solution? Let us take another look at the hybrid drivetrain. Let us see what is possible with today’s technology and the perfect example of that is this 2023 BMW XM.
This new XM gives us hope. This XM shows the world what is possible when automakers stop cheaping out on engineering and give the consumer the best of BOTH worlds. This XM also shows the world’s enthusiasts what is physically capable when one of the world’s premier automakers throws their engineering might behind an idea.
This XM reignites the Hybrid revolution and sets on fire on any preconceived notion of what a ‘crossover’ can and should do!
Let’s start off with the powertrain. The ICE component is BMW’s 4.4 liter twin turbo V8, that is coupled to a mild hybrid system. Combined power is a 644 HP and a fantastic 590 TQ! Putting that power down is BMW’s Xdrive AWD system and M Active errr everything. From the rollbars, suspension, brakes and down to the rear differential, the XM has the entire kitchen sink thrown at it! How does all of that work on the road?
99.99% astonishing! The XM can hurl itself into the next county with a mere squeeze of the throttle OR it can soothe you into that next county with barely audible whisper! Same goes with the transmission, with three different settings, you can select number 3 for racecar like engagement or 1 for buttery smooth engagement. So you can have a ‘cruise setting’ ‘fun setting’ ‘let’s annihilate the road setting’. Of course, being a BMW M car, you save those configurations and takes a single click of the M1, M2 or the M-Mode button to pull up the perfect setup for your conditions.
Now for you M purists out there that are clawing at your skin at the fact this this is a crossover…I feel you. I felt the same. Initially it felt absolutely ginormous behind the wheel. That didn’t stop for the 50 or so miles either, because your brain sees all the M badging and you think everything around you should be smaller in scale and not airy and cushy like the XM.
The next day though, I got up early I drove up to the mountains, selected M-Mode and the second the road got twisty. EVERYTHING CHANGED.
The XM morphed from a gargantuan feeling machine to a lithe, nimble and precision engineered beauty of a thing. The XM tackled those tight turns with a tenacious and inspiring feel that it left me screaming ‘OMG’ at the exit of every turn! When you get to the entrance of another turn, the braking threshold the XM can achieve feels like a supercar! Seriously, it’s perfectly progressive with a beautiful feel to the pedal with no fade whatsoever. The balance, the poise from the chassis, the confidence inspiring feel of the steering…dear God it’s the personification of the entire M division distilled into one machine. Everything from the 23 inch wheels, to the seats, to the styling…made sense!
The next day I piled the family into the XM for a quick day trip. The XM size is spot on for a family of four. SPOT ON. The XM swallows child seats in a cinch without the need of altering either the driver or passenger seat. The airy cabin feel cavernous and unclaustrophobic with oodles of space for 4 people and cargo. The XM glides down the road like a true luxury car, it feels almost GT like with the inherent sportiness that lies behind every control.
Is the XM perfect? Well no car is perfect but damnit to hell this is very close to perfection. There is only one thing that stands out to me:
Starting off in EV mode, throttle tip in immediate and neck snapping. It will take a few times to learn to breathe on the gas pedal without slining your passenger’s head back.
That’s it.
So how do I sum up the 2023 BMW XM?
“The XM, it feels right. It feels good. It feels great. IT FEELS LIKE A TRUE M CAR!”
Yousef Alvi
