1. Introduction / Styling & Appearance
2. Driving Experience
3. Interior and Features / Space and Practicality
4. Competition and Conclusion

Competition and Conclusion

The super-lux/high-performance SUV segment has boomed, and this is M’s loud, proud attempt at clawing away some of that profitable pie – and we think it might take a big bite simply because there’s nothing quite like it yet.

The XM is a ‘super-large’ SUV, a class above the likes of the BMW X5/ Audi Q7/Porsche Cayenne, and a PHEV, so it has no direct competition, for now. In other words, we can say that no other car does what the XM does, at this size, or this price, or with this level of electrification.

A similar stablemate is obviously the X7 M50i, which we tested and enjoyed very much for its V8 heart, but it doesn’t handle as well, and foregoes the electrification. The only roughly comparable PHEV is the Porsche Cayenne Turbo S E-Hybrid Coupe, which is smaller in size, and slightly less expensive.

There are more sort-of, fully ICE competitors : Aston Martin’s DBX707 has plenty of power but is not particularly impressive in any other area, while Porsche’s Cayenne GT should be comparable but again, it’s a less expensive car. If you want opulence with less sportiness, Bentley’s Bentayga EWB exists, and costs more. There’s also the Lamborghini Urus, which again isn’t as large, and is more expensive, but is quicker in acceleration though it loses its horsepower war (650hp) to the XM. 

The XM is the largest, heaviest, most powerful full-production car BMW M has made, its first PHEV. The fly in the giant, electric SUV pudding is that it does have clear dynamic limitations compared to the M cars that have gone before it. It pushes the boundaries of what an M car is.

And BMW M’s not even done yet – internationally, it will later debut a range-topping XM Label Red, whose engine will crank out 585hp, for a vaguely insane 748hp of total system power. Its Singapore debut is TBC, but it could be a big thing if bragging rights mean something to you – and given the XM’s demographics it just might. 

But here’s the thing. The XM doesn’t need to be the best driving car BMW M has ever made, and to expect it to be that is misguided anyway. It just needs to be better than most of its competition, and given what we just outlined in this segment, you can begin to see the XM’s appeal.

At the very least we can say it brings something to the market that nothing else does yet. This is BMW M taking things to another level – literally, and figuratively.

2023 BMW XM 

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