2023 BMW XM

The electric motor draws juice from a 27.5-kWh battery pack and should be capable of providing the XM with 30 miles of fully-electric range and a three-hour charge time, BMW says. But how the electric motors help light up the V8’s fire is more important to M fans. This 6,000-pound hot rod will do zero to 60 mph in well under 4 seconds.

There are also active rear steering, electronic torque vectoring and active roll-stabilization systems to help it put that power to good use on twisty roads.

Of course, while M builds versions of the X3, X4, X5 and X6 SUVs, this is a stand-alone model with no regular BMW equivalent, which might seem surprising. It shouldn’t.

The BMW XM is a halo car, pure and simple, but it’s expected to carry its own (substantial) weight and more. In the long history of BMW’s M division, it has only built one other stand-alone product, the mid-engined 1978 to 1981 M1 supercar. 

While M boss Frank van Meel would have preferred to build another vehicle like that, that’s not where big-money market has moved. That’s now in SUVs, so indisputably that with even Bentley is refusing to build a direct replacement for the Mulsanne limousine. That, and for all the cool glories of the M1, which enjoyed both competition success and customization by none other than Andy Warhol, it was a sales failure. Only 453 were made.

“It is logical to do an SUV,” van Meel told Forbes Wheels earlier this year. “The performance SUV segment is now the biggest globally, and it has lots of potential for further growth. The people who will buy this will not need it as a daily driver. They will have many other cars. This is the car they will drive to feel special.”

That’s why the XM, though built on a platform related to the big X7, will never feel the traditional BMW inline six inside its engine bay. It will remain a V8 and, if anything, it will only get more power over time. 

“It has to remain a halo. People in this segment, they don’t like the idea that it could get a ‘normal’ BMW engine or that someone could drive their car with a smaller, cheaper engine in it,” van Meel explained. Sure enough, BMW recently announced the XM Label Red due in the fall of 2023, which will have up to 735 horsepower and red accents to telegraph its extra thrust.

Of course, it’s easy to take visual notice of the XM without the red details. Even after the 4 Series and iX, which both set internet fan forums on fire, the XM could best be described as “controversially styled.” Its muscular haunches and oversize details, including a grille the size of the cowcatcher on a Union Pacific Big Boy locomotive, are unmistakably in-your-face. The standard wheels are 23 inchers, specially made for this vehicle and shod in high-performance tires, though 22-inch units are optional.

Inside, it’s much more subdued and follows cues from the iX, with a deceptively simple aesthetic rendered in absolutely stunning materials. Supportive, comfortable front seats are matched by the “M Lounge” sofa-style seating in the rear, and three-dimensional prism detailing. The cabin swathed in Alcantara and Merino leather is optional. There are also beautiful ambient lighting effects produced by hundreds of LEDs. It feels expensive and exclusive, much like a Bentayga or a Urus.

Although they didn’t have to, BMW also includes its IconicSounds Electric system, which pipes in electric sound effects as in the iX and i7 but is re-tuned just for the XM’s sportier mission. Like those full EVs, it will use the company’s latest iDrive 8 operating system, which will no doubt be kept fresh over time by over-the-air updates.  

The XM is sure to be rare and exclusive and a vehicle that splits opinions, but that’s probably how BMW would prefer it. In 1979, the year Andy Warhol painted the M1, critics dismissed his then-new works as crass and superficial, but nobody ignored them. Every piece he made sold, and usually for big bucks.

When Will the 2023 XM be Available? 

XM production began at BMW’s sprawling factory in Spartanburg, South Carolina in November of 2022. The vehicles won’t reach dealerships, however, until the spring of 2023, with the first arrivals in late March or early April. Until then, it’s still in the pre-order phase.

How Much Will the 2023 BMW XM Cost?

It won’t come cheap. The base model XM starts at $159,995 (including a $995 destination charge). That’s for the regular model that will arrive this spring. In the fall of 2023, those who aren’t satisfied with the regular version’s speed can opt for the XM Label Red, which comes with more power and red accents inside and out. Of course, the extra bling and speed will cost you an extra $26,000 or so, with the Label Red expected to retail for $185,995.