What’s it like to drive the party bus?
I found out, sort of, after BMW supplied me with its top-end plug-in hybrid SUV, the XM Label for a week’s fun and guest riders’ amusement.
Why’s that? Easy, the XM is way more expensive than, well, anything I’ve ever tested, and it’s packed with doodads galore. Those frivolities get a lot of attention, but the price tag garnered the most once disclosed.
Total here, $191,895, so at least $200k once you slap on taxes. That puts the lengthy two-row XM in competition with the likes of the Lamborghini Urus (when do I get to test that?) and Porsche’s high-end Cayenne Turbo S E-Hybrid (also wouldn’t mind a week in that).
Everything about the XM is lavish, extreme, and over-the-top. But while the exterior was sleek and well finished in Ruby Black Metallic (a metallic black with a gorgeous red undertone), it’s the interior that stirred friends and neighbors.
Start with the roof. Really? Yes, it looks like a panoramic sunroof with a recessed roof panel and all, but no, it does NOT open. Instead, there are accent lights all around its diamond-patterned surface. They glow purple in Road mode and red in Sport. Party time!
But as cool as that was, there’s also accent lighting on the rear doors that glows similarly, as do the fancy metal-plated speaker and subwoofer covers for the impressive Bowers & Wilkins sound system (just $3,400 extra).
Need more? Of course, you do. You need super contoured black Merino leather seats with red leather for the top third of the seat backs, plus red seat stitching that also graces the dash and door panels. More bling? There’s the usual sporty M trim’s red and blue stitching on the steering wheel and leather shifter knob.
Also, M-inspired is the red and blue patterned carbon fiber-look trim on the dash and console. Other trim, such as door panels, door releases, and air vents are clad in brushed metal to give this a Rolex-like high-end feel.
Naturally the interior is conspicuously quiet and the well-contoured front seats are heated, cooled and offer a massage function. Rear seats also are heated as is the steering wheel. That’s standard luxury trim stuff, though.
Not always standard are heated and cooled cup holders, but the XM has them.
BMW wisely uses its now standard dual widescreen digital instrument panel and info screen. That’s a touchscreen so easy to see and use, although there’s still a redundant large knob on the console for scrolling through multiple screens. But the home screen pops up with digital adjustments for steering, braking, chassis suspension, energy drive modes, and such. Comfort is the default. More on that in a sec.
There’s also the M Mode button on the console to allow a driver to choose Road or Sport, the latter of which boosts the power considerably and enhances the engine’s exhaust tone too, although there’s a console button to help with that too.
XM’s steering wheel is a powered tilt/telescope number and there’s a HUD here too.
In the rear seat, you’ll also find a couple XM embroidered pillows for back seat comfort, although most of my riders tossed them on the floor saying they weren’t really needed. Still, there are pillows.
Behind the row two seats one can find a fine leather and cloth satchel that is tethered so as not to be removed. This bag will likely embarrass your own luggage unless it carries a designer label. Yet this bag is designed to carry the heavy-duty cable and adaptors that you’ll need to charge the plug-in hybrid (PHEV) if you want to boost your gas mileage from a paltry 12 mpg city and 17 highway to something more civilized. Oh, and pumping in those electrons also boosts power.
I probably should mention performance, finally.
The XM drives like an incredibly large beast of an SUV, weighing nearly 6,100 pounds. That’s not to say it’s slow. Car & Driver says it’ll do 0 to 60 mph in about 3.5 seconds, as the power here is incredible.
With the electric motor working alongside BMW’s stout 4.4-liter twin-turbo V8 (same as in the 3-row X7), the XM will deliver 738 horsepower and identical torque. Wow! Dial up the Sport drive mode and hold on, plus it sounds great. However, at lower speeds and in Road mode the V8 seems to over-rev at times and groan like a four-banger that’s working too hard.
Yet, it’s smooth in accelerating at higher speeds (155 mph is tops, BMW reports) and the 8-speed automatic puts the power to all four wheels with alacrity.
Handling is heavy as is the steering feel, but the XM turns into corners like a sports sedan, as one would expect from a BMW. Not much body lean so turn-ins feel crisp.
However, the ride is harsh, no other way to put it.
Everyone who rode in the SUV was shocked at how stiff the ride felt considering the price, and remember this was all in Comfort mode. Luxury was expected, but a sporty butt-thumping was delivered. Some have argued that BMW’s coil spring suspension should be swapped out for an air suspension as most luxury sedans and SUVs now use. I’m no engineer, but when a luxury vehicle is in Comfort mode, one expects a Comfort ride and air shocks may help. Also opting for non low-profile Yokohama 22-inch tires could help tame the ride.
Obviously switching up the suspension, steering, braking and such to Sport only tightens suspension and steering. Great if one is planning to race a $200 grand SUV. Seems unlikely.
As for the PHEV or hybrid system. It works fine and will generate a 31-mile charge in 7 hours on a 240-volt charger. I got about 15-20 miles of charge on a 110-line overnight from 8 to 12 hours of charging. That allowed me to drive on electric power more than half of the time, netting 46.1 mpg with the mix. Premium fuel is highly recommended.
Note that AWD is standard on XM, so traction will be fine in sloppy weather.
That said, the handling on dry, but deteriorating Midwest roads, could seem twitchy at times. Nothing alarming, but one could feel the steering wheel move a bit as the steering is so precise that creases in the pavement could redirect the XM a bit.
Outside this aristocratic battle tank looks smooth, if a truck can be called smooth, with panel lines as tight as Tupperware, and a menacingly large twin kidney grille, that oh, by the way, is lighted. Imagine that closing in on you as you glance in your rearview mirror.
Still, there are a few niggling points to consider, starting with the XM’s sloping and thick A-pillars. Those combined with the large outside mirrors destroy side sightlines. Additionally for shorter drivers whose seats are positioned far forward the roof’s angle makes for awkward entry and exit. Drivers need to remember to tilt their head back and to the right as they board or exit.
Climate controls are embedded in the large touchscreen and that can be less than convenient for adjusting heated and cooled seats and such. Plus the annoying self-tightening seatbelts that BMW favors are simply unneeded. Women hate these by the way.
I also noted a rattle in the passenger’s side rear and the shifter is a bit awkward too. Push it forward for Reverse then back and over to the right for Drive, but sometimes it went into manual mode so I’d find the XM stuck in first gear until I moved it back to Neutral and then over again into Drive.
Naturally this Label model is the king of the mountain, so lists at $185,995 and hit $191,995 with options. But luxury bargain hunters could opt for the base (oh really?) version that runs $159,995. That’s still gaboons of bucks to most of us.
Remember this is a 2-row PHEV SUV with oodles of cargo space, but if you need three rows, or simply prefer a gas-only version and better ride the wonderful BMW X7 I tested last summer, is nearly identical in size but starts at “only” $105,000. Even though I believe PHEVs are the way to go currently, the X7 would be my choice until XM’s ride can be improved.
FAST STATS: 2024 BMW XM Label
Hits: Smooth looks and impressive power, plus AWD. Quiet luxury interior w/supportive heated/cooled front and heated rear seats, heated steering wheel, giant mood-lit roof/door panels. Big curved screens, HUD, adjustable drive modes for various components, power tilt/telescope steering wheel, super sound system, and wireless charger.
Misses: Cost, sometimes twitchy handling, awkward entry for short drivers, large A-pillar/side mirror obstructs view, annoying self-tightening seatbelts, climate controls embedded in info screen, prefers premium fuel.
Made in: Spartanburg, S.C.
Engine: 4.4-liter twin turbo V8 w/PHEV, 738 hp/738 torque
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Weight: 6,091 lbs.
Wheelbase: 122.5 in.
Length: 201.2 in.
Cargo: 18.6 - 64.3 cu.ft.
MPG: 12/17
MPGe: 46.0
MPG: 46.1 (tested)
Base Price: $185,995 (includes delivery)
Invoice: $173,545
Options:
Bowers & Wilkins premium sound system, $3,400
M Driver’s pkg., $2,500
Turbo Cord Charger, $250
NEMA adaptor credit, -$250
Test vehicle: $191,895
Sources: BMW, www.kbb.com
