The new BMW XM is close to its world premiere. The unprecedented SUV developed by the sports brand from Munich has already been advanced prior to its debut and, of course, without giving up the camouflage in the least. A true beast that will put the Cayenne, Urus and the most select company on the ropes from the end of the year.
Known as BMW X8, the German brand has taken an important step forward by confirming the commercial name of the new, and true flagship of the product range, previously anticipated by a concept with a more futuristic design that revealed the main lines of a powerful sports SUV. A superb development that will rub shoulders with the most select high-performance models on the market.
BMW has presented a further advance of the new XM, the SUV with the highest performance that will be unveiled in just a few weeks, and that will put the icing on the offer. A development that has been developed entirely in the workshops of the Garching firm, which has shown a production prototype completely covered in camouflage, as we have seen in the spy photos and without removing a single sheet of vinyl, barely showing timidly the thin strip of light from the split headlamps, a design of the split headlamps which will be identical to the one already presented in the X7, Series 7 and i7.
The BMW XM debuts the first plug-in hybrid system of the M models
It is the new philosophy for luxury models, distinctive from the rest of the models on offer, with large proportions –exceeds five meters long– and betting on a lateral design that has practically nothing to do with the characteristic silhouette of the brand’s SUV coupé. Except for the X2 with which it shares traits, with a lower roof panel at the rear, as we have been informing you in successive advances. In addition, it fits alloy wheels from 21 to 23 inches in diameter.
Those of BMW M, who have been in charge of materializing this most special order, have also confirmed some of the technical characteristics. Especially, from plug-in hybrid drivetrain combining the powerful 4.4-litre twin-turbocharged V8 engine from the M models with an electric motor – 197 hp between the thermal block and the 8-speed sports automatic transmission– yielding a maximum power of 650 hp and 800 Nm. A figure lower than that announced by the XM concept, whose specifications amounted to 750 hp and 1,000 Nm, and which will materialize in a top-of-the-range version. The firm is silent on the capacity of the housed battery, although we know that It will be enough to offer a maximum autonomy of 80 kilometersa component won’t sacrifice the typical weight distribution of the 50:50 brand.
Among other details, a body balancing system has been confirmed, with bars active stabilizers equipped with 48 Volt electric motors that will avoid the inclinations of the body and compensating the loads of the more than 2.7 tons, plus an active rear steering with a maximum wheel rotation of 2.5º. Perfect complements for the “M xDrive” all-wheel drive system that will be fitted as standard in all versions and with different operating modes. The new XM will go into production in Decemberat the North American factory in Spartanburg, with deliveries from mid-spring 2023.