For the first time in more than four decades, the BMW M series is getting its first new model in the form of the 2023 BMW XM which is set to arrive in Australia in the next month or so. With bold and aggressive SUV styling, an interior that has had no detail overlooked and a blisteringly powerful engine, there’s little wonder it’s one of the most hotly anticipated vehicles to roll out of the German factory in years.
At launch in Australia, the 2023 BMW XM will only be available with a twin-turbocharged 4.4-litre V8 petrol engine. However, the next models to arrive down under will be coupled with an additional 145kW/280Nm electric motor and 25.7kWh battery pack, boosting performance from 360kW and 650Nm to 480kW and 800Nm.
That’s only just shy of the 490kW and 850Nm Lamborghini Urus (which costs over $160,000 more than the XM), which makes the XM seriously compelling especially when you consider its engine is coupled with an eight-speed automatic transmission that translates to a 4.3 second sprint time. If all that power still isn’t enough, BMW has promised the Label Red variant, which will be delivered before the end of the year and is capable of a truly hair-raising 550kW and 1000Nm.
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Arriving with your choice of 22-inch or 23-inch alloy wheels, it also comes complete with adaptive suspension, an M Sport electronic limited-slip rear differential, and M Sport brakes, with half a dozen different metallic paint options to pick from. Inside, almost every upholstered surface you might come into contact with is heated, while the single-pannel integrated 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster and 14.9-inch infotainment touchscreen looks to be a joy to use and offers all the connectivity you’d expect including Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
While it doesn’t come cheap, the $297,900 price tag before on-road costs offers solid value when compared to the competition for the 2023 BMW XM, which will be the fourth most expensive car in the BMW Australia line-up.
