You’re either going to think that the new BMW XM is the greatest idea since Betty White sliced bread, or you’re going to think it’s the most terrible 1%-er mobile ever devised. There is no middle ground.

Answering this question will be completely up to the reader. Some will immediately hate the XM as a symbol of all that’s wrong with the world. Others will love it as a symbol of all that’s great about the world. The BMW XM is an ostentatious display of, “We did this because we can.”

The XM combines a twin-turbocharged V8 engine with an electric motor and a huge battery. These plus the large size of the SUV total out to about three tons of vehicle. It's an SUV that can accelerate to 60 mph in about four seconds. And that gets less than 20 mpg on the highway despite its plug-in hybrid design. It combines the powerful thrust of an electric motor with the visceral growl of a powerful eight-cylinder combustion engine.

In a way, whatever you think of the BMW XM, it’s a masterpiece of engineering. BMW built a machine that is everything to everyone–whether it’s everything to love or everything to hate. It’s possibly the most excitingly polarizing luxury vehicle to come to market in years.

The Q8 e-tron is both cheaper and smaller than the BMW XM, but offers a lot of power and gusto for the price. Comparatively, the XM is much bigger, bolder, and more ostentatious about itself.

Slightly smaller than the XM, the Sport PHEV is the most powerful variant of the Range Rover and the most road-worthy. Though it’s less focused on off-road, the Range Rover Sport is still more off-pavement capable than the BMW XM. But the XM is much more over-the-top in luxury and power output.

Fully electric, the Rivian R1S has a similar price tag to the BMW XM. It’s unique in design and capability as well. Like the XM, the R1S is a standout for its style and appeal. The XM, however, does have a much longer range thanks to its gasoline engine.

The base price for the 2023 XM is $160,000. That’s without adding any options. An XM model with all options is roughly $180,000, depending on a few factors.

The table below shows the most common trim levels and how much they will run you.

The 2023 BMW XM is a completely new model. It’s a mixture of a high-performance V8 engine and a plug-in hybrid powertrain in a large sport utility design. It’s also full of the latest technology BMW has to offer and the highest luxury items the company can produce.

The BMW XM comes standard with 23-inch wheels, diamond-quilted leather trim on seating and door panels and a carbon-fiber trim interior. The headliner is synthetic suede, it has four-zone climate control, rain-sensing wipers, and heated rear seating. Front seats are heated, ventilated, and offer a massage setting. Cupholders are heated and cooled.

The large infotainment screen includes a 16-speaker Harman Kardon audio system, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, navigation, satellite radio, and gesture control. The curved display also houses a fully configurable and digital instrument cluster, a color head-up display on the windscreen, and a WiFi hotspot. A very long list of safety and convenience technologies are also part of the BMW XM’s standard set of features.

The XM has an eight-cylinder, turbocharged engine, a fast-charging plug-in hybrid system, adjustable suspension dampers, four-wheel steering, and all-wheel drive.

Unlike most plug-in hybrid models, the PHEV setup for the BMW XM is not about efficiency. Even with all of that electrification, the XM achieves less than 20 mpg on the highway. No, the PHEV system is more about power output.

The drivetrain is a 4.4-liter twin-turbocharged V8 coupled with an electric motor on an eight-speed automatic transmission. Its large battery can propel the XM for up to 30 miles in electric-only driving and the combined output of the whole system is a mind-boggling 644 horsepower. That power is delivered almost immediately, thanks to the electric propulsion, and the growl of the V8 is nothing like we’ve ever heard from a German vehicle not designed specifically for the race track.

The 2023 BMW XM accelerates to 60 miles per hour in about four seconds. It’s a 6,000 pound SUV and yet it sprints faster than most sports cars. It stops faster than might be expected as well, though not as quickly as most of its competitors will.

The XM is a massive, powerful showcase of what money can buy. And it’s amazingly American in that.

Luxury vehicles like this rarely get crash tested by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) or the Insurance Institute for HIghway Safety. These vehicles don’t appear in numbers high enough to justify that. So safety information comes mainly from the manufacturer and some European testing.

By those accounts, the BMW XM is a safe vehicle. It’s large size and heavy weight mean it’s far more dangerous to what it’s hitting than to those inside it.

There are almost no reliability metrics to use when discussing the BMW XM. Only a handful are on the road and the metrics just aren’t there to make a guess. There haven’t been any recalls or serious incidents to draw from either. The XM is too new and too unique.

The most compelling option for the XM is the M Driver’s package, which increases the SUV’s top speed to 168 (from 155) mph. There are only a handful of options, most of which are for aesthetics.

Buyers will definitely want to shop through the 22- and 23-inch wheel options for the XM.

The warranty coverages on the BMW XM are about average for the segment.

• Basic: 4 years / 50k miles
• PowerTrain: 4 years / 50k miles
• Rust / Perforation: 12 years
• Battery: 8 years
• If buying used look at our best extended warranties

The BMW XM is all-new as a first generation of the model. There are no used models available.

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