Maximum banging for ‘minimal’ money
The BMW XM is, according to the manufacturer, the ultimate M-BMW, but in our opinion it is mainly a car that seems to be intended in everything to be as imposing and aggressive as possible. Whether that will succeed if not a penny is spent on options remains to be seen today.
BMW XM – €175,211
Don’t get us wrong: whoever buys a BMW XM, we certainly don’t automatically dismiss as a showpiece. After all, tastes differ, but there are still very few cars that so shamelessly push aside all tendencies towards modesty. That is also a form of honesty, shall we say.
The option list underlines this image. While it is still quite feasible to create a somewhat stylish, subdued Cayenne or Urus by checking (or leaving out) certain options, this is hardly possible with the XM. Four jet-black exhaust tailpipes, a gigantic and illuminated grille, M exterior mirrors with two ‘legs’ and gold-coloured (!) accents are all standard. Furthermore, the rear side windows and rear window of every XM are so black that BMW even boasts in the press release that only 5 percent of the daylight penetrates the interior in the back. The XM rolls standard on 21-inch alloy. That seems like a lot, but is almost too small for this model. 22 or even 23-inch is available, at extra cost of course.
Pearl garbage bag gray
If you don’t like the gold, you can extend the standard ‘shadow line’. For only €320 euros, the strips on the sides and the grille frame are also made in black. Prediction: The vast majority of XMs appear on the road in that form. BMW offers seven colors for the rest of the body, of which the six colors shown in the photo gallery are available at no extra cost. Dark blue, black, white, the lighter ‘Marina Bay’ blue, Toronto Red and ‘Cape York Grün’ are freely selectable. BMW classifies the color ‘Dravitgrau’ among the Individual options and charges €1,400 for it. Another prediction: that’s not going to stop a significant portion of XM buyers from ordering the car in this ‘mother of pearl garbage bag grey’. There are even more color options for the brake calipers, which can be supplied in red or blue in addition to the standard black at no extra cost.
Aygo
For the time being, all XMs will appear with a 653 hp plug-in hybrid powertrain, because that is the only option until the arrival of the even more expensive Label Red. Motor-wise, the XM is excellently endowed and in other areas it certainly does not have to be ashamed. The option list is un-German short, the list of standard equipment remarkably long. If you check everything, you will not get further than about 20 grand in options. That seems like a lot, but in this segment it is ‘peanuts’. Four-zone climate control, a Harman Kardon audio system, a giant ‘curved display’ on the dashboard, multifunctional M sports seats, heated seats all around, an adaptive M suspension and even ‘soft close’ closing aid for the doors are all standard. All the more remarkable that adaptive cruise control, which is standard on a Toyota Aygo today, is missing. It comes in a package of over €2,800, which immediately contains a whole range of driving aids.
For the interior, there are considerably fewer color options for the XM buyer without an option budget than for the exterior. Only full black is ‘free’ here, although it must be said that the entire interior is dipped in leather and Alcantara as standard. The latter stuff is, among other things, on the ceiling, which has a huge load of mood lighting as standard. A panoramic roof is not missing and is also not available on the XM. Oh well, that would bring in extra daylight again…
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– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl