REVIEW | Why the BMW XM is controversial for the wrong reasons

When the BMW Group's Rosslyn plant began operations in 1973, it was the first facility outside Germany to produce BMW models. So began a unique relationship with the South African market.

Aside from local production, most enthusiasts will recount a number of specially developed models exclusive to Mzansi. First to mind, naturally, are the 333i and 325iS variants of the E30.

There was also the E23 745i, under whose hood throbbed the M88 power source, closely related to that of the 1978 M1, the first official standalone product from the Motorsport division.

Also indigenous to our market was the E12 530 Motorsport Limited Edition (MLE), which preceded the M1 by two years. It was built for racing homologation in the Modified Production Series. Many accord credit to the 530 MLE as the de facto original BMW M-car.

Still, at the end of it all, the MLE was a stripped-out, front-engined executive car with aftermarket Mahle wheels.

The wedge-shaped M1 was conceived from the ground up as a pedigreed supercar, primarily built to compete with German nemesis Porsche on the European Group-5 circuits. And perhaps you already knew that the project started as a partnership between Lamborghini and BMW. Penned by Giorgetto Giugiaro, those lines exude the charisma typical of Mediterranean exotics from the era. But the Bavarian carmaker ended up going it alone when the Italian firm fell into a precarious financial position.

You could say the M1 was a successful effort. Aside from being competitive in 24 Hours of Le Mans battle, a one-make Procar BMW M1 Championship was created. It also went rallying for a season in the European Group B formula.

It was a major occasion when, in 2016, BMW South Africa granted motoring journalists seat time in a restored specimen of the M1. The experience was exhilarating, after warming up to the left-hand drive and awkward placement of pedals.

The muscular bellow and vibration of that 3,453cc six-cylinder behind the cabin left neck hairs erect and goosebumps on the skin. On the freeway, its pop-up headlamps were useful at shooing stubborn Golf GTI drivers out of the right lane.

Last year BMW revealed its first standalone M-car since 1978. The template was not a sleek, squat, middle-engined two-door, as previewed by the tantalising M1 Homage concept of 2008. The latest standalone product from the Motorsport division is a sport-utility vehicle, the XM, launched to great controversy.

In 2023 the prospect of a high-performance, super-SUV offering is hardly foreign. Almost every manufacturer in the top echelons has a trick to show in this regard, including Ferrari and Lamborghini.

BMW has been at the genre for a while now, since the first generation X5 4.8is over two decades ago. But perhaps not since the E65 7-Series has the carmaker released a vehicle so ungainly. Well, to be fair, there have been various screamers from BMW in the past two years. The contemporary design language of the firm is very much underscored by ugliness.

Ironically, the E65 became regarded as a design pioneer, with its flame-surfacing approach that became ubiquitous. So perhaps the XM, a monstrosity by some accounts, is ahead of its time in terms of being appreciated visually.

With its gaping, squared-off nostrils, blocky proportions and cartoonish wheels, the XM does not go unnoticed. The presence of two BMW roundel emblems at the rear is about the only stylistic link to be found between it and the M1.

With red upholstery, purple ambient lighting and a sculptural ceiling replete with prismatic tessellations, the cabin of the XM goes for cheesy nightclub flash. Shunning the classic, driver-centric flavour of a traditional M-car, the XM is more about lounging than attacking corners. Our tester even packed a pair of complimentary pillows for the rear occupants. Whereas the 7-Series is sophisticated and elegant and the iX is minimalistic and tasteful, some may find the XM to be over-the-top, gauche.

The latest BMW M2 has grown in girth, length and weight, but fans will agree it remains closest to the traditional ideals of an M-car. Obviously, you would need to alter your expectations of the XM against that.

It is the first plug-in hybrid electric (PHEV) BMW to wear the Motorsport moniker. Consider this a foretaste of what is to come.

On the electric front, the XM packs a 29.5kWh lithium-ion battery, powering a single, synchronous electric motor that's good for 145kW and 280Nm. Under the hood, the internal combustion aspect of the BMW relies on the familiar S68 engine: a twin-turbocharged V8 displacing 4,395cc. It delivers 360kW and 650Nm. With engine and electric motor in tandem, the combined output is 480kW and 800Nm.

You would be correct to assume that this translates into respectable pace. How does a claimed 0-100km/h of sprint time of 4.3 seconds sound? Impressive, no doubt. The sensation of a 2,785kg projectile launching off the mark towards triple digits is unique.

The optimised eight-speed automatic operated slickly for the most part, though there seemed to be a lingering interval between the first-second shift on hard acceleration from take-off. The xDrive four-wheel drive system keeps things tidy, but in the heat of hard driving, occasional squirming from the rear reminds the driver that there is a lot going on behind the scenes.

Interesting to note that the flagship, standalone M-car is not the quickest M-car. Consider that the closely related X6 M Competition, which uses the same V8 engine sans electric assistance, can hustle to 100km/h from rest in 3.8 seconds.

You can drive the XM solely on battery power, with an electric range of up to 88km and a 140km/h top speed. My initial two days with the vehicle were spent in silent, full-electric mode. So accustomed were my ears to the silence, that the engine breathing into life for the first time took me by surprise. Its gruffness had me thinking a generator was fired up in our office basement.

With the windows up, on the move, the excellent insulation of the cabin, coupled with the intermittent hybrid assistance, means the V8 acoustics are mostly muted. Dial everything into Sport Plus, crack the windows a smidgen and the rumble is there, punctuated by subtle chortles on downshift. Synthetic “boost” sounds nod to the electric system at play.

Frustratingly, the XM does not support a DC Type 2 connector, which means slower, AC charging is the only option. Best fuel consumption was 9.5l/100km; worst was 14.9l/100km.

It is a hefty vehicle with a considerable footprint, but the XM conducts itself with a fair level of decorum. Adaptive dampers are aided by a roll-stabilisation system employing 48-volt motors. The electric power-steering system, with its artificial weighting dependant on driving mode, proved responsive, with directional changes as sharp as can be expected for a vehicle weighing nearly three tonnes.

All the while, I could not help but ponder that aside from the presence of electric assistance, the XM offers a driving experience similar to the X5 M and X6 M models. Would it have been better received had it been billed as an X8 M?

The XM works as a high-performance SUV, with its flamboyant cabin, strong hybrid powertrain and conversation-sparking aesthetics. But it does not feel special enough to warrant standalone M-car status.

For the R3,400,000 basic asking price, you could have an M2 and change for electric thrills from an iX. Just a thought.