Well, that was fast. BMW Malaysia has already pretty much confirmed the local arrival of the new ‘flagship’ M car: the XM. That said, we don’t know when this might be happening, but you’re probably very welcome to put your name down if you’re interested.
For a little more context, this all-new model was unveiled just last week in its full finished form after making its pre-production debut as the Concept XM. Like many cars coming out of the Munich firm, its looks were judged as divisive to say the least.
BMW M’s latest flagship model
Pegged as the new flagship of the BMW M range while being a heavy high-riding SUV also raised a few eyebrows as previous M cars were known for their agility, relatively stout power-to-weight ratio, and typically tail-happy corner exits.
We think of cars like the E30 M3 Evolution and E46 M3 CSL as being prime examples of this continued lineage while outliers like the M760i with its bi-turbo V12 and the M140i with its big-engine/small-car RWD mega hatch package. Of course, M’s current-era magnum opus might just be the F90 M5 CS.
4.4-litre twin-turbo V8 with 490PS & 650Nm
The XM is all about excess, weighing 2.7 tonnes and powered by a 4.4-litre V8 that’s twin-turbocharged (490PS and 650Nm) and aided by a plug-in hybrid system for a total output of 653PS and 800Nm, which is certainly strong numbers, but remember it has to continually deal with lugging around so much mass.
The electric motor itself, producing 197PS and 280Nm in typical fashion for the brand, is housed within the transmission enclosure, that being an 8-speed automatic from ZF, and powered by a beefy 25.7kWh.
Naturally, BMW has also given it its clever M xDrive system to distribute power and endow it with temporary RWD dynamics by decoupling drive to the front wheels. In addition to enabling a 0-100km/h sprint in 4.3 seconds, a fully charged battery can yield a zero-emissions range of up to 88km.
Unfortunately, AC charging is capped at a slower rate of 7.4kWh instead of the more common 11kWh standard. Faster DC charging is unfortunately not supported despite the outsized lithium-ion battery.
It’s unclear when BMW Malaysia are intending to begin deliveries of the XM but we’re sure the news will be forthcoming as soon as some allocations can be set aside for Malaysia. Also up in the air is the subsequent Malaysian introduction of the hotter Label Red variant with a powertrain beefed up to 750PS and 1,000Nm.
Guess they’ll already have their hands full with the i7 alongside the other EVs in their line-up such as the i40, iX3, and iX, but at least the XM will be a little more stimulating with that V8 rumble.