The BMW XM has just been revealed – and regardless of how you feel about it, it’s nearly guaranteed to be a commercial success for BMW. The highlight is that the twin-turbocharged V8, paired with electric motors, offers up a hearty 644 horsepower and 590 pound-feet of torque. That makes it the most powerful roadgoing BMW – and a it’s got the price tag to match. A base MSRP of around $160,000 also makes it one of the most expensive roadgoing BMWs to date. And that’s before you get to the hyper exclusive and oddly branded “Label Red”. It’s an objective step up – offering more horsepower and a higher base price.
But forget about all that Label Red nonsense, because today, we can build our own XM! BMW UK’s site already has a configurator live, and I wasted no time hopping into it and seeing all of the interesting options I could add. So let’s not waste any time.
BMW does a good job of representing old school and new school with the XM color options. Which is good – as its supposed to be a bit of a mashup of both. Carbon Black, Black Sapphire Metallic, and Mineral White look classically good and are very “safe” options. Marina Bay Blue, Toronto Red, and Dravit Grey represent the new school. And for the true new kids on the block, Cape York Green Metallic shows up, too.
Personally, I believe the darker colors – any of the blacks, and Dravit Grey – do a better job of making the XM look good. The contrasting gold trim makes it look stylish and purposeful, and the proportions of the XM appear much more favorable in a darker color. You literally couldn’t pay me to take an XM in Toronto Red, as it clashes severely with the gold trim. But maybe it looks better in person. It’s Carbon Black for me.
There are options for 21-inch, 22-inch, and 23-inch wheels, and all of them look pretty good. I wouldn’t spring for the Night-Gold accent Style 923s that have been touted in most of the press photos. That said: the standard 21-inchers are just a bit too small. The 22-inch Style 922 wheels look the best. They’re reminiscent of the iX’s wheels, but…
