The million-dollar BMW XM arrives in Singapore

ONE°15 Marina, Singapore - We’re intimately familiar with the good work that the meisters from BMW M (the brilliant people responsible for the M3, M4 and M5 amongst other brilliant machines) can produce.

So when BMW says that their motorsports division has put together a new SUV, you’d listen with open ears and an open mind. After all, it’s not often that we’d find a standalone model that deviates from any known model range.

This is the BMW XM, and it’s the second fully-fledged M model from BMW M, preceded only by the mid-engined M1 in the late seventies. We’ve already driven it in Arizona, so you can click these bold words to check out our first-drive review.

It’s the most powerful production BMW vehicle to date. It’s also the most expensive one in Singapore, priced at an eye watering S$1,003,888 with COE. And at over 2.7 tons, it’s the heaviest vehicle in the whole Bimmer range, excluding BMW’s armoured protection vehicles. But the XM is more than just the sum of its large size, big power and shocking price tag (much of the latter is due to the recent ARF increases).

At its core, it’s a high-performance vehicle with a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) powertrain that just so happens to don the body shell of an SAV (Sports Activity Vehicle, BMW speak for SUV). One that caters to the sort of buyer who appreciates the high-lux, high-performance uber SUV niche - alongside the Purosangue, Urus or Cayenne Turbo GT.

Within the fraternity of M vehicles, the XM is the only one that features a PHEV powertrain. BMW M themselves aren’t strangers to electrified propulsion, having launched the i4 M50 (which incidentally was the best-selling M model in 2022) back in 2022. Likewise, the XM’s M HYBRID drive system reaps the benefits of BMW’s 5th gen e-drive technology to attain staggering levels of power.

How much power? A grand total of 653 horsepower and 800Nm of torque. The XM’s 4.4-litre V8 produces up to 489hp/650Nm on its own, but the electric motor can churn out 197hp/280Nm on its own. On electric power alone, the XM has a quoted range of up to 88km and can achieve a top speed of 140km/h.

When the ICE engine comes into play, the XM can hit 0-100km/h in 4.3 seconds and get up to 250km/h. 270km/h, if your million-dollar XM is specified with the optional M Driver’s package.

Of course, the BMW XM isn’t shy of its own luxurious fittings and accoutrements. Aggro bodykit and massive 23-inch rims notwithstanding, the cabin of the XM is luxuriously appointed with an abundance of quilted leather, Alcantara, a Bowers & Wilkins Diamond sound system and a sculpted headliner accented by ambient lighting.

All BMW XMs bound for Singapore are equipped with BMW’s Live Cockpit Pro Professional, with the all too familiar BMW curved display (a 14.9-inch infotainment panel and 12.3-inch gauge cluster) with the requisite M-specific toggles on the steering wheel and drive select functions.

Exorbitant price tag aside, you are getting a lot of car for the money. But if the XM doesn’t satiate your need for big speed and big power, good news: there will be a more extreme variant of the XM headed for Singapore towards the end of the year.

It’ll be called the BMW XM Label Red. And it will have a combined output of 748 horsepower and 1000Nm of torque. How fast will it be? Round about 3.9 seconds from 0-100km/h. Is that quick enough for you?

PHOTOS Clifford Chow and Jay Tee