2024 BMW XM Label Red Edition review

Well, black and red. Here’s a full-size M style SUV from BMW to take on the DBX707, G 63, RS Q8, and Cayenne Turbo E-Hybrid.

Everything is relative. When picking up the BMW XM Label Red Edition, the person handing me the key said it’s upstairs in the garage. She added “you’re unlikely to miss it.”

And we didn’t. So yes, it is big… by BMW standards. But we’d just exited the Silverado 2500 HD, so this was a mere pup. It’s ‘only’ 5.11m and just a hair over 2m in width.

However, it’s a snarling pup. I wasn’t quite up to speed on what the XM Label Red was exactly. With iX looks I figured it was electric. Er, not exactly.

Turns out it is a plug-in hybrid performance SUV with a red-blooded biturbo V8 nestled behind those flaming nostrils.

The 4.4L twin turbo kicks out a solid 430kW on its own but it gets another kick from a 145kW electric motor that can generate 280Nm or 450Nm via torque amplification (boost mode).

In total the output is a humongous 550kW and 1000Nm of torque. That’s 70kW more than the standard XM.

And that would make it the brand’s most powerful model it has ever made! Not that it is anything like its quickest because this titan of the road weighs in at almost 2800kg.

However, in its highest performance mode and the transmission shifting at blur speed, BMW reckons this can squirt to the highway limit (the old one) in just 3.8sec. That’s pretty quick for something this big.

Some background then

The hybrid SUV is evidently the first standalone M model since the M1 was launched in 1978. Who knew? Naturally, this isn’t a mid-engined supercar, more’s the pity.

But then most mid-engined supercars cannot transport up to 1820L of luggage out the back, let alone 527L with all pews in use. And mid-engined supercars sure don’t have seating for five.

Heading out of the BMW facility on the North Shore, there’s no snarling of any sort, just the effortless sounds of electric silence (up to 140km/h).

Looking down at the dash and I notice there are 90km of range left in the battery – turns out it is a 25.7kWh example – and 500-odd of ICE range. Recharge frequently (only four hours on a home wall charger) and you can expect mean fuel use of 1.7L/100km.

Forget to recharge and you can bank on average fuel consumption of around 11L/100km, which is still not bad given the size of the vehicle.

Because of its range potential we headed off down south on SH1, easily enough keeping the beast within my own lane and trying not to be distracted by all the buttons.

Or all the red highlights inside (seats, air vents etc). Look up (not for long mind) and there’s this amazing 3D headlining.

Buttons on the door seem like controls for seat heater or ventilation but it turns out these are to turn on the massage system. You can choose total body, back or shoulders.

There’s seat and wheel heating too, easily achieved without needing to delve into multiple submenus. Rear seat passengers get warming seats as well.

It may seem complex but operating the vehicle is quite sensible; buttons bring up the appropriate screen so it can be quickly and easily manipulated.

There’s also an i-Drive twirler down to the left but resorting to that is seldom necessary.

And it is much the same story with modes, of which there are many being an M car. There are two dedicated red buttons on the wheel labelled M1 and M2 – reminding stupidly of Bananas in Pyjamas – and these you preset for certain situations.

Like you might be at the track and want an explosive start. Or you might be at the start of some col and want everything preset for max cornering action.

Frozen Carbon

But most of the time the base Comfort setting is just fine. This being a sporty vehicle, there’s M suspension so even the standard set-up is pretty nifty for most roads of real interest.

We kept switching between Sport and Normal during the cornering shots and found that we could scoot through almost as quickly in the latter, without quite the body control perhaps but there wasn’t much in it.

That’s because this has all-wheel steering, all-wheel drive and rear torque vectoring to help massage all those kaygees through the twisties. It does this in a way that is roughly akin to how out there this looks.

You’d not perhaps opt for this vehicle if you were the type that hangs out in the kitchen at parties. Particularly not this ‘Edition’ version which features Frozen Carbon Black Metallic (matte) body paint and Toronto Red gloss metallic highlights in the kidney grilles, and diffuser.

The wheels and the Hofmeister kinks also have red highlights. Inside, there’s a 1 in 500 plaque – that’s how many they’re making globally with five earmarked for New Zealand. There’s an ask of $339,900.

The regular Label Red version is only a jot more affordable at $334,200. Both are M sporty with the big upright face and an enlarged double kidney grille (here illuminated) while at the rear are twin stacked tailpipes and a wild XM badge.

It all seems bizarre on first acquaintance but it kind of grows on you. The general public doesn’t quite know what to make of it either.

Crikey, it’s a runner

How’s it sound and go then? In the Normal mode it is quite the sleeper. Even giving it the beans the 4.4L biturbo V8 sounds restrained, though it seems to spin so effortlessly.

Hit the Sport mode or punch the exhaust button and there’s rather more noise, but even then it isn’t OTT, without the pops and burbles of some of BMW’s sportscar offerings.

Still, it can hike and using the boost paddle it met its 3.8sec claim straight off the bat (3.77sec). But that’s as good as it got. We reckon the 2.15sec overtaking time is more impressive, done in third gear alone.

That’s hiking for anything but for a vehicle weighing this much, kudos indeed. And for those go-slow Kiwis who simply refuse to pull over, be sure to punch the exhaust button and give them an earful as you shoot past.

On the retardation front, there’s no tricking physics, despite monster upgraded brakes. They offer the kind of feel at the pedal that you might hope for in any sports machine.

Moveover, it’s variable with normal and sport brake settings. The latter is probably best reserved for the track.

As it is, we achieved a best 100-0 figure of 35.74m. Most BMW sportscars manage in the 32m range, but then most such machines weigh less than two tonnes.

Can this corner?

How this corners as well as it does is thanks to modern tech. It has adaptive damping, AWD and AWS systems. And that’s enough to make it better than about 95 per cent of anything else out there that rides high.

Assisting is an able serving of Yokohama’s Advan rubber, 275/35 up front and 315/35 on the rear, with shiny black and red 22-inch rims. Adaptive damping keeps this on an even keel through the curves which is in part why it can maintain such improbable corner speeds.

AWS is the other factor. On one of our reference corners, one you can see through, this managed to hold much the same speed as some exotic sports cars, though it was edging toward the centreline, the tyres pleading for mercy.

This carves winding coast type roads with an amazing sense of ease, all things considered.

Those out the back fare well too. There’s an almost selfish amount of stretch space, perhaps deserving of their pampered stature in life. It’s also nice enough in the luggage bay for your canine companion, the carpet thick.

In the extras list there’s probably a pew for a pooch. You want for little in this, including on the safety front.

So there you have it; a whopper in both price and size, but ultralux and with the potential for low running costs if you recharge religiously.

Just wish this powertrain was in something lighter and lower flying like an M2. Now that would be something.

This story first appeared in the July 2024 issue of NZ Autocar magazine.