[Hutchinson04]

M Town came to my local dealership yesterday. I secured 4-5 as my time to drive the cars. My only interest was to view the XM and drive it. Here are my impressions:

*Not an attractive, sporty or elegant exterior at any angle.
*The interior is typical BMW; intuitive, functional and nicely appointed.
*BMW has some work to do on the transmission. During aggressive driving the car isn’t sure what gear it should be in. Compare that to my M4 comp which I find the transmission shift points to be spot on.
*The engine sounds awesome but is too much at times. You hear too much speaker augmentation in my opinion.

I walked away thinking that this car is not going to attract new customers to BMW but it will satisfy the BMW faithful that are interested in the ultimate M SUV.

[beamlord]

I agree with all your conclusions, spent an hour with the car and didn't get a feeling I want it. Before that, I drove the x7 m60 and somehow tried to compare.
For all it's "gadgety" ambitions it's not even really all that, the interior is unimpressive and feels cheaper compared to X7, the exterior is "special" but doesn't really blow you away, and the engine feels like it needs a different mapping (maybe it's the gearbox as you mentioned).
Steering also felt less direct than x7, and that is really strange considering this is supposed to be a true M SUV.

If I have to name one really positive feature, it was the head/leg space in the rear. It's massive and overall spacious.

[Hutchinson04]

I forgot about the rear legroom. The angle of the seat does give an impression of more room in the rear seat area.

[chicagofan00]

I’m doing our local event on Friday afternoon. My only real interest is to see the XM as well.

Although the i4 M50 should be a fun little test drive too.

[Hutchinson04]

I got in the I4 but wasn’t interested in driving it. It will be interesting to read your review after you get a chance to drive it.

[Forzanerazzurri]

That thing is a hideous tasteless boat (like the X6), which is exactly why most BMW SUV buyers are going to love it.

[harperium]

Just like the iX, the XM is just ... not pretty.

For contrast, look at the new AMG C63S. It's a beautiful car - esp. the grill/face. (Say what you will about the 4-pot PHEV part of it). At first sight, the C63 is very attractive. The G87 / G80 / G82 / iX / XM are not like that. I'm not happy about the design direction BMW is taking.

[Alpine300zhp]

Originally Posted by Hutchinson04

M Town came to my local dealership yesterday. I secured 4-5 as my time to drive the cars. My only interest was to view the XM and drive it. Here are my impressions:

*Not an attractive, sporty or elegant exterior at any angle.
*The interior is typical BMW; intuitive, functional and nicely appointed.
*BMW has some work to do on the transmission. During aggressive driving the car isn’t sure what gear it should be in. Compare that to my M4 comp which I find the transmission shift points to be spot on.
*The engine sounds awesome but is too much at times. You hear too much speaker augmentation in my opinion.

I walked away thinking that this car is not going to attract new customers to BMW but it will satisfy the BMW faithful that are interested in the ultimate M SUV.

Completely agree. I went to demo idrive 8 more than anything and walked away not a fan, but I can tolerate it now that the CarPlay bug is fixed. The nice blonde lady (I forget her name) told me she has been driving the XM consistently using CarPlay and Waze with no issues and invited me to try it. During the short drive down Midway to 25th to Edwards and back it worked as it should. I’m debating another X6M now that I got to see the LCI Brooklyn Gray one they have (like the pre-LCI better).

[somer]

whats the spec of the G80 they have at the m-town event?

[Alpine300zhp]

Originally Posted by somer

whats the spec of the G80 they have at the m-town event?

The one at our event (me and Hutch go to the same dealer) was a SPY G80 comp with the all black wheels.

[Greer]

Hearing about the transmission does not make me feel good about the next generation M5 that will have the same one.

[chicagofan00]

Just got done with a quick drive of the XM. Exterior wise, I liked the looks of it better in person than I did in photos. Has a pretty decent presence to it but not overly crazy.

Interior was nice but I didn’t find it to be overly impressive like the new 7 series is, especially for the price tag. iDrive 8 is fine and the screen is at least a little better integrated into the dash than some of the other BMWs.

Exhaust note was decent for a stock setup but not what I’d call impressive for a V8. I personally felt like my M3 with the Remus sounds better…but could just be some bias there.

The route they put us on was very short but did get a few chances to push it. I put all settings into Sport/Sport+. Acceleration was decent given the size but wasn’t anything crazy. 1-2 shifts weren’t jarring but weren’t the smoothest either. Overall, it’s still a big SUV and even with this HP I didn’t find it impressive. Here is to hoping that this power train performs better on the upcoming M5. I assume it will given the M5 won’t be as heavy.

Last item of note, I thought the rearward visibility was not that good and given the size I would hope for better.

Was initially interested in trying the i4 as well but don’t think I will after all. Not wanting to wait for it but it does seem to be a popular pick here.

[Hutchinson04]

Good review. I like how some on this thread after seeing the XM aren’t impressed and others are. That’s why BMW builds so many different styles.

[chicagofan00]

Originally Posted by Hutchinson04

Good review. I like how some on this thread after seeing the XM aren’t impressed and others are. That’s why BMW builds so many different styles.

I think for me it just didn’t live up to the hype of being the marquee most powerful M ever, especially given the price tag. If it were closing in pricing to an X5 M then I could maybe get behind that feeling a bit more.

[Tyga11]

Nice review chicagofan00

Is it me or does the XM badge in the back look crooked or something? Maybe it's just in an awkward place on the car?

[chicagofan00]

Originally Posted by Tyga11

Nice review chicagofan00

Is it me or does the XM badge in the back look crooked or something? Maybe it's just in an awkward place on the car?

It’s in a very awkward place.

[Tyga11]

Originally Posted by chicagofan00

It’s in a very awkward place.

That's what I thought...

I'd rather have an X5M Competition and save 40 grand personally...

[chicagofan00]

Originally Posted by Tyga11

That's what I thought...

I'd rather have an X5M Competition and save 40 grand personally...

Same. I’d take the X5MC over the XM any day of the week.

[BryanCO]

Saw an XM at my local dealer. It certainly has presence. I do like that BMW keeps trying different things and takes risk.

[LuckyBrand]

Saw an XM in the flesh today drive by me. I was like that was an XM! What is that doing here in my neck of the woods?

I didn't like it at all. It was black and just didn't like the design. Sometimes things look better in person but this was a hard pass for me especially for the cost. Much better options for my money.

[jmjohnson731]

Agree that the XM was pretty underwhelming. I went to the M event to drive the M3 and then took out the XM immediately after. I suppose I was spoiled on the G80, but the XM didn’t feel like anything all that special. The shift into second gear was notable for sure, but it obviously didn’t feel anywhere near as spry or nimble getting out of the M3. The sound system was really bad too.

I expected something very notable for a flagship like this (like maybe approaching a toned down Urus or the like). But I left the event perfectly content with my Jeep Grand Cherokee.

[Tyga11]

Seems like they can't give these away. I was at my dealer getting service today and they had a few (3) in stock. They were asking over MSRP and now they are under.