2023年宝马XM

With a $159,000 MSRP, the price of the 2023 BMW XM is more than $10k up on even the most expensive Alpina XB7 and not much shy of the $170k Cayenne Turbo S E-Hybrid. Keep in mind that this price excludes the destination fee, which will add $995 to the cost of the car.

BMW hasn't fitted air suspension to the XM, and we feel a bit cheated at this price. The steel suspension has adaptive dampers, but the ride is always stiff-legged and fidgety. The car's huge mass helps pummel undulations into submission, and it smooths out a little at speed, but it generally feels jittery and overly firm (So much for passengers being cossetted in the spacious second-row "M Lounge"). Active anti-roll bars keep the body upright, and the XM can blast through corners at high speed, exhibiting immense grip and little lean for something so portly. The steering is progressive and accurate, and it tightens up naturally in corners. Unlike some PHEVs with tiny electric motors, the 194-hp unit in the XM has sufficient punch to whisk it away with enough vim not to frustrate, and will get you up to highway speed easily without troubling the gas engine. Call in all the troops, and it really gallops, with the electric motor filling the torque gaps. The far lighter Cayenne Turbo S E-Hybrid is noticeably quicker, though, and more nimble. The regenerative braking is expertly blended in, and the transition to the friction brakes is hardly noticed.

Performance SUVs are, by definition, compromised. If you can get past the challenge its looks pose, you'll find the XM is rapid, spacious, and luxurious and offers a useful 31-mile all-electric range. But it's not a convincing M car, because it's too big and heavy for one, and it's not that fast, compared to the formidable performance machinery in this class, including the quicker Cayenne Turbo S E-Hybrid. Using it as a spacious two-row luxury SUV for rapid chauffeur duty is not on the cards either, as the jittery ride conspires again such luxury aspirations. The Cayenne's air suspension does a far better job of cossetting its passengers while still exhibiting Porsche-like handling. And the interior leans towards feeling a little gaudy, in our opinion, although not in all configurations. We don't really know where the XM fits in or what it's for, but it's sure to draw stares, even if these are not always stares of admiration.

There is only one trim and very few ways to customize it. You could add the $3,400 20-speaker Bowers & Wilkins audio system, but the standard 16-speaker Harman Kardon setup is adequate in the quiet confines of an EV interior. We would opt for one of the slightly smaller 22-inch wheel sizes to improve the ride quality a little. Other than that, it's pretty much a matter of what you see is what you get.