You might have thought the most potent street-legal BMW M vehicle was some sexy, two-seat mid-engine supercar or track-ready, lightweight sports coupe, but guess again. Making a whopping 738 horsepower, the new 2024 BMW XM Label Red gas-electric plug-in hybrid (PHEV) takes that crown. It then belies its mid-size luxury SUV form with an estimated 3.8-second zero-to-100-km/h time and electronically limited 282 km/h top speed.
Supercar Power in a Luxury Plug-in SUV
BMW says the new XM Label Red blends the “virtues of electrification with the traditional qualities of a high-revving eight-cylinder combustion engine with M TwinPower Turbo technology.” The recipe starts with a twin-turbocharged 4.4-litre V8 gas engine that produces 577 hp (a 94-hp bump over the base 2023 BMW XM) and 553 pound-feet (a 74 lb-ft increase). Then, an electric motor wedged between the engine and the eight-speed automatic transmission joins the power party to produce a total system output of 738 hp and 738 lb-ft.
To harness all of that excess energy, the Label Red XM comes standard with a rear-biased all-wheel drive system. An adaptive M suspension (with electronically controlled dampers and active roll stabilization) and four-wheel steering are standard on the Label Red. An electronically controlled differential lock in the rear axle delivers an on-demand, fully variable torque distribution between the left and right rear wheels to aid traction further.
More Label Red M goodies include a braking system comprised of six-piston, fixed-calliper brakes at the front and single-piston, floating-calliper units at the rear. Large, 23-inch light-alloy wheels are standard, with 22-inch rims a no-cost option.
Up to 50 KM of Electric Diving Range
When you’re not ripping sub-four-second zero-to-100-km/h runs, the XM Label Red can be driven as a pure electric vehicle. BMW says the driving range will be about 50 kilometres, with a 140 km/h top speed in electric mode.
When the battery is depleted, the system allows AC charging up to 7.4 kilowatts. This means the high-voltage battery can be topped-up from zero to 100 per cent in 3.25 hours.
Electrifying Red Styling, Inside and Out
It’s not like BMW’s XM needed any visual accents to get noticed. Its unique exterior styling draws attention like few new vehicles can. But the Label Red is distinguished by an available red accent band instead of the standard black badges and wheel inserts. A black and red motif can also be found in the big BMW SUV’s five-passenger interior via a distinct three-dimensional roof liner, with red trim highlights throughout the cabin.
Additional M interior bits include multifunction seats, knee pads, M-specific content on the BMW curved display and the head-up display, an M gear lever, and an M-specific control panel on the centre console.
2024 BMW XM Label Red Canadian Availability
The 2024 BMW XM Label Red will debut at the Auto Shanghai international motor show this month. Production will begin in August 2023 at BMW’s U.S. plant.
The Canadian MSRP of the limited-run BMW XM Label Red First Edition (only 500 examples of which will be released worldwide) starts at $259,000. If that catches your breath, that’s “only” a $39,000 premium over the $220,000 base XM.
