Reasonable basis?
BMW XM 50e: Asphalt monster with a good core
To describe the BMW XM as sensible is relatively absurd per se. Okay, plug-in hybrid, but V8 and all that. With the entry-level XM 50e xDrive model that has now been added, it still isn't, but at least it's less absurd. However, it retains its in-your-face appearance.
To be more precise, you can still customize it as you wish. Dark blue with gold effects? Or - like the test car - squeaky yellow with black? Or something completely different. The glued-on plastic strip that runs under the window line cannot be configured away. Well, yes.
From the mighty, vertical nose to the end behind the iPhone-like rear window with the laser-engraved BMW symbols is 5.11 meters, with a body width of 2.01 meters, the XM is the widest of all BMWs, measuring 2.24 meters across the exterior mirrors. Welcome to the right-hand lane on construction sites.
The left-hand lane is actually the XM 50e's métier, even if its electrically assisted in-line six-cylinder engine "only" produces 476 hp and only 313 hp remain when the battery is empty. In this case, a top speed of 250 km/h (which cannot be extended with an M Driver's Package) remains wishful thinking. Thank you, aerodynamic drag.
Once the battery is full, the XM 50e sprints to 100 km/h in 5.1 seconds, so there's no lack of power unless you've just switched from one of its V8 brothers (with 653 or 748 hp).
If you want to have full power all the time, you have to set the driving mode to eControl so that the battery is charged by the combustion engine the whole time. It stores a net 25.7 kilowatt hours and is located in the underbody, where it takes up space from the 69-liter tank. It has therefore been moved behind the rear seats and thus under the trunk floor, where the technology for the standard 48-volt roll stabilization is also located. The charging cable is stowed in a sports bag in the 527-liter trunk.
In purely electric terms, it can realistically cover around 50 kilometers if you don't let yourself be tempted to enjoy the 140 km/h top speed. Charging takes place with a maximum of 7.4 kW.
Sound symphony only all the way or not at all
Engine sound coming out of the loudspeakers is no longer a rarity - and not just at BMW . And with electric drive in particular, they like to add a bit of spacy sound. What is unusual, however, is that the electric sound cannot be switched off independently of the "engine sound". If you press the exhaust button, not only is the flap exhaust switched over, but the symphony of loudspeaker driving noise is also switched on. With its mixture of spherical and pseudo-exhaust sounds in the interior, it even drowns out the flap exhaust.
Amazing handling
Riding straight ahead at speed is not the XM 50e's specialty. Not because of a lack of power, but because the steering requires maximum attention to keep it cleanly on track. It is direct and unfeeling.
But it turns like a compact sports car. The XM is incredibly agile in bends, despite its EU weight of 2.7 tons. Among other things, all-wheel steering, roll stabilization and adaptive damping as standard ensure this. A little comfort is also included. Air suspension is not offered as there was no room for it. As a special feature, the rear steel springs work progressively. The sports differential of the V8 versions is not available for the 50e.
On the subject of common sense
A plug-in hybrid is generally only as sensible as you charge it. If you only drive with electricity from your home photovoltaic system - great! If you only fill up the XM with gasoline, you have to struggle to get under eleven liters per 100 kilometers. Compared to a V8, however, the in-line six-cylinder is definitely a saint.
It whistles above 200
Back to highway driving. Above 200 km/h, the test car not only irritates with its tiring steering, but also with extreme wind noise. From the left, it suddenly whistles as loudly as if someone were levering the side window out of its frame. This can be clearly heard in the video driving report above.
Driving citation
You have to want to make an appearance. But that is also the purpose of the BMW XM. As a 50e, it is not quite as over the top as its V8 colleagues, because the drive is quite a bit more well-behaved. They all have an electric range of around 50 kilometers, but the 50e is a little more economical without electricity. And with a base price of just under 128,000 euros, it is much cheaper: the cheapest V8 costs almost 50,000 euros more. This makes the 50e almost interesting for normal SUV customers who are looking for a certain extra kick.
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