Watch it hustle around the track.
BMW’s push toward electrification, full or hybrid, will continue with the new XM SUV. We don’t know when it’ll arrive, but a new spy video recently captured the model hustling around the Nurburgring race track, making all sorts of noise with its tires squealing. The SUV doesn’t look slow, and the exhaust note sounds spunky.
The SUV continues to wear a tight-fitting camouflage wrap, which hides a lot of the design, but we know the model will adopt the brand’s current styling trends at the front with a split-headlight design. We’d bet that it’ll come with a large, illuminated kidney grille.
Gallery: BMW Concept XM
The production vehicle will look quite similar to the Concept XM that BMW revealed last year. That goes for the interior, too, which should get BMW’s iDrive 8 infotainment system and a boost in luxury materials. The similarities should carry over for at least one powertrain option, too.
The top-tier setup, one of three allegedly coming to the car, could produce around 750 horsepower (551 kilowatts) and 737 pound-feet (1,000 Newton-meters) of torque if the XM Concept is any indication. BMW will likely pair a V8 with a plug-in hybrid powertrain to deliver a good amount of power.
The concept also had a range of up to 30 miles (48 kilometers) on battery power, which the production model should match. It’s unclear what other powertrains BMW will stuff under the XM’s hood.
It appears that this XM test vehicle could have been this top-tier model judging by how it moved around the truck. It’s a large vehicle with a long hood and sporty proportions, but it blasted along just fine, and it should serve as a new benchmark in the brand’s lineup as the company highlights stylish design inside and out.
BMW has been quiet about another new SUV joining the lineup. We don’t know when it’ll debut or when BMW plans to start selling it, but the rumor mill has churned up reports that the big SUV could break cover later this year before going on sale in 2023. This is just speculation as we wait for an official word from BMW.
Keyword: BMW XM Spy Video Captures SUV Squealing Its Tires At Nurburgring