Driving throughout the American West in techno-excess with the BMW XM

A BMW XM next to a very large Saguro cactus

Enlarge / Huge energy, massive cactus, largely massive price ticket. (credit score: Roberto Baldwin)

I’m barreling down Interstate 10 in Arizona towards California within the BMW XM, the most recent luxurious efficiency SUV from the German automaker. A dagger of extravagance, the black-on-black SUV is all about extra. But it surely’s greater than only a car you stand subsequent to whereas posing for social media pictures; it is a daring expression from BMW that it may possibly merge luxurious with the most recent know-how.

The drive

With a beginning value of $160,000, the BMW XM is definitely fairly a deal once you take a look at its closest competitor, the Lamborghini Urus. I’ve pushed each over lengthy distances, and the XM delivers on an extended street journey whereas saving the particular person behind the wheel about $75,000—that is lower than the value of the 2023 BMW i4 M50. So that you get your showoff automotive and, nicely, one other showoff automotive that is an electrical car.

The XM is a plug-in hybrid, so you possibly can spend most of your time behind the wheel in electrical mode. It has an electric-only vary of about 30 miles, so journeys to Entire Meals and again might be far cleaner than what the Urus gives, as it is a gas-only proposition. However driving cross-country, I burned by the vary throughout the first 30 minutes. Effectivity-wise, plug-in hybrids lose most of their attraction on an extended street journey. I may have tried to discover a degree 2 charger alongside the best way, however it might have been a waste of my time, and I’d have been the jerk who’s stopping somebody with an EV from charging.

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