BMW XM

FIRST DRIVE We put bespoke M-badged PHEV through its paces

- John Mcllroy

THINGS can't be easy for performance sub-brands right now. All of the top companies are pushing relentlessly towards electrification and the transitional products are tricky to judge when you're a cult band of engineers known for adding pace and extra agility. We've seen Mercedes-AMG struggling with its latest hybrid C 63, and now here comes BMW's first bespoke M vehicle since the M1: the XM.

The new arrival isn't another svelte, low-slung, mid-engined supercar, but rather a vast 5.1-metre-long SUV, mixing a 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8 petrol engine with a 192bhp e-motor. This plug-in hybrid offers 644bhp and 800Nm, enough, even in a car weighing more than 2.7 tonnes, for a 0-62mph time of 4.3 seconds and a top speed of up to 168mph with the £2,500 Driver's Pack.

It offers up to 55 miles of pure-electric range from the 25.7kWh battery; a 7.4kW onboard charger can take the battery from zero to 100 per cent in just over three hours. An even more potent edition - called Label Red - will appear later this year, equipped with an uprated powertrain producing 738bhp and 1,000Nm of torque.

We're not here to judge a vehicle's looks, but it's safe to say that the XM's design is likely to polarise opinion. The ultra-slim driving lights sit above an enormous take on the double-kidney grille. Not a single panel along the flanks goes uncreased, and at the rear there's further complex surfacing and a pair of twin vertically stacked exhaust tips.

BMW doesn't appear to be shy in playing around with colour and trim either, so if you want, pairing gold highlights with a dark-blue finish is possible, for example. This is certainly a statement vehicle.