Elite 2024 BMW XM SUV pushes limits of rogue fun
As if BMW doesn’t have enough performance cars to tout, the German automaker decided it needed another. The “Label Red” debuted last September. It’s the automaker’s most powerful M model and largely unnecessary for daily driving requirements.
But any sense of logic, practicality or value doesn’t likely have relevancy to potential sport utility buyers. The “Label Red” is for car owners who want something the neighbor likely doesn’t have. The carmaker announced only 500 of the vehicles will be made globally in its 2024 model. It’s BMW’s venture into rarities.
Power is the new BMW’s main attraction. The sport utility vehicle features a 4.4-liter, 577 horsepower, twin-turbo DOHC, 32-valve V-8. There’s also a 194 horsepower electric motor that vaults the total horsepower to 738. The result: the Label Red advances from 0-to-60 miles per hours in 3.8 seconds. The exhaust note is more grind than growl. The drive is all BMW. It’s stiff and confident. Fuel efficiency is 14 miles per gallon; the electric motor achieves 46 mpge.
Even the manufacturer realizes its performance-overload vehicle’s
absurdity. It promotes the Red Label with a creative writing lesson:
“The BMW XM Label Red responds to the needs and desires of a global target group of individualists — customers with a taste for extrovert lifestyle and a passion for ultimate performance in a car reaching beyond traditional conventions.”
Sales of the Label Red began in April, with BMW targeting the United States, Middle Eastern and China as top sales producers.
The exterior look is classic BMW, an all-around, sturdy-looking design. Most prominent is the split-kidney-shaped grille. It’s unique with a red trim, but the style looks like two nostrils smelling something unpleasant.
For BMW purists, available paint colors will add to the appeal. There are one solid and eight metallic variants. Customers can also choose from more than 50 BMW individual special paint finishes, including turban green, petrol mica metallic, anglesey green metallic and sepia metallic.