With 2,720 kg clean on the hook, you would say that weight is a major disadvantage for the BMW XM, but that is not the case.
It’s actually kind of crazy that the figure of 2,700 kg for the weight of a car isn’t as shocking as it once was. Yet that is the number that appears on a weighbridge when you place a BMW XM on it. The ultimate M SUV (and according to BMW the ultimate M car in itself) may have a 650 or 750 hp V8 with hybrid power, with 2,710 kg (XM) or 2,720 kg (XM Label Red) you also need some power on board. The 80,000 hp of the largest container ship in the world is also nothing when you consider that that power has to propel 236 tons.
Weight BMW XM no problem
We laugh about it, but it’s just that more weight creates more challenges when it comes to cornering and the overall dynamics of the car. It’s not for nothing that Colin Chapman’s statement about simplicity and lightweight is so well received by engineers. So you could actually say by definition that the BMW XM is an absolute dragon in the corners. But BMW sees it differently. They say that the number 2,720 kg is not the problem because the BMW XM solves it differently.
![](https://www.autoblog.nl/files/2023/04/bmw-xm-label-red-970-008.jpg)
Placed low
Frank van Meel, BMW M boss, explains. One of the heaviest components of the BMW XM is the battery pack. Just like with an EV, that battery pack could be hidden under the floor. Normally you have to pay a lot of attention to the anti-roll with an SUV, but with the XM that actually went without saying. The XM’s center of gravity is therefore relatively low, which benefits handling. Because BMW took the XM’s chassis away from the X7, the thing has a pretty long wheelbase. But that also helps the XM with better cornering, as well as the added four-wheel steering.
![](https://www.autoblog.nl/files/2023/03/bmw-xm-kleine-portomonnee-2023-970-002.jpeg)
Oil coolers
Van Meel therefore suggests that the BMW XM may be very heavy on paper, but the distribution of the weight is crucial. Whether the car can handle all that horsepower? Van Meel knows that for sure. One of the important additions to the BMW XM is oil coolers, where the oil is additionally cooled. The BMW XM has nine of these. But the deeds must back up the words, because BMW tests every car to handle that. At the Thermal Circuit, a closed circuit of BMW in California, every BMW M car must be able to scrub for 30 minutes while the mercury is above 35 degrees. The XM can also do that very well.
Weight remains a battle for car manufacturers and Van Meel acknowledges that, but according to him, the BMW XM is not bothered by its 2,700 kg. (through Cars Guide)
This article BMW M: weight XM is certainly not a disadvantage appeared first on Autoblog.nl.
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