The 750PS BMW XM Label Red is even faster

Promised since the release of the standard XM, the Label Red is basically what happens when M turns the wick up on the S68 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8 to M5 levels of power. Where it ‘only’ produces 490PS (360kW) in the ‘normal’ car – otherwise known as less than the V8 in the original X5M of 2008 – this now combines 585PS (430kW) from the V8 with 200PS (147kW) of the electric motor for a 750PS system output. Overall torque is also up to 1000Nm (737lb ft).

That means performance is pretty spectacular, with 62mph arriving in 3.8 seconds on the way to a 180mph top speed when derestricted. Not bad for a 2.5-tonne-plus brick shape that’s nearly as offensive to the air as it is to one’s eyes. Also not bad given its mass and shape are the figures for all-electric range, which are between 47 and 52 miles on the WLTP cycle.

So what else do you get on your Label Red, for your extra £20,000? Well, on the ‘Edition’ spec they’ve shown us, a spec that we can only describe as BMW’s best go at a recreation of the A-Team van. Those Toronto Red accents around the grille and diffuser aren’t there on the ‘standard’ Label Red, though they join design lines on the side and highlights on brakes and wheels that are. Buyers will also be able to choose from 50 BMW Individual hues when they spec their Label Red, which you can see via the new BMW Individual Visualiser. Something tells me that configurator won’t get as much time from us as Lamborghini’s new hybrid…

The red continues to the inside, where along with parts of the leather seats and the stitching, you’ll find it in the air vents. Otherwise, the Label Red’s cabin is reassuringly restrained and luxurious, remaining a high point of this car. That means it keeps BMW’s new curved screen featuring twin displays for driver and infotainment, and an M-specific BMW OS 8 user interface.

Deliveries will begin in August and if the Label Red still isn’t enough XM for you, there’s also the 500-car limited run of ‘Edition’ examples (mentioned above and pictured), with red grille and diffuser accents alongside Frozen Carbon Black metallic creating the ‘Mr. T’ spec you see here. On the inside below the control display, a plaque that reads ‘1 of 500’. A sure fire collector’s item, then…

All in, regardless of what you think of the way it looks, the XM in both standard and Label Red spec offer a monstrously powerful, high-performing, imperious and luxurious super SUV to people who really want to make an impression. Whether it is as BMW says, the ‘best of X and the best of M’, remains to be seen.