Photo: BMW / edited
Well, that was fast! BMW issued the first recall of the XM, a high-performance SUV twinned with the X7. Deliveries in the United States market started in April 2023, which makes the German automaker's timing perfect. The sooner BMW sorts out problems the engineers and designers couldn't identify earlier, the better the ownership experience for every single customer.
Back in March 2023, the Munich-based automaker became aware of a loose fastener connection between the exhaust system and catalytic converter of a brand-new X7 at the Spartanburg plant in South Carolina. The vehicle was thoroughly investigated. According to a report filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, four examples of the X7 and one example of the XM have improperly torqued fasteners.
BMW didn't bother explaining who bears the blame for this condition. Three scenarios come to mind, though. For starters, human error on the assembly line. Incorrect assembly instructions also need to be considered. Finally, there may have been a problem with the calibration of the torque wrench used during assembly.
The Bavarian automaker isn't aware of any field reports alleging exhaust system or catalytic converter separation, nor is BMW aware of crashes or injuries related to the recall condition. The affected XM was produced on March 10, 2023 at the Spartanburg facility. As for the X7 M60i, that'd be March 4 to March 10.
Headquarters instructed US dealers to replace the gasket between the exhaust system and catalytic converter and to properly torque the fasteners. Affected owners will be notified by first-class mail no later than June 16, 2023.
The second production vehicle developed by M after the glorious M1 of the 1970s, the XM comes in three flavors. BMW originally revealed the V8-powered brute, which combines a twin-turbo V8 with an electric motor in the ZF-supplied automatic transmission. The company also confirmed a higher-spec V8 powertrain dubbed Label Red. More recently, a third member joined the family in the form. Baptized 50e, this entry-level specification rocks a turbocharged inline-six engine that isn't the M-specific S58. It's actually the B58, which BMW also uses in the M760e luxobarge.
Codenamed S68, the M-developed V8 engine of the XM and Label Red carries over to the X7 M60i, albeit downtuned for obvious reasons. What comes as quite a big surprise is that BMW used an M engine in an M Performance vehicle. In this application, the 4.4-liter V8 develops 523 horsepower and 553 pound-feet (750 Nm) of torque from 1,800 to 4,600 revolutions per minute.
The X7 is available as a 2024 model in the United States, where the M60i can be had from $108,700 sans destination charge. The only step up is the Alpina-branded XB7 at $149,400 for 631 horsepower and 590 pound-feet (800 Nm) of twist.
As for the XM, the 50e isn't coming stateside. The Label Red isn't available yet, although BMW had earlier suggested a sticker of approximately $185,000. As for the standard XM, make that $159,000 sans freight.
BMW didn't bother explaining who bears the blame for this condition. Three scenarios come to mind, though. For starters, human error on the assembly line. Incorrect assembly instructions also need to be considered. Finally, there may have been a problem with the calibration of the torque wrench used during assembly.
The Bavarian automaker isn't aware of any field reports alleging exhaust system or catalytic converter separation, nor is BMW aware of crashes or injuries related to the recall condition. The affected XM was produced on March 10, 2023 at the Spartanburg facility. As for the X7 M60i, that'd be March 4 to March 10.
Headquarters instructed US dealers to replace the gasket between the exhaust system and catalytic converter and to properly torque the fasteners. Affected owners will be notified by first-class mail no later than June 16, 2023.
The second production vehicle developed by M after the glorious M1 of the 1970s, the XM comes in three flavors. BMW originally revealed the V8-powered brute, which combines a twin-turbo V8 with an electric motor in the ZF-supplied automatic transmission. The company also confirmed a higher-spec V8 powertrain dubbed Label Red. More recently, a third member joined the family in the form. Baptized 50e, this entry-level specification rocks a turbocharged inline-six engine that isn't the M-specific S58. It's actually the B58, which BMW also uses in the M760e luxobarge.
Codenamed S68, the M-developed V8 engine of the XM and Label Red carries over to the X7 M60i, albeit downtuned for obvious reasons. What comes as quite a big surprise is that BMW used an M engine in an M Performance vehicle. In this application, the 4.4-liter V8 develops 523 horsepower and 553 pound-feet (750 Nm) of torque from 1,800 to 4,600 revolutions per minute.
The X7 is available as a 2024 model in the United States, where the M60i can be had from $108,700 sans destination charge. The only step up is the Alpina-branded XB7 at $149,400 for 631 horsepower and 590 pound-feet (800 Nm) of twist.
As for the XM, the 50e isn't coming stateside. The Label Red isn't available yet, although BMW had earlier suggested a sticker of approximately $185,000. As for the standard XM, make that $159,000 sans freight.
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