Seemingly untouched by all the mockery and anger of the diehard fans that keep running amok crying their outrage with every new introduction, BMW is currently on the verge of attacking the ultra-luxury super-SUV establishment.

There are premium SUVs, and then there are also a handful of extra-luxury models such as the Aston Martin DBX707, Bentley Bentayga, Lamborghini Urus, or Rolls-Royce Cullinan. They have been selling extremely well for models that cost anywhere between $250k and half a million bucks, in OEM form. And so, all detractors who thought those traditional exotic automakers will never make high riders soon had to eat their discontent because more ultra-luxury peers have joined the fray, including Ferrari with its upcoming 715-horsepower V12-powered coach door Purosangue that is currently raved about in reviews.

Interestingly, probably motivated by the success of the Rolls Cullinan – especially with the aftermarket world – BMW has decided to join the party and try to access the stratosphere of crossover SUVs with the second-only product coming from its legendary M GmbH division, the mighty BMW XM. It's an ugly duckling, indeed, and chances are slim that it will ever transform into a fall-on-your-knees-in-love type of beautiful swan, no matter how the aftermarket realm tries to paint it with glitter. In standard tune, the "ultimate expression of performance and luxury, embodied in SAV form," costs $159k in America, and the XM 50e has a plug-in hybrid powertrain consisting of a 4.4-liter S68 twin-turbo V8 aided by an electric motor integrated into the eight-speed ZF automatic transmission.

Together, they churn out no less than 644 horsepower (plus 590 lb-ft/800 Nm), which is a good threshold for duking it out with the current Urus, but also a little shabby considering the Italian automaker has started deliveries for the upgraded Urus S and Urus Performante versions, which both display some 657 horsepower and 627 lb-ft (851 Nm) of oomphy torque. No worries, though, as BMW also thought about trying to outrage any Purosangue owner in the proverbial hp wars category. So, there is also the XM Label Red, which just opened its slots on the waiting list for those who want to play with 748 ps/738 hp and 1,000 Nm (738 lb-ft).

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