Compare the2025 BMW XMVS 2025 Land Rover Range Rover

In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the XM are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Range Rover doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The BMW XM has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags helps prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Range Rover doesn’t offer knee airbags.

The XM has a standard PostCrash iBrake, which automatically applies the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The Range Rover doesn’t offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The XM has a standard Active Park Distance Control that uses rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically applies the brakes to prevent a collision. The Range Rover doesn’t offer automatic braking for stationary objects directly to the rear.

Both the XM and the Range Rover have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, four-wheel antilock brakes, all wheel drive, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, around view monitors, rear cross-path warning and driver alert monitors.

The XM’s corrosion warranty is 6 years longer than the Range Rover’s (12 vs. 6 years).

BMW pays for scheduled maintenance on the XM for 3 years and 36,000 miles. BMW will pay for oil changes, air filter replacements, cabin filter replacement, brake fluid replacement, inspections, and any other required maintenance. Land Rover doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the Range Rover.

There are over 72 percent more BMW dealers than there are Land Rover dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the XM’s warranty.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2024 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that BMW vehicles are better in initial quality than Land Rover vehicles. With 8 fewer problems per 100 vehicles, JD Power ranks BMW higher than Land Rover.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2024 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that BMW vehicles are more reliable than Land Rover With 78 fewer problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, J.D. Power ranks BMW higher than Land Rover.

The XM has more powerful engines than the Range Rover:

As tested in Car and Driver the BMW XM (base engine) is faster than the Range Rover P530 4.4 turbo V8:

The XM has a standard locking fuel door and a locking charge port with a power remote release convenient to the driver and which locks and unlocks with the power locks, respectively. The Range Rover doesn’t have a locking charge port. A locking fuel door helps prevent fuel theft and vandalism, such as sugar in the tank and a locking charge port prevents tampering and damage.

For better stopping power the XM’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Range Rover:

The XM stops much shorter than the Range Rover:

For better traction and acceleration, the XM has larger rear tires than the Range Rover (315/30R23 vs. 275/50R21). The XM’s rear tires are larger than the largest rear tires available on the Range Rover (315/30R23 vs. 285/40R23).

The XM’s standard 275/40R22 front and 315/35R22 rear tires provide better handling because they have a lower 40 series front and 35 series rear profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Range Rover’s standard 50 series tires. The XM’s 275/35R23 front and 315/30R23 rear tires have a lower 35 series front and 30 series rear profile than the Range Rover’s optional 40 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the XM has standard 22-inch wheels. Smaller 21-inch wheels are standard on the Range Rover.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the XM’s wheelbase is 4.2 inches longer than on the Range Rover SWB (122.2 inches vs. 118 inches).

The XM handles at .92 G’s, while the Range Rover SWB pulls only .73 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The XM Label Red executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 5.3 seconds quicker than the Range Rover LWB SE (23.9 seconds @ .84 average G’s vs. 29.2 seconds @ .56 average G’s).

The front grille of the XM uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The Range Rover doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

As tested by Car and Driver while cruising at 70 MPH, the interior of the XM is quieter than the Range Rover SWB (63 vs. 66 dB).

The XM has a much larger cargo volume than the Range Rover LWB SE with its rear seat up (18.6 vs. 8.7 cubic feet).

The XM’s liftgate lifts up in one piece, completely out of the way of loading and unloading, while sheltering the cargo loading area. The Range Rover’s tailgate’s top part raises up, but the bottom part lowers, getting in the way of loading and making an uneven surface for sliding cargo.

Heated windshield washer nozzles are standard on the XM to prevent washer fluid and nozzles from freezing and help continue to keep the windshield clear in sub-freezing temperatures. Heated windshield washer nozzles cost extra on the Range Rover.

To shield the driver and front passenger’s vision over a larger portion of the windshield and side windows, the XM has standard extendable sun visors. The Range Rover doesn’t offer extendable visors.