Ye Gods: lightning strikes twice with 950hp XM

You wait all month for preposterously tuned German performance cars to pop up, and then two arrive on the same day. Granted, we’re talking about a different end of the lollipop here: the Brabus 1000 is the result of its maker throwing the kitchen sink at the Mercedes-AMG GT 63 S E Performance. G-Power’s effort has not required nearly as much heavy lifting. Also, it centres on the BMW XM, which, despite being that rare thing (a standalone model), is not among the firm’s greatest hits. Or indeed its B sides. We’re talking lead balloon. 

As is traditional for BMW in this decade, this has more to do with the way it looks than the way it drives – and G-Power could hardly be expected to solve that colossal failing. But for the purposes of showing off its technical nous, the tuner wrestled additional power from the combination of 4.4-litre V8 and plug-in hybrid system. In fact, with nothing more cumbersome than a more extreme software calibration, it has arrived at a claimed 950hp and 1,033lb ft of torque as a combined total – this for a car that boasted 650hp at launch in 2023. 

In point of fact, G-Power considers the car a one-off, but reasons that the adjustments it has made to the V8’s boost pressure, ignition timing, and fuel mapping will remind potential customers that it already offers a Stage 1 (850hp) and Stage 2 (900hp) packages for the XM – while also pointing to an upcoming variant that will exceed 1,000hp with the addition of a bespoke exhaust system (the 950hp demonstrator currently making do sports downpipes alone). 

The question of why, precisely, you’d want so much power in a gargantuan SUV is as valid as ever – especially one riding on 23-inch forged wheels – although G-Power is also at pains to remind discerning viewers that the upgrades are also available to owners of the current M5, which of course features a variation of the same hybrid powertrain. The thought of nearly 1,000hp in that two-and-a-half-tonne car is arguably more invigorating than the XM. Although if you’re inclined to go back to reading about the new M3 CS Touring, with half as much power, we’d certainly understand…