Lexus LX500D vs BMW XM

What's the difference?

The Lexus LX550d Overtrail holds plenty of appeal for those who’d like to bookend a work week of refined daily driving with a weekend of fun and adventure undertaken in style.

With a full complement of standard features, as well as offering premium comfort and understated design, the Overtrail makes a lot of sense as a potential purchase.

It’s luxurious on the road, capable off-road and the Overtrail holds up quite well if cross-shopped against the likes of Land Rover Defender, Toyota LandCruiser 300 or Nissan Patrol.

It’s pretty obvious the XM is designed to impress people with big wallets and an appetite for a techy experience that’s also not without a few green credentials. The ability to motor around as a fully-electric vehicle for up to 80km or so is a big plus and the electric-ballroom interior vibe is hard to ignore, as well.

But from our perspective, the full-fat, twin-turbo V8, while offering startling performance, is perhaps a lost opportunity to follow some of BMW’s competitors into the engine-downsizing space. Then again, when you floor the throttle and 2700kg hurtles forward like a big dog on a short chain, you can see where BMW is coming from.

Perhaps the biggest letdown is the ride quality – or lack of it. While it’s understandable BMW wanted the most dynamic version of the XM it could manage, the end result plays against the vehicle’s otherwise long suit of hyper-luxury. Doubtless, BMW would argue that to soften the chassis would have been to introduce a chink into a no-compromise product. But, perhaps, sometimes a sensible compromise is the way forward.

The LX500d Overtrail is 5100mm long (with a 2850mm wheelbase), 1990mm wide, and 1895mm high. It has a listed kerb weight of 2690kg.

It has an almost straight-up-and-down, old-school appearance, and leans more towards the retro-cool end of the design spectrum rather than the sleek end – and that styling, which is THE Overtrail look based on the GX Overtrail, works.

Adding to this 4WD wagon’s overall large-and-in-charge presence are its big front grille, bulging wing mirrors, side steps and those all-terrain tyres.

The Overtrail has black exterior touches (door handles and mirrors, window mouldings, wheel-arch trims), black front and rear bumpers, and bridge-type roof rails that top off its rugged look and further set it apart from its LX stablemates.

There are a lot more identifiably-Lexus, premium-style touches going on inside the Overtrail, including Overtrail-specific premium leather-accented front seats with Monolith colour stitching, Ash Sumi Black ornamentation, a plethora of soft-touch surfaces and a helpful does of durable plastic.

There’s nothing subtle about the way the XM looks. It probably pulls up just short of brutalist (or maybe not) but even those who find its slabs and angles attractive have to admit that it’s bold.

The now-trademark giant nostrils set the mood and the rest of the exterior suggests some kind of armoured transport for presidents rather than wheels for the school run. Doubtless, this will hardly be seen as a fault by those in the market for such a thing.

The real surprise here is that the XM does not share a bodyshell with any other production BMW. Sure, the V8 petrol engine and wheelbase are common to other BMW and M models, but the sheet metal is the XM’s and the XM’s alone. That in itself, is quite a statement of intent.

Overall, the interior is functional, the build quality is impressive and this is a Lexus so, of course, there are lashings of prestige.

For starters, the seats are comfortable. The 2026 Lexus LX500d Overtrail has a 10-way power-adjustable driver’s seat, and an eight-way power-adjustable front passenger seat and both have four-way Lumbar power adjustment and massager.

The second-row seats in this five-seater are in a 60:40 split folding configuration and are also on the right side of comfortable, which is not always necessarily the case in a 4WD wagon.

The 12.3-inch multimedia touchscreen system dominates the upfront layout and shows navigation, your smartphone desktop, reversing camera view, etc and when off-roading it displays multi-terrain monitor showing the road surface and other conditions.

Underneath that main screen is a 7.0-inch touch display that displays drive modes, adaptive variable suspension, air-conditioning controls and the like.

Both are easy enough to use without hassle.

The driver also gets a head-up display, projected onto the windscreen right in front of the driver, but say hoo-roo to that info once you’ve donned polarised sunnies.

The Overtrail has a powered sunroof/moon roof, whatever you want to call it.

It has plenty of charge points – including two USB-Cs upfront and two for the second-row passengers, and a wireless phone charging pad in front of the cooled centre console – and there are 12-volt outlets front and rear, and a 220V outlet in the rear cargo area.

There are numerous cupholders – upfront and in the second-row armrest – and bottle holders in the doors.

The five-seater Overtrail’s rear cargo area has a 220V/100W socket (to run camp lights, fridge etc), a cargo blind, tie-down points and cup holders on both sides, left over from the seven-seat layout.

Rear cargo space is listed as 1109L with all seats in use, and cargo space is 1960 litres if the second row is folded down.

The rear tailgate is powered and lifts to open rather than swings to the side as the barndoor-style doors do.

Minor gripe: You’d think with the amount of cash you spend on an Overtrail that Lexus would equip the off-road-focused LX with rubber floor mats because its interior should be ready to cop more than its fair share of dirt, sand and mud during its driving days.

Given the vast exterior dimensions and a weighbridge ticket the wrong side of 2700kg, it may come as a surprise to learn that the XM is strictly a five-seater with not even an optional third row.

That said, the uber-SUV Lexus LX in flagship, Ultra Luxury, trim offers just four seats in deference to the VIP clientele it’s pitched at, but also comes complete with reclining rear seats and a passenger’s side footrest which the XM can’t match.

Staying in the rear seat, there’s lots of legroom and plenty of space under the front chairs for feet. A lot of that is down to the wheelbase the XM shares with the BMW X7, and even behind a tall driver, there’s lots of space. In fact, compared with a BMW X5, there’s a full 150mm of extra legroom.

The pew itself flows into the door trims for a lounge effect which looks great with the contrasting light-coloured trim, and the centre arm-rest folds down to reveal a pair of cupholders. Extra storage space can be found in fold-out pockets in the rear of each front seat which also house a small, lidded panel that opens to reveal USB ports and power sockets. Dual-zone climate controls are also part of the rear-seat experience.

The gee-whizz stuff hasn’t been ignored, either, and the prismatic roof lining is nothing if not a talking point. But would a panoramic sunroof have been of more value to many buyers? The ambient lighting is a nice touch, too.

Up front, the view is dominated by the giant, twin curved animated dashboards. They deliver information and lots of it, to the point where it can almost seem a bit overwhelming.

The head-up display helps simplify things, but there’s absolutely no doubt there’s a lot going on in this cabin. Again, this is modern luxury motoring, but it remains that the menu system will take time to learn, even if the touchscreen function gives you an option on how you control things.

Multi-adjustable front seats are part of the deal and there’s an M-spec steering wheel which is heated. And although it features plenty of buttons, isn’t as daunting perhaps as the multi-spoked equivalent in some high-end AMGs of late.

The stereo system is also worthy of a mention, being a Bowers & Wilkins unit with roof mounted speakers and no less than 1500 watts of power. Digital radio is part of the package.

Even though it doesn’t offer a seven-seat option, luggage space in the rear of the XM is hardly class-leading. Cargo volume with rear seat up is 527L and 1820L with it folded.

Much of the wheelbase is devoted to rear-seat stretching room and although the batteries for the electric motor are positioned under the rear seat, the floor of the cargo area seems quite high.

The XM is one of those 'no options' vehicles. That is, you pay the basic price, you get one with the lot. The aged leather and even the optional 23-inch wheels and tyres are no-cost options, so it’s clear where BMW is aiming the thing.

As well as the plug-in driveline, all-wheel drive and all the M driving focus, the XM features plenty of tech including massaging front seats, heated seats all around, a high-end stereo, heated and cooled cupholders, four-zone climate-control, wireless phone charging and twin, curved info screens for the driver measuring 12.3 and 14.9 inches. The novel roof lining also features 100 pin-point LEDs for effect.

The cost of such detailing is a not insubstantial $302,200. That figure does, however, undercut two of its main rivals, the Lamborghini Urus ($395,888) and the Aston Martin DBX ($356,512).

It’s also worth mentioning that the XM is not even BMW Australia’s most expensive model; in fact, it’s fourth on the ladder.

Our test vehicle has a 3.3-litre turbo-diesel engine – producing 227kW at 4000rpm and 700Nm at 1600-2600rpm – a 10-speed automatic transmission and a full-time 4WD system.

This is a big wagon so it takes some encouragement to get going off the mark – it is sluggish rather than zippy around town – but once underway on an open road, especially on a highway, it punts along nicely.

I drove the seven-seater Lexus LX600 Sports Luxury – with a 3.5-litre petrol engine (305kW and 650Nm) – immediately after this test and – with the same dimensions, but 10kg lighter than the Overtrail – it’s more punchy off the mark.

The Lexus LX500d Overtrail has a variety of drive modes including Custom, Comfort, Eco, Normal and Sport S and Sport S+ for on-road driving.

It has front and rear locking diffs, and Multi-Terrain Select (MTS) drive modes for off-roading. Those modes include Auto, Sand, Mud and Rock. Each off-road driving mode adjusts throttle response, transmission shift patterns, wheel-slip control, engine power delivery and braking to best suit the specified terrain.

Here’s where the XM starts to justify its price-tag. While the use of an electric motor to boost a petrol engine has allowed some manufacturers to reduce the capacity of the latter, no such restraint has been shown for the XM. Instead, it gets the full 4.4-litre, twice turbocharged V8 that we’ve come to know and love from this brand.

It’s not that this is the engine’s first date with hybrid technology, but the mild hybrids that have come before it can’t match the XM for sheer brutality when both power units are unleashed.

The petrol V8 can muster up 360kW and 650Nm which, when boosted by the electric motor, jumps to a total of 480kW (combined) and 800Nm.

While the petrol engine drives through an eight-speed torque-converter automatic, the electric motor also drives through the transmission, an arrangement that is a bit different to some hybrids which use the petrol engine for the rear axle and the electric motor to drive the front wheels.

Of course, the requirement for the XM to feature permanent all-wheel drive, regardless of what power unit is running at the time, forces this layout.

Speaking of all-wheel drive, The XM’s version of BMW’s 'xDrive' layout has been specifically tuned for this vehicle and includes torque vectoring as well as a limited-slip rear differential.

The system has the ability to vary the torque split front to rear, with the default rear-bias giving a more sporting feel on good surfaces. An active rear differential also helps give the car a rear-drive feel.

As well as modes for 'Hybrid', 'Electric' and 'eControl' modes, the XM sticks with the M tradition of offering two M buttons which can be configured to set the parameters for steering, driveline, chassis and, in the case of the hybrid XM, the degree of braking regeneration offered.

Four-wheel steering is also part of the XM’s repertoire and, interestingly, there’s no air suspension here; just conventional steel springs.

But it does feature an electrically-adjusted anti-roll bar system which aims to strike a happy medium between what the driver wants and the road conditions demand.

Official fuel consumption is listed as 8.9L/100km (on a combined cycle), but on this test, I recorded 12.8L/100km.

The Overtrail has 110L fuel capacity (80L main tank, 30L sub tank) so, going by my on-test fuel-consumption figure, you could reasonably expect a driving range of about 860km from a full tank.

However, as with any vehicle, once you’ve loaded it with real-world burdens (e.g kids, dogs, camping gear etc) you’ll soon see fuel-use figures increase.

A 25.7kWh lithium-ion battery provides the power for the electric drive. It’s mounted under the rear seat and can produce a purely electric range of between 82 and 88km (based on WLPT test protocols).

Charge time from a conventional wall-box is said to be about four hours but, interestingly, the XM has no provision for DC fast-charging.

Fuel consumption (combined cycle) is an EV-typical 2.7 litres per 100km, which equates to a low 61g/km of CO2.

Once you’ve depleted the battery on a highway journey, expect the petrol V8 to consumer somewhere between eight and nine litres per 100km at cruising speed.

Using EV mode means zero-emission operation but, as with any electric car, how the power is generated to recharge it determines its real-world green-ness.

On-road, the Overtrail is impressive: refined, comfortable, unstressed and it offers up controlled ride and handling.

The Overtrail sits nicely on sealed road surfaces – it has a wide wheel track and long wheelbase – and it maintains that composed posture even on gravel or dirt tracks.

It does exhibit some body-roll when pitched through country bends but in a large 4WD wagon that characteristic is no real surprise.

Ride quality is impressive and the suspension set-up, including the Overtrail’s adaptive variable suspension which adjusts damping force according to the drive mode selected, manages to smooth out the worst of most surface irregularities. Active height control is worth mentioned here because it's designed to optimise the spring rate to keep this wagon stable during turning, acceleration, and braking.

The 3.3-litre turbo-diesel engine and 10-speed auto are a smooth combination producing plenty of power and torque across a broad rev range.

It's mostly quiet in the cabin though wind noise does emanate from the chunky wing mirrors.

One thing I’m not a big fan of is the digital rear-view mirror. I understand the reasoning behind it as it helps establish visibility where you may not have it – for example, if something you’ve packed in the rear blocks your vision, or a second-row passenger’s massive head blocks your vision – but the slightly distorted view depicted on the mirror isn’t altogether helpful and tends to push me into headache territory on longer drives. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it. Maybe my old eyes need testing?

So, how does the Overtrail perform off-road?

Well, you’d expect it to go pretty well, especially as it is equipped with front and rear locking diffs, and a raft of off-road drive modes.

And it does. Mostly.

Steering is nicely balanced and the driver is afforded so much visibility of the track ahead that, even with a massive bonnet in front of you, it’s easy to get your wheel placement spot-on. The Overtrail also has a 360-degree camera system, so that maximises your chances of putting the vehicle on exactly the correct line.

Courtesy of its off-road modes, diff locks etc, the Overtrail drives with impressive composure through most off-road situations, whether that’s along corrugated dirt tracks, up steep rocky hills or through shin-deep mudholes.

It offers a reasonable amount of wheel travel for a large wagon and it has decent all-terrain tyres – Toyo Open Country (265/70R18) – and they provide plenty of grip on a variety of surfaces: sand, loose gravel, shale, even rain-soaked mud which can be very slippery and can quickly fill up tyre tread.

The LX500d Overtrail has 205mm ground clearance which is industry standard for a larger or upper large SUV, but it isn't great for a vehicle that’s intended as an off-road machine. However, worth mentioning again here is the addition onboard of active height control, which automatically adjusts vehicle height – Normal, High 1, High 2, and Low (for easy ingress and egress) – to match the drive mode you select and the driving conditions at any time.

And while the off-road angles – approach (23 degrees), departure (22) and rampover (22.7) – aren’t fantastic, those measurements are industry standard for a larger and upper large SUV, but again, in a vehicle billed as an adventure machine, those angles could be a lot better. In the Overtrail’s favour the underbody is well protected by substantial bash-plates and the Overtrail’s full-size spare is mounted to the underbody.

Wading depth is an estimated 700mm, which is also in the vicinity of standard for an unmodified 4WD wagon.

The side steps protrude and if you fail to drive with consideration then they'll probably cop a scrape and maybe even a bit of a dent.

Towing capacities are 750kg (unbraked) and 3500kg (braked). Payload is 590kg, which is not a lot once you throw in your kids, dogs, and camping equipment – not to mention anything you might be towing at the time. For reference, a 300 Series LandCruiser's payload, depending on the variant, is between 650kg (VX/Sahara/GR Sport) and 785kg (GX).

The Overtrail’s listed kerb weight is 2690kg, gross vehicle mass (GVM) is 3280kg, and gross combined mass (GCM) is 6780kg.

While any M car is supposed to be rapid and dynamic, it’s also true that the over-arching perception of big SUVs is that they’re comfortable and plush. None of which explains the ride in the XM.

Regardless of how you fiddle with the settings, the ride is always brittle. Those big tyres with their minimal sidewall somehow manage to find every crack and join in the road, and it’s these sharp-edged imperfections that thump through to the cabin the most vocally.

It’s enough to make you wonder who this car is going to appeal to. Will it take to race tracks? Almost certainly not. So the whole point of these suspension settings might be a bit lost on some people.

Performance, meanwhile, is insanely rapid for something that could pass as a bulk carrier. The biggest giveaway to the mass is the transmission’s earnest attempts to keep everything moving by feeling a bit hyperactive on downshifts.

Using the ratios is always going to be the strategy, but with all that torque, maybe it’d be nice sometimes for the trans to hang on to a taller gear and let the boost blow it towards the next corner.

The sound track? Polarising. Even if it doesn’t convince you that Hans Zimmer (who developed the various electronically-synthesised noises the XM makes) should stick to winning Oscars, the augmented sounds are background noise rather than the main event here.

Even the petrol V8’s naturally stirring backing vocals have been electronically tweaked with debatable results.

That said, it’s nice to have something to listen to that isn’t the insistent tyre roar which becomes even louder on coarse-chip surfaces.

Steering effort is light but there’s not a lot of feedback in terms of actual feel. In fact, it’s borderline detached and only the sheer speed of the rack confers any athleticism.

Also, the rear steering seems to come in a few milli-seconds after the front has started to turn. And for all that all-wheel-steering agility, this is never a car that shrinks around you.

As well as the usual passive safety features, the XM also hides the latest active safety gear. In fact, BMW reckons the XM has more driver assistance than any other M car before it.

Those elements start with the 'Driver Assistant Professional' which bundles active cruise-control with stop-go ability, steering and lane-keeping control, automatic speed limit assist and active navigation.

Parking assistance is also featured which incorporates a reversing assistance function, front, rear and panoramic camera views with a 3D view built in.

BMW’s 'ConnectedDrive' includes an emergency call function in the event of a crash or other emergency.

No ANCAP assessment so far.

The 2026 Lexus LX500d Overtrail is covered by a five year/unlimited km warranty.

Capped-price servicing applies for five years/100,000km for a maximum of 10 services.

Servicing is scheduled for every six months or 10,000km, whichever occurs soonest and cost per service, at time of writing, is $595.

Like a lot of manufacturers, BMW knows consumers can be leery of EV tech when it comes to the cost of battery replacement. So, as well as the five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty on the whole vehicle, there’s also eight years or 160,000km of cover for the high-voltage battery.

Servicing intervals are based on how the car has been used and it will inform the owner when a service is required.

A servicing package is included in the purchase price and BMW even throws in three years of roadside assistance.