MOTORS BMW’s flagship XM SUV

BMW TAKES ON RANGE ROVER with its BMW XM Plug-In Hybrid

With a starting price just shy of £149,000 and plug-in hybrid technology, the BMW XM is the most advanced car the company has ever built, and represents the brand’s new flagship...

IF, LIKE CHRIS REA, you’re driving home for Christmas, you’re probably surrounded by beautifully-wrapped gifts, bags of food and bottles of wine, a great big turkey... and perhaps you also have a whopping great Christmas tree strapped to your roof rack or poking through between the two front seats. If, in such circumstances, you find yourself short on cabin space, passenger space or boot space, fear not as BMW has the answer. The XM is BMW’s new flagship plug-in hybrid SUV. It’s enormous. At 5,110mm it’s nearly as long as a long-wheelbase Range Rover and 10cm longer than the standard model. It’s about as wide, too, and weighs in at about 2.8 tonnes, matching the Range Rover almost kilo for kilo. It’s also frightfully expensive, at £148,635. For your money, the whopping flagship BMW is powered by a 4.4 litre eight-cylinder engine mated to a plug-in hybrid system generating 800Nm torque, 653hp and facilitating 51 miles of electric-only range. The car has five seats – no seven seat option, like the new Range Rover – but with seats folded, the XM has a potential luggage space of 1,820 litres, which for reference is about six times the size of a Ford Focus with its rear seats in place... so plenty of room for all of that festive collateral. With five seats in place, the car provides 527 litres of space, which is perhaps a bit bigger than a Range Rover Sport. Clearly the packaging here is about accommodating both a plug-in hybrid powertrain, but also a vast interior with plenty of space. Luxury is the aim, here and that extends to the beautiful materials throughout the cabin. Exclusive vintage leather in contrasting tan, an illuminated headliner – a sort of in-car aurora borealis – plus comfort cushions for rear passengers and carbon fibre trim all create an interior which befits the car’s price tag. Doubtless the XM is a very large, very smart and sophisticated flagship, but it’ll need to be. At this price, it’s not just competing with Audi or Mercedes, but now brands like Range Rover and Bentley, too. n

THE DETAILS BMW XM

Price: £145,885 (available to order now, deliveries spring 2023). Powertrains: 4.4 litre V8, 653hp, 800Nm torque, plus 30kWh electric motor. Performance: Top speed 155mph, 0-60mph 4.3secs. Electric range 51 miles, WLTP 176.mpg. Equipment: Heated seats, steering wheel, armrests, massaging seats. Wireless phone charging, adaptive cruise with steering, surround view camera, 14.9” display, 21” alloy wheels, illuminated headliner, vintage leather. n

CURRENT VACANCIES

Location: Boston Enterprise Centre, Endeavour Park, Boston, Lincolnshire, PE21 7TW

Full time, permanent, 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday. No weekend work.

Rutland & Stamford Pride and its sister title Lincolnshire Pride are the number one magazines in their areas, providing the highest quality editorial content and photographs for our affluent readership.

GENERAL MANAGER BOOKKEEPER & ACCOUNTS CUSTOMER SERVICE ADVISORS X4

£60,000 BASIC (£75,000 PRB*)

MINIMUM 10 YEARS EXPERIENCE

Heading up our team is an exciting role with plenty of scope for personal growth. We’re looking for an organised, hard-working individual to oversee our professional team, as they produce the area’s best county magazines, and grow the UK’s number one wedding website, UKbride. HR, ideas generation and experience of motivating and managing a sales team essential, as is fluency in Excel. Knowledge of Sage accounts workflow an advantage. £30,000

MINIMUM FIVE YEARS EXPERIENCE

We are seeking a Bookkeeper & Accounts Manager to work across our county magazines, and our national wedding website, UKbride. You’ll have knowledge of Sage 50cloud Accounts plus efficient and accurate organisation skills, and good working knowledge of Excel. Tasks include credit control, sales and purchase ledger, bank reconciliation and preparation of wages, as well as general office management/administration duties. We’re looking to grow our team of Customer Service Advisors and to recruit four members of staff to work across our county magazines and the UK’s number one wedding website. You’ll be joining a friendly, fun, hard-working and happy team, so the ideal candidates must demonstrate confidence and determination plus excellent verbal communication skills and should be methodical, accurate and hard-working.

Up to £30,000 + bonuses

EXPERIENCE ADVANTAGEOUS BUT NOT ESSENTIAL

JUST SOME OF OUR GENEROUS BENEFITS: Exciting career with a friendly, professional team. • No weekend work, no late nights. • 25 days holiday, all bank holidays paid for. • Ongoing training with opportunities to progress your career within the business. • Workplace pension. • Modern air-conditioned offices with free parking. • Free unlimited tea, coffee and juice, use of kitchen, microwave, fridge and break-out area.

Raising a Glass to 100 years of Oakham RFC

OAKHAM RFC recently welcomed over 200 guests to mark the beginning of its centenary with a black tie dinner in a marqee at its Rutland Showground clubhouse. The club’s President, Chris Burton hosted the event, with VIP guests including the club’s honorary life members, life members, the former RFU President Peter Wheeler and speakers including John Inverdale and John Duggan. Oakham Rugby Football Club was formed at a meeting called by several masters from Oakham School on January 19th 1923, the club has grown considerably and for the last seven years, it has been situated just off the Oakham bypass at The Rutland Showground. “We’re a welcoming, inclusive and friendly club,” says Barbara Crellin, “With excellent facilities and great support from across the community! We’re looking forward to a year of celebrations including our Centenary Ball on 10th June.” n

Images: Alan Walters Photography, 07568 737152, www.waltersphoto.co.uk.