This story contains renderings created by Thanos Pappas for CarScoops that are neither related to nor endorsed by BMW.
The BMW XM is one of the boldest and most controversial examples of the Bavarian automaker’s design language as the flagship of not only the SUV range but the M brand as well, which makes it a great candidate for our “Face Swap” series. This time however we decided to transplant the XM’s face into other BMW models in order to see how it works when combined with different body styles.
Typical of modern BMW products, some say the XM has a face that only a mother could love, although buyer interest is booming, proving that controversy sells. The split headlights, the massive illuminated kidney grille, the complex air intakes, and the large portion of the bumper painted in black are not easy-to-combine features. In any case we thought we should give it a try.
More: We Face Swapped The Ferrari Purosangue With Some Pretty Interesting Results
The new 7 Series / i7 and the facelifted X7 already got the split headlight treatment, the 5 Series will get a new generation soon while an array of BMW models including the X5 are up for a faceilft very soon. Thus we chose the 2 Series Coupe, the 3 Series, and the X4 as a base for our digital surgery, in order to create a diverse mix of bodystyles comprising a compact two-door coupe, a traditional four-door sedan, and a smaller coupe-SUV.
BMW 2 Series Coupe
Starting with one of the smallest members of BMW’s range, the 2 Series Coupe has also caused some controversy with its front-end styling. In fact, call me crazy but in my eyes the XM’s headlight setup looks somewhat more refined than the original clusters. The grille is too large for such a small car, but overall the face swap is more appealing than we initially expected. Even the black area on the bumper makes sense, helping shed some visual weight from the bulky nose. If you want to see more renders based on the 2 Series, we recently tried to fix the M2’s face with a new bumper from the Z4.
BMW 3 Series Sedan
Next up in the operation room is one of BMW’s core models – the 3 Series sedan. The Bavarian automaker recently facelifted the 3er but with a very mild approach compared to our take. Again, the result is surprisingly balanced considering we took the face from a large SUV and stuck it on a low-slung four-door sedan.
Read: We Get Up Close To The 2023 BMW XM Plug-In Hybrid SUV
All those lines at the front make the profile of the 3 Series look kind of dated, and the double-octagonal grille draws attention like a magnet. Still, there will be some people that prefer this mini-7-series look over the M3 / M4. For the 3 Series we took things a step further and tried a wilder color combination with gold on the grille and alloy wheels and red for the bodywork bringing Christmas a little bit closer.
BMW X4
Finally, we had to try the XM face on a model with similar bodystyle to the original. We didn’t take just a regular SUV, but the coupe-rooflined variant of the X3 marketed as the BMW X4. Here, the front bumper feels like home, with the proportions of the vehicle not being affected at all by its new nose. This baby XM could easily be an actual thing, although it would most likely steal some of the glory of the flagship if it looked that similar. BMW is actually working on a new generation for the X3 and the X4, but camouflaged prototypes have proven it will look closer to the X1 rather than the wild XM.
Below is a gallery of all BMW face swaps together with the original press photos so you can compare by yourself and decide which one you prefer. Let us know in the comments section if you would rather drive an XM-faced BMW. As always, we are open to ideas for the next face swap.
