What is it?
The new BMW X4 - driven for the first time in the UK, and with a diesel engine upfront rather than the petrol lump previously made available to us.
Much about BMW’s latest we already know; this is an BMW X6 clone with its cheeks sucked in to fit the smaller platform currently found beneath the BMW X3. The body swap makes the car slightly longer and a fair bit lower, and sacrifices a modicum of practicality in the good name of SUV sporting pretension.
Almost everything of consequence is carried over from the X3, although its higher status in the lineup means the two-wheel-drive sDrive18d entry-level version gets culled.
Instead, the X4’s are all-wheel-drive as standard and the range kicks off with the xDrive20d SE at £36,595 - a £3600 premium over the equivalent X3, which is consistent across the board.
That four-cylinder car comes with a manual six-speed gearbox as standard, but expect BMW’s eight-speed auto to be a popular option (it’s standard with the 3.0-litre motor).
Trim choice splits the X4 into SE, xLine and M Sport, with the straight-six 255bhp 30d and 308bhp 35d filling out the oil burner-only engine selection. We drove the former, albeit in range-topping format.
Aside from the cosmetic alterations, the X4 gets you a chassis tweak and the toys to go with it - including Performance Control, Variable Sport Steering, and, in the case of our test car, the even firmer M Sport suspension.
To help justify its positioning, the new model gets bigger 18-inch wheels as standard over the X3, as well as the convenience of a 40-20-40 split rear seat. Heated front seats, parking sensors, automatic tailgate and BMW’s Business Media pack are also among the default kit.
Join the debate
Add your comment
Outlaw these vehicles along with the powerful vacuum cleaners.
I was going to moderate my
Something a little different....
Steve Johnson wrote:Such
No, the Renault Avantime was avant-garde, this isnt, this isnt something different, this is basically a Nissan Juke for people with fat wallets, as for higher ground clearance giving better visibility, your right, but this has a lower ride height than a traditional SUV and is more similar to an XC70/Audi Allroad type vehicle, they then ruin the visibility by having very thick A and C pillars, and a letterbox rear view (note without a rear wiper), thus negating some of the advantages of the raised height, unless of course you are only looking forward. At present it only comes with AWD and fairly powerful engines, I wonder how long before we see the X4 sDrive18d, catering for the slightly less well off. Also as for balls, lots of car companies have them, but they don't all have sheeple for customers..