BMW X4 xDrive20d M Sport 2018 UK first drive

The BMW X4 has always been something of an ugly duckling. When the original first arrived in showrooms four years ago, its awkwardly proportioned looks didn’t exactly win the adulation of the motoring press.

Now, though, there’s a new one. And while it hasn’t exactly transformed into some four-wheeled equivalent of a swan, there’s no denying that the second-generation model is much easier on the eye. At the front, it’s largely indistinguishable from the mechanically identical BMW X3, while from the B-pillar back its roofline tapers down to create the coupé-style silhouette that marks out this particular niche of SUVs.

While you may have already read our review of the potent BMW X4 M40d, today we’re driving the bread-and-butter offering in the line-up: the far more humble xDrive20d. Under the bonnet sits a 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbocharged diesel powerplant that puts out 187bhp and 295lb ft of torque, deployed via an eight-speed automatic transmission and BMW’s xDrive all-wheel drive system.

Where the M40d, with its twin-turbocharged six-cylinder diesel engine, can hit 62mph from a standstill in 4.9sec, our xDrive20d model makes do with a far more pedestrian level of performance; the same sprint takes 8.0sec flat.

From the driver’s seat, the X4 looks practically identical to its BMW X3 sister car. You sit a touch lower in the cabin, but the infotainment, dash layout and digital instrument binnacles are all recognisable from the more conventionally shaped SUV. There’s good adjustability, too — as you would expect from a vehicle designed with keener drivers in mind.

In the back, the tapered roofline hasn’t eaten into head room a great deal, while leg room doesn’t create any great cause for concern either. The boot opening is usefully wide, although there is a bit of lip that can make loading and unloading heavy items a more taxing endeavour. The sloping roofline can be an issue here, too; although there’s 525 litres of seats-up storage space on offer, it does mean large boxes (or chests of drawers, in this tester’s case) can be a bit of a struggle to fit in.

From a dynamic point of view, though, the BMW X4’s more sporting intent is evident from the get-go. The thick-rimmed steering wheel’s gearing errs on the heavier side of things, and while there isn’t a great deal of talkativity to be experienced here, it does let you steer the X4 into bends with confidence. It’s a responsive thing, too; the front end turns in quickly and the lateral weight transfer experienced while navigating successive bends isn’t as significant as you might expect from what is a fairly tall, heavy vehicle.