Whether you spent your money on it or spent your time poking fun at the thing, you certainly can’t ignore the BMW X6. The Germans are now back with something that stereotype lovers would describe as a "baby X6". The X4 comes to play in what is BMW's most effervescent niche development area.
For two generations and a facelift, the BMW X3 has been serving as the crossover (Sports Activity Vehicle in Bimmer talk) incarnation of the 3-Series sedan. It was only natural for the X3 to receive a Sports Activity Coupe brother in the form of the X4, just like the X5 was backed up by the X6. Well, yes and no.
While the previous statement does seem reasonable, we mustn't forget that, if you want a BMW built around this platform, you also have the 3-Series Sport Wagon (Touring in Europe), 3-Series Gran Turismo, the 4 Series or the 4-Series Gran Coupe. In this respect, the X4 is an answer to a question nobody asked.
Not only does the X4 care little about this, but it also promises to be perhaps the most multi-purpose contemporary BMW car. It wants to offer us the best of all worlds. On its resume, the X4 writes down stuff like sportiness, compactness and, of course, crossover-ness, which is a mix of elements in itself.
The characteristic that sits above all the aforementioned ones is that sloping roofline of the BMW X4, the one determining it to recommend itself as a Sports Activity Coupe. Similar to what happens with a two-door coupe, the roofline reaches its highest point above the driver, while gently flowing downward towards the rear.
Unlike most actual coupes, the X4's beauty is an opinion-splitting topic. Despite being 0.5 inches (13 mm) longer and 1.4 inches (36 mm) lower than the BMW X3, the X4 still appears somewhat stout in its attempt to impersonate a coupe.
Moreover, the M Sport front and rear aprons of our tester somehow remind us of the
Mercedes CLA's front grille - From certain angles, these elements resemble cartoon characters with overly-confident visual features.
Still, we wouldn't spec an X4 without the M Sport package and this only comes to confirm the conclusion of a twisted appearance.
There is one aspect of our test car's looks that everybody seems to agree on though. The Melbourne Red Metallic, a hue we first met while reviewing the
BMW M235i, fits the X4 like a glove.
Anybody who's been inside a BMW X3 will feel entirely familiar with the cabin of the X4. However, the seats were mounted closer to the floor to make up for the lower roofline and offer a sportier perspective. To be more precise, the driver and the front passenger sit 0.8 inches (20 mm) lower, while the value increases to 1.1 inches (28 mm) for the rear passengers.
Still, the driving position feels rather high, giving you the impression you're driving a larger
SUV. This feeling is accentuated by the generously-sized door mirrors. We won't complain about it though, since the interior rear view mirror doesn't do very much for the rear visibility. This, of course, is the fault of the ridiculously small rear window. One solution to improve rear visibility would have been to extend the greenhouse lower. That was impossible though, since the move would've turned the styling at the back into some sort of a Kamm tail. Hybrids like the Toyota Prius may be fine with that, but this is Hoffmeister Kink land, as pointed out by the third side windows.
Speaking of room, there's plenty of it up front. Just make sure your car is fitted with height-adjustable seats. Without them, tall drivers can hit the steering wheel with their knees when accessing the vehicle. The rear passengers also enjoy decent space in all areas, if they don't go over 6'1” (1.85 meters). Ironically, the X4's rear area feels roomier than that of the outgoing X6. As for the luggage capacity, the X4 can swallow 17.7 cubic feet (500 liters) of your stuff, while the rear setbacks are foldable in a practical configuration.
As with the X3, the dashboard is perhaps the best effort we've found in contemporary BMWs. The infotainment screen has been integrated into the central dash, with the resulting design resembling the era when BMW won many people over with its driver-orientated center console. Moreover, the ergonomics are good, while the stowage compartments on the front doors are nothing short of cavernous. In terms of cabin materials, our attention was grabbed by the duality of the plastics. The upper area of the dash features a pleasant soft-touch material, whereas the lower cabin comes with awful plastics that could very well belong in a car many times cheaper than the X4.
The aforementioned impression of a larger car creates a pleasant feeling inside the city, where you discover the BMW X4 is actually quite agile. The car does a good job at isolating you from the urban agitation.
What it won't isolate you from is the attention. Our tester turned heads throughout the drive - you really don't want to mess up with the parking job when people are watching, so you should order the surround view cameras.
Speaking of features, the X4 comes with more standard equipment compared to the X3. The list includes a paddle shifter, leather-wrapped sports steering wheel, a power rear tailgate, and rear parking sensors. In order for the X4 to tickle your sporty sense, the standard features also include variable sport steering and Performance Control. Time to jump straight into the handling area of our review then.
While its X6 big brother came with a torque vectoring rear diff, Dynamic Performance Control, the X4 loses the first particle, as you noticed above. This means that while you still get torque vectoring, the effect is achieved by braking the inside rear wheels though the corners.
A road compiling bends with the most varied of radius values, part of our review routine, awaits ahead. After a few high-speed twisties, we have to applaud the BMW X4's stability. This thing can negotiate bends at thrilling speeds and doesn't break a sweat while doing so.
You will enjoy that while you cruise or drive mildly sporty. In fact, the X4 is pretty good at this kind of activities. Add the serious soundproofing and you end up with a premium experience that takes away the strain of a long journey.
This sort of driving style also makes the most out of the variable sport steering, which offers decent feedback. The same can be said about the brakes, whose initial bite and stopping power are appropriate for normal to warm driving.
The adaptive M Sport suspension provides a comfy ride in general. There is one exception though, with repeated small-intensity bumps making the ride somewhat unsettled.
We got off the road at a certain point during our drive and the suspension managed to keep the larger terrain issues in check pretty well. Yes, you can use the BMW X4 for softroading purposes, but dare not venture further.
By the way, you will notice that the center display has an xDrive status display. There are no locking diffs, so you won't see where the traction goes. Instead, you are shown the car's roll and pitch and, if you opt for a navigation system, you'll also get a compass between the speedometer and the rev counter. Our guest editor Mary has a rather surprising take on the xDrive status display menu.
Returning to the road, we push things past seven or eight tenths and the xDrive's characteristic rear-biased feel is nowhere to be found.
Push the X4 past its admittedly high grip limit and you'll feel the front end trying to go wide a bit. The tendency is swiftly corrected, but the car would rather go into a slight all-wheel slide rather than let the rear display some authority.
Our xDrive 35i tester could be drifted, but only in
DSC Off mode and after some trail braking persuasion. Even in this state, all the car wants is to come back to the neutral point, so you have to push it dangerously hard if you want to keep powersliding.
That is not the problem though, as people don't buy a crossover in order to drift it. That is ridiculous. But you know what else is ridiculous? The superb mid-urge rear-bias feel of the xDrive is gone. We're referring to those times when you drive fast, not too fast, but quick enough to feel the all-wheel drive pushing the car into the corner. And this kind of usage is only normal, especially for a 35i model.
Speaking of the engine, you can rely on it starting from 2,000 rpm, while it offers full force 500 rpm higher. You'll be pleased with its linearity and, as far as pulling power goes, the X4 xDrive 35i shows grunt up to about 135 mph (220 km/h). What this means is that the car has enough resources for most of the driving situations you'll put it in.
Using the Comfort driving mode, the turbo lag is present, but the superb (as always) ZF 8-speed automatic rushes to downshift so that you don't become bothered by this. Switching to Sport mode does make a difference, but don't expect the powerplant to offer perfect response. As for the fuel efficiency, thirsty is the key word here. Using a balanced driving style, we got 15.6 mpg (15l/100 km) inside the city, admitely in heavy traffic. Moreover, driving at 80 mph (130 km/h) on the highway brought the value to 21.4 mpg (11 l/100 km). The overall efficiency throughout our drive, which also included extra-throttle moments, was a spicy 16.3 mpg (14.4l/100 km).
All in all, we don't see the xDrive35i as the pick of the X4 range. The xDrive28i four-banger, with its 241 hp (245 PS) and 258 lb-ft (350 Nm) is a better choice. By the way, these are the only two models Americans get. Outside the US, the X4 is best ordered with a diesel, especially since BMW offers a wide range of brilliant oil burners.
Aiming below the xDrive35i model will also bring a bit of a compensation for what is probably the greatest flaw of the BMW X4, its pricing. To be more precise, the X4 xDrive28i comes with a MSRP of US$ 44,700, while the xDrive 35i has a MSRP of US$48,000. Remember, that's before options.
The issue here is that the X4 xDrive35i's financial side throws it straight into a dogfight with Porsche's Macan S.
The two follow similar recipes, but where the BMW does OK, the Porsche excels.
In Europe, BMW's X4 starts at EUR 45,600 for the xDrive20d oil burner. As for the xDrive 35i model, this comes with a starting price of EUR 58,000 . Add about EUR 20,000 worth of options, a decent take that was used by our tester and you end up with the real price.
The best part of the X4 through, remains its ability to bring many assets belonging to different worlds together. This BMW is like a talented DJ then.
As far as the driving part is concerned, the most pleasant side of the X4 lies within its leisurely cruising abilities. Don't ask it to enter the sporty driving territory past the warm point though - at least in terms of sensations, you'll be disappointed.
It's interesting how, out of all the fresh BMW models we've driven over the last few years, the X4 is perhaps the best example of what the carmaker's identity has evolved into. This car is the new BMW at its purest: comfortable but only somewhat sporty in terms of feel, a poser and an expensive one.
Ironically enough, if you put the X4 on the BMW comparison table, you'll have a hard time building a case for it. Despite being less spacious than the X3 on which it is based, the X4 is a bit heavier. It is also more expensive, while its luggage capacity sits below that of a 3-Series Wagon. All these thoughts, coupled with the controversial styling, will drive many people away.
Nonetheless, it is that design that draws X4 buyers. This is a status car that basically says its driver prefers coolness over everything else. A bit like the designation of one of the car's menus, the (xDrive) status display. This is also why you won't see an X4 owner who is just OK with his or her car. No, people who buy X4s adore them. And that, by all means, is the definition of a niche product.