Key Facts
Model tested: BMW X4 xDrive20d M Sport
Price: starts from £36,895; car as tested £42,535
Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder diesel
Transmission: four-wheel drive, eight-speed automatic with paddle shifts
Body style: five-door SUV
CO2 emissions: 136g/km (Band E, £130 annually)
Combined economy: 54.3mpg
Top speed: 132mph
0-62mph: 8.0 seconds
Power: 190hp at 4,000rpm
Torque 400Nm at 1,750- to 2,750rpm
Our view:
It cannot be ignored that the whole 'coupé-SUV' concept is what will put potential buyers off the BMW X4. Started by its big brother, the X6, back in 2008, it's a genre that hasn't seen other manufacturers flocking to it in the intervening years. Indeed, only Mercedes is dipping a toe into this water now, with the GLE Coupé recently launched and a GLC Coupé likely on the way. Audi is talking about doing a TT-inspired SUV too, but as yet, we've not seen anything concrete.
BMW won't care, though, because - despite the abhorrence of many critics - this particular breed of crossover 4x4 has sold well. Munich shifted almost a quarter of a million of the first generation X6 and so it only makes sense to 'sportify' the X3 too, creating the X4. It seems popular already, based on a very 'thumb in the air' measurement of how many we've seen on the roads, so you can bet BMW is already considering the feasibility of an X2...
So, love 'em or loathe 'em, these coupé SUVs are here to stay. Thus, let's address the looks. We're not fans of the X6, which comes across as gaudy in almost any specification, but somehow... the X4 gets away with that sloping back and high rear deck. Sure, some won't like it, but the slightly more compact dimensions of the X4 make it just about bearable. It even looks pretty good in Melbourne Red, about the most daring colour offered for it, although we must say the 19-inch 622M alloys look a trifle small in the wheel arches; bizarrely more so at the front. However, for whatever reason, we think it's a bearable piece of design.
The interior is beyond anyone's reproach, though, as it is typically modern-BMW excellent, with the lovely iDrive infotainment control and satnav as standard (all BMWs have satnav as standard in the UK now), and what is known as the 'semi-command' driving position. This is one of the areas where the coupé and SUV facets of its character oppose each other; for sharper driving, you want to sit lower, but if you're buying an SUV then one of the main appeals is to perch above the other proles on the road and look down your nose at them. X4 occupants are 20mm lower at the front and 28mm lower in the rear than in an X3, just in case that puts you off.
Further potential issues are the boot and the rear seat head room, but on the latter score that 28mm lower seating position means a six-foot adult in the back doesn't need to have their head crammed into the roof lining, while on the former a 500/1,400-litre boot is none too shabby at all. OK, so the X3 offers 550- and 1,600 litres respectively, but they're hardly huge increases. Also, all X4s come with the automatically opening tailgate, which is a nice touch.
In terms of driving, it's perfectly acceptable without feeling any more dynamic than the X3; in fairness, all coupé versions of regular SUVs we've tried fall into the same category. The ride on the M Sport model is sumptuous at all times, while the car is generally a very quiet and refined operator. Admittedly, at higher revs BMW's 2.0-litre diesel can get raucous compared to rival units but it's never out-and-out harsh, and 190hp/400Nm are all you'll ever need for day-to-day driving. The X4 feels suitably rapid thanks to the healthy midrange torque, while it achieved almost bang on the quoted combined 54.3mpg; on a long motorway run as we saw 52mpg - all without hypermiling behind an HGV at 56mph.
The handling is sharp but, as stated, no finer than on the conventional X-models. Grip levels are high, body roll, pitch and dive are all minimal and understeer is largely eradicated, yet at no point does the X4 have its driver grinning foolishly. It'll cover ground quicker than you might imagine, though, and for target buyers it will feel sprightly enough to make it worth the entry fee of £42,535, which is a not inconsiderable amount of dough.
The all-diesel UK X4 range is fairly easy to understand - there's a 2.0-litre 20d model in three trims (SE, xLine and M Sport) available with either a six-speed manual or eight-speed automatic transmission. The bigger, six-cylinder 30d X4 is automatic only and comes in xLine or M Sport guises, while the twin-turbo, range-topping 35d is an auto M Sport alone; xLine is £1,500 on the SE and M Sport £3,000 over the base spec. All X4s are all-wheel drive, so there are none of the odd sDrive versions you find in other X BMWs, and if you want to step up to an equivalent X4 from an X3, it'll cost you £3,600.
For many of us, this sort of pragmatic thinking always holes the coupé SUV argument below the waterline - why buy the less practical vehicle when you can get the equally impressive X3 for less cash? Yet that's not what goes through the minds of target buyers of the X4. They want something that's a bit different from the norm, which can handle the rigours of daily life without drama. By those parameters, you have to confess that the BMW X4 xDrive20d is a hit.
Alternatives:
Audi SQ5: for a mere £2,200 more than this 20d M Sport, you could get into the fastest Q5 of all, which is reasonably entertaining to drive. Specifying it to match the X4 would push its price to £50k and more, though.
BMW X3 xDrive20d M Sport: well, you have to consider it, surely? It's £3,600 cheaper spec-for-spec, has more space within and doesn't have as questionable an image. Also, it drives pretty tidily.
Porsche Macan S Diesel: sublime chassis and on the market for around £43,000, but for that cash it will come in poverty spec. The smaller Porsche SUV is related to the Audi Q5.
