The BMW X4 marks an innovative experiment of creating a unique compact crossover that combines elements of an SUV with the sloping roofline of a coupe, yet retaining a four door structure. The idea is to create a luxury crossover that can provide not just comfort and practicality but also a great driving experience found in a coupe. Has it worked? Find out here:
For starters, the style works brilliantly. This is the hottest looking compact crossover in the market, period. The side profile in particular looks quite muscular. Despite the small size, it garners a lot of road respect, in part because of the prestige badge but also those front lights make a strong impact.
The interior is very comfortable with signature BMW quality and comfort. Surprisingly there is a bit of hard material in the center area and the audio controls feel a bit flimsy to be honest. Apart from that, the seats and other equipment looks and feels luxurious. Safety features include lane change warning, forward collision visual warning, pedestrian detection and rear protection. However there is no adaptive cruise control which is surprising.
Rear leg room and boot space are very adequate and practical for long drives and short trips. The sloping roofline creates a lesser head room in the rear but comfortable enough for most adults of average height. The panoramic roof creates a very spacious ambience inside.
Interior features include a sporty looking gearbox and a fantastic infotainment system, matched only by Audi. The Harmon Kardon sound system is excellent. Our full options test car included separate profile options that allow you to set individual settings for seat controls and other aspects of the car, similar to Infiniti Q50 we drove recently. In addition, the drive mode can be adjusted for sportiness, although personalization options were limited and in this aspect Audi RS4 Avant does a much better job, where multiple aspects of the drive can be adjusted, such as suspension, steering, etc.
Let's talk about the drive. The best part about X4 is the linear acceleration where I had very easy access to torque. 300 HP and 400 NM for a crossover is a lot of fun. 0-100 acceleration took 6.5 seconds which is very good for a crossover. It can overtake cars very easily on highways and cruises very comfortably. Our full options test car came with head up display as well which might look cool but not very useful otherwise.
In terms of handling, it's not best in class but fares reasonably well if you consider it's a crossover. Yet, it's a compact crossover and I expected more. You do experience some body roll and sharp turns at 80 km / h will show some understeer. Now, I understand Audi RS4 Avant is not an exact rival (being an estate car) but it is also a five seater with a large boot. The Audi has way better handling than the X4.
To sum it all up, the X4 offers excellent luxury and a very decent drive, however I won't call it a driver's car. If you want sporty handling, look at Audi RS4 Avant which is priced very similar to BMW X4 although it's not an exact rival. The styling of BMW X4 is sportier than Range Rover Evoque and the drive is very comfortable with powerful acceleration. The X4 is valiantly trying to be practical and sporty at the same time and it comes close but remains imperfect.
