BMW X4 officially unveiled at New York Motor Show
Bold new BMW X4 revealed, available only with diesel engines and priced from £36,590. On sale July
This is the BMW X4, the German manufacturer’s latest model and a car that has just laid the foundations for a whole new niche. Following in the footsteps of is bigger brother the BMW X6, the X4 blends classic X family elegance with sporting coupe design cues. Prices will start from £36,590 for the base xDrive20d model and sales of the new X4 will kick off on 12 July 2014.
The Geneva Motor Show seemed like the perfect stage to showcase BMW’s new model but the manufacturer’s focus there was on it’s new three-cylinder engines and first front wheel drive car, the 2 Series Active Tourer. Instead, the X4 has been unveiled at the New York Motor Show.
Based on the same platform as the X3, the X4 measures in at 14mm longer and 36mm lower to the ground that its sibling. Most striking on the new X4 is the coupe-like roofline, which cascades down to the tailgate over the front seats.
Larger air intakes and new inset fog lights on the front bumper and also set it apart visually from the X3. The high-waisted crease running along the flanks, which splits in two, breaks up the SUV proportions. Styling cues from the recently introduced 4 Series Gran Coupe can also clearly be seen in the taillights and C-pillar.
Inside, familiar BMW controls and dials have been fitted, with high-gloss black-panel accents and aluminium trim strips adding a sporty dimension. The driver and front passenger will sit 20mm lower to the ground than they would in the X3, while those in the back sit 28mm lower.
A higher equipment specification will be offered on the X4 over the X3, with standard kit across the range including an automatically opening tailgate, variable sport steering, 18-inch alloy wheels, front and rear parking sensors, Xenon headlights and heated front seats. The xLine trim can be specced for a further £1,500, which adds a new 18-inch alloy wheel design, satin aluminium exterior trim, dark copper interior trim and sports seats trimmed in xLine leather.
M Sport trim costs a further £3,000 over the base SE spec and adds more aggressive exterior styling, 19-inch alloy wheels and M Sport tuned suspension. BMW M door sill finishers, sport seats and an aluminium hexagon interior trim add the finishing touches.
BMW X4: engine range
The X4 will be offered only with diesel engines from launch, with BMW confirming no petrol motors will be made available in the UK. The entry-level xDrive 20d (£36,590) is powered by a 187bhp 2.0-litre diesel motor capable of 54.3mpg and CO2 emissions of 138g/km. A six-cylinder 255bhp 3.0-litre diesel will be fitted to the xDrive30d model (£44,890), returning a claimed 47.9mpg with emissions of 156g/km.
The range topping xDrive35d variant (£48,990) uses a more potent 308bhp version of the same 3.0-litre engine, capable of cracking 0-62mph in 5.2 seconds. Economy suffers slightly at 47.1mpg and emissions of 157g/km claimed. BMW neither confirmed nor denied the possibility of a cooked-up M version joining the ranks.
All models are fitted with a six-speed manual gearbox and all-wheel drive as standard, with the option of the eight-speed automatic transmission available to buyers. Auto Stop/Start, brake energy regeneration and on-demand operation of ancillary units are standard across the model range to help further boost efficiency.
