We review the BMW X4 from price to economy and all its features

BMW is pushing out so many new models now it’s hard to keep up. More letter and number combinations are being added daily - the latest is the X4.

That X means it's an SUV, or Sports Utility Vehicle, although BMW muddies the water (not literally, of course, as these 4x4s never actually get mucky) by referring to its X cars as Sports Activity Vehicles (SAVs).

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Adding to the confusion is that number; BMW’s 4s are coupés, but this is a four-door - five if you include the hatch. Confused? We are, but then again BMW could pop a blue and white roundel badge on one of its factory worker’s shoes and there’d be a queue of people wanting to buy it.

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So the X4 is coupé version of the X3 SUV that’s not, in BMW speak at least, an SUV. At least all the wheels are driven, so should Armageddon come you’ll be decently equipped to escape it. Why else would you want a 4x4, after all?

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Only you might want to be a bit circumspect in your packing, as the  coupé has a  smaller boot. Fifty litres smaller, says BMW. So you’ll have to leave out some emergency supplies and hope normality resumes before your rations run out. Feeding the kids less wouldn’t hurt, mind, as you don’t want them growing too much, as they’ll quickly run out of headroom in the tighter back seats.

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 First Impressions?

You’ll look good in your X4, as it is basically shaped like a narrower - and not quite so muscular - scaled down BMW X6. And looking good is what the X4 is all about. Being the sportier X model the driving position isn’t quite as high as in its more practical sibling, but it’s still tall enough to enjoy a better view ahead than most.

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How does it drive?

Only diesel engines are offered in the UK, and the new 190bhp 2.0-litre is plenty quick and still efficient. The 3.0-litre is very brisk in standard 258bhp '30d' guise and indecently so in the 313bhp 35d range topper.

In fairness, the lower seating position does help the X4 feel sportier than the X3, and it's a touch more agile than its more practical relative too. Achieving that hasn’t resulted in any significant trade-off in the ride quality; even on the larger 19-inch alloy wheels and firmer suspension that comes with M Sport trim it’s rarely upset by what sometimes passes for roads here in the UK.

The steering is accurate and nicely weighted, the engine's hushed and the eight-speed automatic gearbox does everything you’d hope. It shifts effortlessly and briskly - and I think most people will opt for this.

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What it’s like inside?

No real surprises inside. You’re higher than normal, if not as high up as in the X3, although the view out of the X4 is also restricted by its more coupé-like roofline. Still, BMW will sell you an option for that, with parking sensors and cameras all easing the stress in a multi-storey car park.

Few will find the boot space lacking, although headroom in the back does suffer as a result of the X4’s more sporting profile.

Verdict

Here's an SUV that’s not a coupé that’s not a conventional 4x4. The BMW X4 might give out mixed messages, but it’s strangely alluring. Saying that, it’s difficult to justify the £3600 premium it costs over the equivalent, more spacious and less conceptually-confused X3.

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We like: Fine drive, individual looks, good performance

We dislike: Less space but costs more, visibility out the back not great.

The rivals

BMW pretty much invented the coupé-esque SUV segment with its genre-busting X6, so the X4 has few direct rivals. If sporting SUVs are your thing the Porsche Macan is a far more engaging drive. Though it lacks the BMW’s rakish profile, passengers benefit with greater space as a result.