The SUV craze doesn’t seem to be going away and more and more people find themselves favoring a high-riding vehicle to other, more down to Earth alternatives. BMW has to sell cars and they quickly adapted to the new preferences of the market, offering an SUV car alternative to every sedan or hatch they already had, from the X1 to the X7. The X4 falls right in the middle somewhere and it’s supposed to be a more ‘chic’ and stylish alternative to the practical X3.
Over the years though, cars tend to get bigger in size and the new generation X4 makes no exception as it did grow compared to the first generation. That raises one question in a lot of people’s minds: will a four-cylinder engine be enough for it? Looking at the sales figures across Europe one would reckon it is. The best selling models across the old continent are still powered by 2-liter 4-cylinder diesel engines, with one or two turbos.
But what about the new X4? The guys from Car Advice decided to take an xDrive30i model fitted with the M Sport package out for a spin. They found the 255 PS mill more than adequate for every day usage, with loads of torque in the mid-range, to help out with overtakes at a variety of speeds. The car also impresses with its handling, something that sort-of defines BMW SUVs whether they are Sport Activity Vehicles or Sport Activity Coupes.
The exterior design also scored points with them. The rear end is particularly impressive to them as it sets the X4 apart in the industry and segment. Inside the cabin, the fit and finish are of the best quality, as BMW got us used to while iDrive is easy to use even for first-timers. Overall, the car impressed with its car-like driving feel, power and torque as well as excellent interior packaging and disappointed by being a bit too firm, offering Apple CarPlay as an optional extra and with its underwhelming sound.
