Sportier than an X3 but at the expense of rear seat comfort It’s a car that many road testers loved to hate. Big, profligate and about as subtle as a Hummer parked on your lawn, the BMW X6 has been politely vilified by critics, this one included, for its unashamed excess.And yet the public have duly ignored this advice, snapping up the X6 by the hundreds of thousands. Over a quarter of a million of these giant-size four-seat, four-wheel–drive coupés have found buyers so far, and, not unreasonably, BMW is lining up to repeat the feat with the same idea miniaturised in the shape of the X4.If you’re familiar with the BMW X3, the X4 will feel, well, familiar. At heart it’s the same car, but with a modest range of changes that turn it into a device usefully more sporting. It has a lower centre of gravity. Its occupants sit a little closer to Earth. Its springs, dampers, bushings and steering have been recalibrated for a more rewarding drive, while torque vectoring heightens its cornering power and its eight-speed transmission harnesses different gearing and an altered shift strategy for more incisive performance.And, of course, the X4 looks different. A nose of thrusting character, more emphatically muscled flanks and a roofline arcing into a sportily raked upper tailgate all identify this as the X6’s little brother. It lacks some of that car’s fluency of line, especially around the rear, but it’s unmistakably a coupé SUV.In essence, though, it is also an X3, dynamically repurposed. You have to look hard to spot it, but the two share bonnets, front bumper and grille, front wings, their forward doors and their dashboard layout.In Britain we’ll be offered the X4 with a choice of three engines, all diesels. The range starts with the £36,590 X4 xDrive20d featuring BMW’s all-new and decidedly more refined 187bhp 2.0-litre engine. In manual form this version pushes the X4 to 62mph in 8.0sec and on to 132mph, returning 52.3mpg combined and CO2 emissions of 143g/km.Next up is the pricier £44,890 xDrive30d, but it’s faster, too, sprinting to 62mph in 5.8sec and on to 148mph. It returns 47.9mpg and 156g/km of CO2. The range-topping xDrive35d costs £48,990, breaks 62mph in a striking 5.2sec, tops 153mph and is barely less economical at 47.1mpg and 157g/km.The xDrive30d and xDrive35d come with an eight-speed automatic transmission; this is an option for the six-speed manual xDrive20d.The xDrive label indicates all-wheel drive, of course, and all three cars benefit from torque vectoring, which apportions the driveline’s thrust across and between axles to maximise traction and maintain your mid-bend trajectory. So this is a machine well kitted with sporting hardware, and the looks to go with it.Despite 15 years having passed since BMW launched the X5, which decisively demonstrated that a tall 4x4 can deliver a surprisingly entertaining drive, it still feels odd to charge hard in a car that rides so high. But sports seats, a driving position recognisable to anyone used to lower-slung BMWs and a dashboard fit for a performance saloon all underline the X4’s intent.That this might be deliverable is evident from the moment you swivel the X4’s thick-rimmed wheel. It is solidly weighted, direct and accurate and feels satisfyingly well lubricated. Placing this car, whether in the city or at a keenly rushed apex, is easy. So is seeing out when you’re going forwards, although its shallow, oddly arched rear window reveals little of the world behind. Its power delivery is civil, and the transmission’s selection efforts are unnoticeable when you’re oozing around town.Unfortunately, we can’t report on any of the engines destined for the UK, as the only power unit available at launch was the 3.0-litre turbo six of the petrol xDrive35i. It's claimed to propel the the X4 from 0-62mph in 5.5sec and reputed to average 34mpg.Despite its generous 302bhp and 295lb ft, this engine does without a diesel’s low-rev urge, and when you make the open road it’s a surprise to find that you need crank speeds north of 3000rpm to get this X4 to move in a manner appropriate to its mission statement. This engine also has less of the beguiling soundtrack of ancient BMW sixes, although it musters some decent rort when pumping hard.This mild shortfall in the mid-range tempts you into reconfiguring the X4’s controls when the road ribbons enticingly ahead. Knocking the gear selector left gives a more reactive throttle and transmission, and toggling the Driving Experience Control into Sport intensifies the effect.You might want to use the shift paddles, too, as the eight-speeder isn’t always in the ideal gear for eruptive exits from bends. That you’ll be wanting to achieve this effect at all is a measure of the X4’s confident way with corners; any concern at your distance from the road below, and this SUV’s considerable 1815kg mass, vaporises with each hard-charged twist.The steering’s heft gives confidence, as does the X4’s tightly buttoned body control. And when you expect some run-wide understeer, the torque vectoring provides subtle rescue. In short, it’s fast, agile and satisfyingly accurate. It’s not quite as sportingly responsive as the Porsche Macan, but it’s more dynamic than most SUVs.Downsides? The most serious is caused by the repackaging of the rear to deal with the lower roofline. A rather short cushion is 28mm closer to the floor, with the resulting loss of thigh support compounded by the fact that you can’t shove your feet under the seat in front. It’s fine for kids, but adults won’t thank you for long journeys.Still, the boot is big and the X4’s refinement seems good bar some high-speed wind rustle, although we can’t report on the ride as the roads around Bilbao were as smooth as this BMW’s paint.The X4’s additional dynamism costs £4715 more in the case of the X3 xDrive20d SE equivalent, so you’ll need to want its greater agility and more unusual style to justify the outlay.If adults or big kids regularly use the back seats, it might not be the answer. And the xDrive30d costs slightly more than the diesel Macan, which for many will prove to be a tempting choice.
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