This is of course, still higher than you
might get in the ‘semi-command’ position of a 5 or 3 GT, which is of course
slightly higher than the ‘not-command’ of a standard saloon. Quite where this
puts the seating in BMW’s ever-expanding lexicon of niche nomenclature, but I
would offer ‘command-semi-command’ as a pretty clear indicator of where it
stands…
The cabin is standard Spartanburg-factory
fare which means all the usual BMW traits with the odd rough edge and gaping
gap between mouldings, while the boot has a surprising 500 litres – surprising
as the rear glass cuts through all the useful space you would usually get in an
SUV. There’s automatic closing on the bootlid too, and I’ll wager that owners
will soon be screaming in angst as it keeps popping back up as stuff gets
detected in the way at the tapered end.
The
cabin is refined and, on smooth roads at least, the X4's ride quality is good
But the X4 is a much more talented fast car
than the X3, thanks to 15% stiffer springs and dampers and all models come with
BMW’s Performance Control, Variable Sports Steering and the xDrive
all-wheel-drive system as standard. Ours also had the $1,605 variable damper
option too, and if it might be hard work to ascertain exactly what all these
things individually bring to the party, together they create an
impressive-handling car (for its type), allowing it to stand up tall through
corners with a far more progressive roll than the odd lurch and then gamely
gusseted bolster the latest Evoques have.
There's
plenty of space in the front of the X4
As a consequence it feels more like a car
to drive than an SUV, and you can be fairly aggressive turning the nose in with
the heavy if slightly lifeless steering, even on wet roads, safe in the
knowledge that you aren’t going to understeer into a bush. Turn in really hard,
and you can feel drive being portioned out to the loaded-up rear wheel, kicking
the car back into line. But then, when are drivers of these sorts of cars going
to get into such marginal territory?
We only got to drive the xDrive 35i on
launch, which we don’t get in the UK, and the three diesels we do (but didn’t,
if you see what I mean) will be much better suited. This revvy engine feels at
odds with this type of car, although the eight-speed auto is very slick: BMW
has really mastered tuning that ubiquitous ZF ’box.
Rear
space is limited and not ideal for adults
No doubt the 186bhp 2.0-litre, and 253bhp
and 307bhp versions of its straight-six 3.0 turbodiesel will do it more
justice. Prices start at $63,245 for the 20d SE up to a whopping $83,760 for
the 35d M Sport, which means it carries a four to five grand premium over an
equivalent X3, although before you start shaking your head in despair, it does
come with more standard kit.
So all things considered, if you want one,
fine, I doubt anyone else’s opinion is going to make a ha’penny’s worth of
difference. If given the choice, I’d take the X4 over Yoko’s fetid nether
regions. But it’s a close call.
