Friday 5th April 2013

BMW X4 revealed

BMW X6 too pricey and X1 not manly enough for you? Fear not, here comes the X4!

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BMW has already done its April fool so we'll have to conclude that the X4 'concept' it's announced is indeed deadly serious. And with an apparently insatiable desire among consumers for 4x4ish vehicles and similar drive to fill every niche imaginable (and a few that weren't) by the German premium marques the result is this.

Expect it to look even bigger in your mirror

This being the new X4. The 1,500-word press release announcing the latest BMW X-model spends a lot of time waffling on about lofty design concepts (lots of talk of milled this, high gloss that and 11 uses of derivations of the word 'sport) without actually saying very much at all about the substance. There appears some confusion as to the underpinnings and whether they're X1/3 Series derived or whether it's an X5/X6 style pairing. The fact that the overall length and the wheelbase are identical to the X3 (it's 34mm wider and 53mm lower) would suggest the latter, BMW clearly banking on there being folk out there who fancy an X6 but can't stretch to the £47K starting price. Further credence to this theory would come with the news it'll be built at the same American facility in Spartenburg as the X3, X5 and X6.

All the, er, charm of the X6 but more affordable

With the X1 range starting at £24K, the X3 £29K and the X6 typically a couple of grand or so more expensive than the equivalent X5 you can pitch the X4 as starting in the low 30s. The Evoque has to be one of the targets in the X4's sights, overlap with higher end Mini Paceman models giving BMW a pretty effective lockdown on the sporty, coupe-ish 'Sports Activity Vehicle' market it modestly takes credit for having created. It also lays down the gauntlet to Porsche's Macan, soon to be with us following a massive investment in a new production line in Leipzig just down the road from where the X1 is built.

With one in four BMWs now an X model whether you approve or not you can see why they've done it, a formal debut to follow in Shanghai and sales to start next year.

[richb77]

Oh good lord. A mini X6.


NEXT!

[Neil G60]

misery

[VeeDub Geezer]

How long until we see an X2 crossover? Too close to the MINI Paceman?

[Cyrus1971]

Style over substance is a prioritisation of values BMW should avoid IMHO.

A rather dull and practical comment is that the boot in the X6 is so high and small it is next to useless, in an X4 it will be tiny.

Count me out - but then I am sure it was never intended for the likes of me !

[premio]

Posted up already http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...

[kambites]

It's not as bad looking as the X6 and 5GT, but I suppose that is rather damning with faint praise.

It'll sell, and probably well.

[LuS1fer]

Beginning to lose my memory of the last time BMW styled a nice looking car.

[anonymous-user]

Well. No. Moving on.

[kambites]

LuS1fer said:

Beginning to lose my memory of the last time BMW styled a nice looking car.

To my eye, that would be the E46 or the Z8 (not sure which is most recent).

[drivin_me_nuts]

Aiming for the Evoque?

[sh33n]

Proportions seem better than the X6 and it’s nice to see someone rivalling the Evoque; neither are for me however.

If the wheel base is the same as the X3, wouldn’t it make sense that they are using the X1/X3 underpinnings?

[sh33n]

LuS1fer said:

Beginning to lose my memory of the last time BMW styled a nice looking car.

I desperately want a 4 series to replace my E92. Maybe I just have bad taste!

What about the Z4 Coupe?

[HorneyMX5]

It's less offensive than an X6 but that's not really say much is it? I think the basic body isn't actually that bad looking. If it was runing a standard saloon style ride hieght and wheel combination I hink it would actually look pretty good.

Nick

[vescaegg]

How much effort and money does it take to design and actually build a new model? I take it this is just a slightly different body on say an X3 chassis?

Im sure someone has crunched the numbers but its hard to believe its really worth it financially for BMW when some of their other models are so similar.

[PaulMoor]

Meh... Looks like a bland coupe that a "styling house" has jacked up and put on silly wheels.

What I don't understand is why BMW don't make more of rally raid competition they do? Stick a GS in the picture then witter on about "World beating off road, now with 4 wheels" or some such. Admittedly the average buyer of one of these will probably go no further off road than parking on a grass verge, but they like to think it has off road cred.

[pti]

Finally! Just what I've been waiting for

[Bash Brannigan]

I like the aggressive front end, would be great if the regular 3 series estate had that instead of the weird brow beaten face it currently sports.

Does the press release ever say what country they predict the majority of the sales to be from? We're not exactly a big piece of the puzzle anymore.

[big_boz]

Excellent, another car that helps me identify people i want to punch square in the face. Cheers BMW for making it easy to spot a

[LuS1fer]

sh33n said:

LuS1fer said:

Beginning to lose my memory of the last time BMW styled a nice looking car.

I desperately want a 4 series to replace my E92. Maybe I just have bad taste!

What about the Z4 Coupe?

I liked the last Z4 but the new one looks like a boat with a big nose.

[ewenm]

Is this "The Ultimate Driving Machine" or "Joy"?