BMW X4 test. What is the rival coupe SUV of the Mercedes GLC Coupé, Porsche Macan

Should we put the BMW X4 in the category of beautiful cars? The question remains open. Those who doubt it cling to a too Cartesian vision of the automobile, which prevents them from being reconciled with the idea that a model may be worth more than the one from which it draws closely, even if it offers less useful space. For these people, riding in coupe rather than saloon is equivalent to choosing a beachfront apartment based not on the beauty and tranquility of the place, but their appeal to the pretentious bourgeois. Absurd

And yet. In less than four years, no less than 200,000 copies of the BMW X4 will have been sold worldwide, a score that would not have disappointed him after seven years, the usual length of a car's career. This is the proof, if any were needed, that a significant number of consumers buy their cars with the heart as much as with reason, if not more.

To explain such a success, it is not even You need to risk yourself in the field of aesthetic debate: beautiful or ugly, the BMW X4 forces the admiration of your neighbor, and that's all that matters. At his wheel, the proverbial "old handsome" feels rejuvenated : finished the coupe daddy, place the SUV coupe, more in the air time.

" The X4 is, still today, the BMW model that has recorded the highest number of pre-orders ", reveals Olivier Wodetzki, Head of Product Communication at BMW France. It is to say if it was waited. By who ? By all those who dreamed until then to afford a BMW X6 without being able to pay the price or dare to show at the wheel.

The X4 badumes more easily than a larger X6, more expensive [19659006] In fact, everyone does not badume the size and the image of the biggest of the three SUV coupes now in the BMW range (the German manufacturer talks about SAC, for Sports Activity Coupé ). Imposing and overpowering, cumbersome and threatening, the BMW X6 overflows some garages too small and dries some bank accounts too little provisioned. The only cost of replacing its tires is enough to condemn a family to eat noodles for the remainder of the quarter, as long as it wears the big extra large wheels that its adorers love so much. Everything for appearances.

Certainly, in absolute terms, riding a BMW X4 remains a privilege that is expensive. Not less than 50,700 euros for the entry-level model X4 xDrive20i driven by the 4-cylinder petrol engine of 184 horsepower. However the entry ticket for a BMW X6 is up to 74.300 euros (BMW X6 xDrive30d with 6-cylinder diesel engine 258 horses). For 1,800 euros more, we can afford the pinnacle of the X4 in Diesel, a BMW X4 M40d with a strong 6-cylinder 3.0 326 horsepower. Add another thousand euros to point, and you can start driving an X4 M40i with a 354 horsepower 3-cylinder gasoline engine 3 liters (77,200 euros, excluding options).

This difference in price level between BMW X6 and X4 is even more reflective of the barge that the new BMW X4 does not have much to envy his big brother, in terms of presence. Everything is done so that the onlooker can hardly distinguish one from the other, even better than before. The X4 lengthened by 8.1 centimeters, including 5.4 cm for the single wheelbase (distance between wheels). Above all, the BMW X4 widens by 3.7 centimeters and goes down by 3 millimeters. What make it seem larger and more imposing than it really is. " The new BMW X4 is equal in width to a certain Porsche Macan ", says Olivier Wodetzki

The refined design of the taillights contributes to this impression: it draws its inspiration from the concept-car which announced last summer the all-new BMW 8 Series coupe. This is almost the only link between two bodies that everything else separates: two doors and ultra-low silhouette for the 8 Series; five doors and very thick sidewalls for the BMW X4. The latter can only deserve the qualifier of coupe that compared to its low flag, compared to that of the BMW X3.

And again. The artifice employed is clever. If the X4 seems more collected than the X3, it is mainly because of a smaller glbad surface, like a belt higher and more inclined. In fact, it feels good behind the X4: even under the new panoramic roof that encroaches on the available height, a pbadenger of 1.80 meters is comfortable. The knee space, meanwhile, officially gains 27 millimeters.

Carved as a pillar, agile as an opener

For lack of immediate availability in France, we could not taste the M Performance models that benefit from the office of a M Sport self-locking differential. However, its absence has not spoiled our experience behind the wheel of the less advanced BMW X4 xDrive20d 190 horsepower and X4 xDrive30i 252 horsepower. Even deprived of this artifice, these two big SUV seem to defy the laws of physics. The new Direct Drive Variable Gear ratio steering helps to compensate for the natural tendency of their nose to widen the trajectory. Relieving the pressure of the right foot on the accelerator pedal helps cornering: we feel the rear train gracefully accompany the maneuver and we take great pleasure in linking the laces at the wheel of the X4.

More than driving the BMW X3? Hard to say. The manufacturer argues that the X4 is the most dynamic of the two, because of a lower center of gravity and suspensions recalibrated accordingly. Nevertheless, it would be necessary to pbad from one to the other on the same route to distinguish the difference. Especially since unlike the BMW X2 which sits its driver lower than in the X1, we keep in the BMW X4 the same driving position as in the X3.

We appreciate the degree of control of their subject by engineers from BMW when we read that the tested X4 have never manhandled our vertebrae, while they were running tires of 20 inches running flat deemed not very conciliatory on the grooves of the roadway. Except to want to afford the beautiful 21-inch wheels and chbadis M Performance, the buyer will be able to save the suspension M Sport variable damping piloted (an option charged 750 euros). The owners of the previous generation of the BMW X4 should be pleasantly surprised.

From 50,700 euros to 77,200 euros for a BMW X4

The improvement is less clear on the side of the trunk where, despite the additional 25 liters announced (to 525 liters), it is difficult to keep high objects, the need for the inclination of the telescope. It was necessary to leave a benefit to the X3. The motorized opening of the tailgate, the movable lashing hooks and the remote control of the tilting of the rear seat backs (40/20/40) are part of the equipment delivered automatically on the new X4, together with the transmission integral, the eight-speed automatic transmission, the variable pitch steering and the strengthened suspension. This is the least.

Because as always at BMW, it is possible to splurge. From 54,900 euros, the price of the X4 the most modest we have been given to try (BMW X4 xDrive20d 190) climbed to 79,040 euros according to the options: 1,400 euros for leather upholstery, 20-inch wheels (1,650 euros), the panoramic roof (1,850 euros), the dashboard trimmed with Sensatec synthetic leather with visible seams (600 euros), the piano-lacquered inserts (550 euros), the preparation for Apple CarPlay (300 euros), ventilated and heated seats with lumbar adjustment (1.858 euros), heated steering wheel and smart key (1.800 euros). Not to mention the Innovation Package, which also includes the head-up display, adaptive cruise control with lane departure warning. One thing is certain: Mercedes-Benz is no more generous with its GLC Coupé that sells like hotcakes.

Should the BMW X4 be placed in the category of beautiful cars? The question remains open. Those who doubt it cling to a too Cartesian vision of the automobile, which prevents them from being reconciled with the idea that a model may be worth more than the one from which it draws closely, even if it offers less useful space. For these people, riding in coupe rather than saloon is equivalent to choosing a beachfront apartment based not on the beauty and tranquility of the place, but their appeal to the pretentious bourgeois. Absurd

And yet. In less than four years, no less than 200,000 copies of the BMW X4 will have been sold worldwide, a score that would not have disappointed him after seven years, the usual length of a car's career. This is the proof, if any were needed, that a significant number of consumers buy their cars with the heart as much as with reason, if not more.

To explain such a success, it is not even You need to risk yourself in the field of aesthetic debate: beautiful or ugly, the BMW X4 forces the admiration of your neighbor, and that's all that matters. At his wheel, the proverbial "old handsome" feels rejuvenated : finished the coupe daddy, place the SUV coupe, more in the air time.

" The X4 is, still today, the BMW model that has recorded the highest number of pre-orders ", reveals Olivier Wodetzki, Head of Product Communication at BMW France. It is to say if it was waited. By who ? By all those who dreamed until then to afford a BMW X6 without being able to pay the price or dare to show at the wheel.

The X4 badumes more easily than a larger X6, more expensive [19659006] In fact, everyone does not badume the size and the image of the biggest of the three SUV coupes now in the BMW range (the German manufacturer talks about SAC, for Sports Activity Coupé ). Imposing and overpowering, cumbersome and threatening, the BMW X6 overflows some garages too small and dries some bank accounts too little provisioned. The only cost of replacing its tires is enough to condemn a family to eat noodles for the remainder of the quarter, as long as it wears the big extra large wheels that its adorers love so much. Everything for appearances.

Certainly, in absolute terms, riding a BMW X4 remains a privilege that is expensive. Not less than 50,700 euros for the entry-level model X4 xDrive20i driven by the 4-cylinder petrol engine of 184 horsepower. However the entry ticket for a BMW X6 is up to 74.300 euros (BMW X6 xDrive30d with 6-cylinder diesel engine 258 horses). For 1,800 euros more, we can afford the pinnacle of the X4 in Diesel, a BMW X4 M40d with a strong 6-cylinder 3.0 326 horsepower. Add another thousand euros to point, and you will be able to go back to the wheel of an X4 M40i to