Sunday Drive: BMW X4 M40i

Monday, 1 April 2019

**BMW X4 M40i

Base price:** $126,500.

Powertrain and performance: 3.0-litre in-line six-cylinder turbo petrol with 265kW/500Nm, 8-speed automatic transmission, four-wheel-drive, combined economy 9.2 litres per 100km, 0-100kmh 4.8 seconds.

BMW is all about the big grilles these days, and the X4 is no exception.

Vital statistics: 4752mm long, 1621mm high, 2864mm wheelbase, luggage capacity 525-1430 litres, 21-inch alloy wheels.

We like: Confident dynamics, smart spec.

BMW's 3.0-litre turbo inline six packs a serious punch. A 265kW punch, to be precise.

We don't like: Coupe compromises.

With so many sports utilities setting out to put family function first, it's really refreshing to drive one that tailors first and foremost to driver involvement.

A classically excellent BMW interior is on offer inside the M40i.

That's not 'first' forever. The M-badged BMW X4 on test is something of a warm-up act to the X4M, due after June. Even so, this X4 M40i is certainly a hot shot in its own right and a good example of what M Performance delivers. It could go far.

Coupe-style SUVs factor as quirky creatures at best of times and BMW's humpty-backed look still seems particularly divisive, winning more 'uurghs' than 'aahs' from my mates, yet those able to see beyond the look will discover this second-gen is as impressive as the latest X3.

The looks may not to be everyone's taste, but the driving experience is top notch.

* Meet BMW's hot hatch: an SUV

* We're 90 per cent certain this plug-in hybrid thing makes sense**

The dimensional increases – it's a little longer, wider and lower than it used to be, and the wheelbase is significantly longer (up by 54mm) – make for improvement over its predecessor in respect to space, and also contribute to it achieving a better look and stance. BMW also attests to enhanced aerodynamic efficiency, with a co-efficient of drag of just 0.30, which might surprise as the latest nose styling is big on bluffness.

Even those who feel icky about the style might nonetheless be inspired by the cut of its driving attitude: It's a heavy hitter in more than performance terms in that, while benefiting from a 50kg weight saving 50kg, it's still a 1700kg vehicle, so is hardly the SUV equivalent of a Mazda MX-5.

And yet, for all that, it feels truly lithe and really tuned in to driver demand. Dialling M at this level means accessing a race-style rear differential and firmed suspension. In association with fat tyres and a very techy four-wheel-drive, grip, traction and optimal gung-ho are never in doubt.

What lays beyond is more exciting. There's an exquisite delicacy to how it engages any good road. How it sits squarely and doesn't seem to mind being taken through bends at a pace at which you'd reasonably expect most SUVs to squirm is impressive. Then there's the brake and steering feel; time after time, each attunes perfectly to the moment. Awesome.

It needn't have to storm. Comfort mode is laidback and Eco-Pro, which has mild hybrid brake energy recovery, coasting function and a too-keen idle stop, snoozier still, in the interests of environmental good. Yet it's probable, given the badging, avid drivers will rarely, if ever go there. Instead they'll snip all dials directly to Sport, in full dedication to athleticism and performance.

On a good road, resisting temptation to let the reins loose is futile. The power delivery is so keen and the exhaust note too, presenting as a persistent howl, with the usual pops on overrun. The engine achieves full redline reach and the ZF box provides sharper self-shifting, with option for manual shifting via paddles for those inclined.

The harder you go, the more hunkered the chassis becomes. The ride also firms up commensurately, to the point of it becoming fidgety. Yet you'll stand that because it delivers so well in every other respect.

I liked it for that enough to almost start warming to the styling approach, but really the best I can say is that it is better executed than previously. The tail end is nice, the face a bit less so.

Yes, I agree it's cool to break away from boxy tradition, and at least now headroom in the back is not wholly ruined by the fast sloping chopped down roofline, though it's not basketballer-friendly, that's for sure. The boot is larger, too; but fact is you sacrifice so much for style. As a tall person, I found need to lower the seat right down, not simply for an optimal position but also because the sunroof diminishes available headroom).

That's not to say the interior is ruined. The cockpit layout and ambience are hugely impressive; it just strikes the right note for sporty luxury. Again, there's obviously a lot in common with the X3, and there's nothing wrong with that. The updated iDrive infotainment system, using a shallow and wide screen, is easy to find your way around. The Apple CarPlay interaction is seamless and I love it that it's the only one around to divest need for a tether (and also provides inductive charging for phones that allow it). I also linked up to the BMW app, so as to enable remote starting and unlocking, light and a/c activation and so on.

All in all, this derivative is still a contrived choice; ultimately too much so for my tastes. I'd have an X3 over it. Then again, if I was thinking really logically, I'd have a 3-Series Touring with xDrive over that. Better value again in all respects.

The problem is that, in this SUV-obsessed era, the most obviously logical choice is just no longer perceived to be the best option. Which explains why the X4 not only exists in the first place, but has been designed to be likeable even to those of us who can't quite understand it.