BMW has been in the business of blurring segments lately. Starting with the original X vehicle, the X5 and moving on to the Gran Turismo and then the Gran Coupe, BMW has challenged the definition of each of those segments. The oddest amalgam they’ve come up with is when they blended the SUV and coupe genres together making the X6—the first “Sports Activity Coupe.” Pundits scoffed at it for its compromised utility and added price, but the public was enamored with its aggressive looks. BMW, it seems, has come up with a winning formula.

Enter the all-new X4 Sport Activity Coupe. Like the X6, the X4 sounds like a tough sell on paper: it’s more expensive and less practical than the X3 on which it’s based on and yet, one look at it and the snickering stops. It’s a high-riding style statement that, like traditional coupes, says to everyone in the world, “To hell with practicality. I just want to look good.”




What’s not arguable is the way the X4 conducts itself on the road. As with the X3, the X4 comes with a 2.0-liter twin turbocharged 4-cylinder diesel engine producing 190 horsepower and 400 Nm of torque. It comes mated with BMW’s fabulous 8-speed automatic and xDrive all-wheel drive with brake-based torque vectoring. Not surprisingly, drive it pedestrianly and it behaves like an X3, but engage it properly, and it rewards with a sporty experience. Launching it is quite fun as it catapults forward with startling force and no wheel chirp. It reaches 100 km/h in just 8 seconds, though it feels faster than that. Thanks to its locomotive-like thrust, it never feels lacking during any passing maneuver. The 8-speed automatic is also delightful, providing snappy and smooth gear changes every time.




Speaking about the cabin, the X4 is essentially an X3 with the seats mounted lower (20 millimeters front and 28 millimeters back) to offset the lower roofline (down by 36 millimeters). Thankfully, the front seats can still afford the driver a high-set sitting position, though it doesn’t seem to solve the visibility issue all that much. In the back, the sloping roofline cuts the headroom even more, but the average Filipino won’t complain. What will get people to complain is the compromised ingress/egress because of the sloping roofline as well as the smaller legroom that’s been cut down 45 millimeters compared to the X3.




Looked at from a practicality aspect, the even-numbered BMW X series doesn’t make sense. However, like the X6 before it, the BMW X4 isn’t designed with practicality in mind. It can barely sit five adults and can’t boast of a sizeable cargo hold (it tops out at 500 liters with the rear seats up or a number akin to smaller crossovers). Instead, the X4 is designed to put a smile on its driver’s face. Going for a more traditional choice such as the X3 or even the 4 Series may seem like a rational decision, but the BMW X4 stands out as being a more individualistic choice. It shows that the driver’s willing to take the wheel and take charge, pundits be damned.