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By Jonathan Crouch

BMW pioneered the Coupe-SUV concept and has since developed it with cars like this second generation X4. Jonathan Crouch checks out the updated version in volume 20d diesel form.

Ten Second Reviewword count: 55

BMW, more than any other brand, is fully committed to the rather contrary concept that is the coupe-style Sport Utility Vehicle. They pioneered this genre, then popularised it, but have they perfected it with this car, a revised version of the second generation X4? Let's check it out in its most popular 20d diesel guise.

Backgroundword count: 224

The thinking behind this X4's controversial Coupe-SUV automotive niche dates back to 2008 when BMW dismayed the motoring press but delighted its better-heeled SUV customers with the first generation X6, a swept-back sportier version of their large X5 crossover model. Enough were sold to encourage the Munich maker to extend the concept across its range, hence the decision to create a coupe-SUV version of its mid-sized X3 model, christened the X4 and launched in its original form back in 2014. It was directly copied two years later by Mercedes with their GLC Coupe - though interestingly, not by other premium brands, who merely tried to make new or existing mid-sized SUVs a little sportier in order to keep up. Like the X6, the X4 sold pretty well in its earliest guise, finding over 200,000 buyers in its first four years on sale. As it turned out though, that initial design wasn't to have a very long shelf life. Going forward, BMW needed to align X4 development with the model cycle strategy of its mechanically-identical X3 showroom stablemate. Hence the way that the introduction of the company's third generation X3 in Autumn 2017 was followed by the launch of this MK2 model X4 in the Summer of 2018, a car then updated three years on to create the model we're going to look at here.

Driving Experienceword count: 263

BMW thinks that coupe-SUV models should offer more than just sleeker looks. The driving experience should be sharper and more dynamic too. As before, the X4 range focuses on diesel power, though it's now diesel power with BMW's latest 48V mild hybrid engine tech included. Most buyers, as before, are likely to opt for the volume xDrive 20d variant we look at here, with its familiar 190hp 2.0-litre black pump-fuelled engine. Like all X4 model variants, this one directs its engine's power to the road via an eight-speed Steptronic transmission and features BMW xDrive intelligent all-wheel drive as standard. The standard-fit Driving Experience Control switch lets drivers choose from SPORT, COMFORT and ECO PRO set-ups, while six cylinder models also add a SPORT+ mode. You certainly won't lack for performance. Even this base xDrive20d variant manages 62mph from rest in 7.9s en route to 132mph. BMW has tuned the suspension of the X4 to offer a more focused feel than that of the X3 and the intelligent xDrive all-wheel-drive system splits drive between the rear wheels continuously, plus as required, optimising traction, turn-in and directional stability. The Variable Sport Steering system is fitted as standard and an xDrive status display makes a bid for what might be the most gratuitous use of graphics in a car with the three-dimensional display of the car's body roll and pitch. It helps of course that the fundamentals are so fundamentally right - like the stiff 'CLAR' cluster architecture platform for example. A perfect 50:50 front-to-rear weight distribution also helps here, as does the wide rear track.

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