X4 Concept debuts at China show, goes on sale in 2014
Perhaps because the BMW X6 confounded its critics so completely—the answer to “Who’d buy something like that?!” being “Apparently, at least 150,000 people who don’t think the way you do”—BMW has committed itself to developing a smaller version of the “sports-activity coupe,” as they called it then and now, giving eager journalists the chance to sneer, “Yeah, it’s a SAC o’ something, all right.”
Sales of the X6, of course, proved it a SAC o’ success.
And just as the new 3 Series GT is arguably the swan successor to the 5GT duckling, the X4 should please those who want the qualities of an X3 in something that looks a bit less like a soccermomobile, or those who want an X6 in a smaller package. And as they did with the fabulous Concept CS Coupe, BMW chose the Shanghai auto show as the debut stage for the X4—or at least the concept version.
One element successfully retained from the X6 is a sense of menace. Its belligerent stance immediately suggested that the X6—especially the steroid-gobbling M version, with its 560 horsepower, argh argh argh—would make the perfect ride for the Masked Meanie, supplanting his ’52 Buick with the extra wide tires for squishing puppy dogs and kitty cats. (You don’t remember the Masked Meanie, the evil nemesis of Wonder Warthog? Never mind.) And the X4 has retained that dangerous attitude.
Of course, the X4 must perforce be a tamer, more gentle version of the X6 schoolyard bully, but it’s obvious that exterior design artist Sebastian Simm spent his high-school study-hall hours the way we all did: drawing bad-ass cars in our binders. And from the looks of the press photos, the real thing comes pretty close to the designer’s inspiration. Like the X6—and the AMC Eagle, come to think of it—the X4 stands proud of its 21-inch wheels—21-inch wheels!—as if to boast of its all-wheel-drive prowess.
Built in the Spartanburg plant alongside the X3 and the X5, the X4 is expected to arrive next year in two gasoline versions for the U.S. market, a turbocharged four-cylinder X428i—which will be called the X4 xDrive 38i by BMW, of course—and a turbo-six X435i. Nobody is dropping even the slightest hint of an M version, but look at those drawings again: How could you not?!—Satch Carlson
