One of the worst kept secrets this week concerns the BMW X4, due at the 2013 Detroit Auto Show in January. The fifth X-model will debut in concept form with the production version launching in 2014.
Never mind. To continue: Built under the code F26, the X4 shares the same platform as the new X3, and will be positioned below the X5. The X4 is believed to be 183 inches long, the same length as the F25 X3. The “baby" Sports Activity Coupe will compete against the Porsche Macan, scheduled to launch around the same time, doubtless based on the same survey results.
The 2014 BMW X4 will differ visually from the X3 in the same way as the X5 and X6 pair. The design language begins with the X6 lines in mind, but with the latest BMW design language deeply embedded into the final product which translates into a redesigned front fascia and athletic rear end with an angled one-piece tailgate. To give the “baby-SAC” a more dynamic and sportier look, the designers have drawn a swooping roofline.
Under the hood we expect to see the same power options as the X3, in both petrol and diesel, with four and six-cylinders. Rumors of an X4 M appeared earlier this summer, but no word if the company has green-lighted it. AutoWeek reports that such model would appear at the end of 2014 using the M3's six-cylinder twin-turbo gasoline engine.
Much more interesting are plans for an X4 M diesel which would use of a detuned version of BMW’s tri-turbo 3.0 liter engine. BMW will begin production of the X4 later this year at the Spartanburg plant in South Carolina.––Paul Duchene
