In-depth reviews

BMW X4 SUV (2014-2018): owner reviews

“The BMW X4 is a compromised SUV that places more emphasis on style than versatility”

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27 Feb 2018

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Carbuyer Rating

3.4 out of 5

Owners Rating

3.2 out of 5

Reviews

Owner Reviews

5 out of 5
4 out of 5
3 out of 5
2 out of 5
1 out of 5

80%of people would recommend this car to a friend

Common Problems

Brakes (2 cases)

Review 1 of 5

Tell us what you think about your car?

I know this car is like Marmite, the looks are love or hate, but in M Sport guise i think it looks fantastic. My car has the Pro Nav and the Hardon Karman Hi/ Fi both a must have in my opinion. I had a X1 M Sport before, which I really liked, but this car is on a different plane. The ride is cosseting, the grip is tenacious, and it's so refined with the 8 speed auto box. The cabin is well built and superb quality, but not luxurious like a Evoque, but then it's a BMW. I've driven both cars and although the Evoque has more whistle & bells the X4 is the better drive and the pro nav is sublime. Cons. Electric seats should be standard on a car that's £45k. The view through the mirror is a little narrow at first, but i don't notice now. I always look forward to driving it, and that says it all in my view.

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Tell us what you think about your car?

I got this car for my wife and we both love it. I think the build quality is fantastic, although the interior looks a bit dated now, especially the instrument cluster. The gearbox is beautiful – typical BMW – but I feel that the brakes aren't on par with its size and weight. BMW could have done better with bigger brake rotors and callipers. The handling is fantastic, especially going around the bends, and the grip is surprisingly good. The fuel economy is good too, given that it's a two-ton car. The two-litre engine is slightly underpowered but it's sufficient when it gets going.

What's the one thing you like most about your car?

I love the way it looks, plus the ride, refinement and build quality.

If you could improve one thing, what would it be?

The brakes and the instrument cluster

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Tell us what you think about your car?

My wife's first impression was love at first sight and I don't blame her. I love the way the X6 looks and the X4 is the scaled down version so I fell for it too. We love BMW and this was our fourth over the years – we've been impressed with BMW build quality and reliability. I'm not impressed with the brakes, though. I feel like BMW made a mistake here. Its brakes could stop a saloon car but aren't powerful enough for an SUV of this size. Secondly, the steering feels very light – the slightest input could cause it to swerve at speed, even in the heavier sports mode. The interior for is a mirror image of the tired looking X3, too. The fuel consumption is nowhere nears BMW's claim. No matter how sensibly I drive I still manage a meagre 31.5 mpg compared to its claimed 54 mpg. My Other BMW, a Z4 sDrive 2.5 sport feels more economical even with bigger petrol engine. Overall, though, I love the image and build quality – I think its a fantastic car and would buy another if not the X6. Would definitely recommend to buy it.

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Tell us what you think about your car?

After reading other comments, I wanted to add my own. I think the car is fantastic, but I agree the instrument cluster is dated, I didn't see an option to improve the brakes to the blue calipers which add a bit more bite to the brakes. The brakes are particularly poor for a 2-tonne car. You can add this option on a 1.8 3 Series! A much cheaper car choice - disappointed. The road presence is a little underwhelming, I feel it could have a wider track to make the stance more poised. The seats on a car are also antiquated, the car is listed at £49,500.00 and has winding seats not electric! So to alter the position you have to take the weight off the seat to adjust...

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Tell us what you think about your car?

I test drove the 3.0D M Sport when the X4 was launched, though it was a fantastic car, certain elements I did not like or see the need for. I was not keen on the grill design of the M Sport bumpers, so for that reason chose the XLine. Having never seen one in the flesh, I waited 6 months and now in the test drive, I found the professional navigation was fantastic, but for other features, I was tending to look to split the screen to better occupy the screen. I chose the business navigation, and though I had to wait nearly 2 months from delivery to use the connected drive both to register and to use the store, I have upgraded some of the features, all with great ease - there is a few teething problems, but the concept is fantastic. One let down for me in the instrument panel, as its the same as found in a base 1 or 3 series, is that it features a small LCD display where the information is so closely grouped that it makes it difficult to use. On the 1, 2, 3 and 4 Series there is a upgrade option for better instrument clusters, yet the X4 does not offer this or mention different variants. To get a £40k car with instruments that are the same or worse than available to a £20k 1 Series - from a drivers viewpoint - the instruments feel cheap. If you get the professional navigation or opt for the HUD you'll get vastly superior instruments. What I got feels dated and essentially aside from a few shiny bits, the interior is just like a 2011 X3. There is plenty of old design in this car, seats can be found in 2004 model BMW but maybe I have noticed these things because I've owned a few BMW's. Saving a bit of money, or a slightly higher spec X3 could very much be well worth serious consideration. The drive of the manual gearbox X4 is just like the test driven 3 and 5 Series and does not feel heavy, with the advantage of raised driving position. Handling is great and car behaves really well both in town or on the motorway. I'm seeing around 35mpg, and the new BMW TwinPower engine really has some grunt to it, as did the 3.0D I test drove for a weekend. The XLine is visually not as loud as the M Sport styling wise, and does not grab attention in the same way. Had I liked the aesthetics of the M Sport bumpers, I'd have gone for M Sport instead. I noticed that both with the test drive car and the owned X4 that after washing the car, or after heavy rain, should you open the boot, any rear passengers will get wet. If its kids in the rear you can turn it into a game, but as the boot hinge sits so close to the rear headrests, a little more thought to the roof drainage system would not go amiss. ***SOLUTION*** - I have found if I open the boot to its lowest setting then open fully, the water drains off without water flowing to the rear. When I ordered my XLine, I chose the Alcantara roof lining, so as to keep the car as much like M Sport, but the dealer forgot to put this on the options, so I have the standard beige roof lining. After a 6 month wait for a car, and to have a feature I really wanted to be missing, I had not option but to accept it, but actually after using the car for the last couple of months that darker trim would far better suit the car and I would highly recommend adding it to your options if you don't go for the M Sport - the beige feels far more SE than M Sport. I plan to drive later this year from the UK to Lithuania, via France, Belgium, Germany & Poland - when I should really get to know the car and what its capable of, but so far I think the 4 Series Gran Goupe xDrive - might have been a far better choice.

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

No Red thumbs down