If you’re a fan of the BMW X4 it might be a good idea to hurry off to your nearest dealership and get one because its days appear to be numbered.
BMW sources have told Motor1 that the coupé-inspired mid-size crossover won’t be replaced by a newer-generation model as the company feels there isn’t really room for it anymore in the modern line-up.
This is largely due to the BMW X2 having moved upmarket in its second generation, which was recently released in South Africa.
Whereas its predecessor was something of a pumped-up hatchback, the new BMW X2 has a coupé-like roofline akin to its larger X4 and X6 brothers.
It has also grown substantially in size, with overall length having increased by 194mm and width by 21mm versus the first-generation X2, while its height has risen by 64mm. At 4554mm long, the X2 is now just 197mm shorter than the X4, while its wheelbase is just 172mm shorter.
Pricing is difficult to compare due to the differing engine and specification-levels, but it’s worth noting that the BMW X2 sDrive18i M Sport base model costs R879 738 in South Africa, according to Duoporta, while the X4 xDrive20d kicks its range off at R1 208 731. If you were to fit the X2 with the X4’s larger 2.0-litre diesel engine and all-wheel drive, that price gap would more than likely be less than R200 000.
At the upper-end, a BMW X2 M35i currently costs R1 223 936 while the six-cylinder BMW X4 M40i commands R1 618 301.
While the X2 might be closing in on the X4 in terms of size and price, the latter is still dynamically superior due to its rear-wheel drive CLAR platform that it shares with the 3-Series and 5-Series. The X1 shares its front-wheel drive architecture with the latest X1 and Mini Countryman.
With the crossover-coupé category being something of a niche market, it’s not surprising that BMW is discontinuing the X4.
While there’s no official word on when the current model might bow out, the fact that BMW is launching its all-new X3 later this year means the X4, which is based on the outgoing X3 is unlikely to live beyond 2024.
Alas, the X4 may live on in electric form at some point in the future given rumours that the company is developing an iX4 model on the Neue Klasse architecture for battery cars.
IOL Motoring