BMW set to provoke more divided opinions as it unveils X4

BMW is on a product assault in its efforts to retain its position as the world's best-selling premium brand. Both Audi and Mercedes have publicly stated they want to be number one by 2020 so the Bavarian brand is eager to hold its lead by expanding the model portfolio.

At the Geneva motor show it had its new front-wheel drive high-roofed family hatchback, the 2 Series Active Tourer, and its stylish 4 Series Gran Coupe.

Now comes the X4, a smaller version of the X6. These cars are referred to by BMW as Sport Activity Coupes, creating the unfortunate acronym Sac. Certainly the X6 has become something of a love/hate model and the X4 is likely to provoke similarly divided views.

The new X4 is slightly longer than the current X3 but is 36mm lower to the ground. It comes with a choice of three diesel engines. The BMW X4 xDrive20d is powered by a newly developed 2.0-litre diesel engine developing 190bhp at 4,000rpm with CO2 emission of 138g/km.

The 3.0-litre six-cylinder in-line engine in the BMW X4 xDrive30d is paired with the

standard eight-speed automatic transmission, with an output of 258bhp at 4,000rpm and getting from 0-100km/h in 5.8 seconds. Emissions are 156 g/km.

Finally there is the xDrive35d with a 313bhp variant of the 3.0-litre diesel. Fitted with “launch control” - first featured on the likes of the previous generation M5 - it gets to 100km/h from a standing start in 5.2 seconds with a top speed of 247km/h. Fuel economy here is 47.1mpg with emissions of 157g/km.

It goes on sale in Ireland from July 12th with prices starting at €57,720 (including delivery charges).