SA Road Tests

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This is the home of automobile road tests in South Africa. I drive South African cars, SUVs and LCVs under real-world South African conditions. Most, but not all, the vehicles driven are world cars as well, so what you read here possibly applies to the models you get where you live.

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Sparkle: 2019 BMW X4 2.0i xDrive

Finding the way back

Pics by BMW-presse
Posted: 7 April 2019

The numbers
Base price: R850 337 incl. CO2 tax
Engine: 1998 cc DOHC, 16-valve, four-cylinder with twin scroll turbocharger
Power: 135 kW between 5000 and 6500 rpm
Torque: 290 Nm between 1350 and 4250 rpm
Zero to 100 km/h: 8.3 seconds
Maximum speed: 215 km/h
Real life fuel consumption: About 9.8 l/100 km
Tank: 65 litres
Luggage: 525 – 1430 litres
Maximum trailer mass (braked): 2000 kg
Standard tyre size: 225/60R18
Turning circle: 12.1 metres
Ground clearance: 204 mm
Fording depth: 500 mm
Approach/departure/breakover angles: 25.7/22.6/19.4 degrees
Warranty: 2 years, unlimited km
Motorplan: 5 years / 100 000 km

New:
•    Streamlined styling
•    Cd reduced by 10 percent to 0.30
•    Remodelled interior
•    More aluminium and high strength steel, stiffer construction
•    Up to 50 kg weight saving
•    50:50 mass distribution
•    M Sport suspension standard
•    More agile handling
•    All-LED lighting
•    Increased rear legroom
•    Lighter, more efficient xDrive

This list confirms that X4 for 2019 is more than just a facelift. Reduced weight, stiffer construction, M sport suspension and variable sports steering as standard equipment, improved X-Drive, lower centre of gravity and balanced mass distribution work together to bring that old BMW sparkle back. It’s about time.

But although driving was brilliant, parking could be a chore. Fashionable narrow side windows and the signature high waistline make it difficult to see where you’re going between the lines. Be sure to tick the box for “5DN Parking Assist Plus” at R6500. It adds front and side cameras. You’ll thank us for the advice.

The new, more accentuated, roofline slope restricted rear seat headroom so that tall passengers felt confined despite 27 mm more knee space. It also made the rear screen too narrow to see much through. On the other hand, very little passes a BMW, right?

About that knee space: X4’s new body is 81 mm longer on 54 mm more wheelbase, 37 mm wider and it stands 3 mm lower. Off-road specs are in the “numbers” panel at the end of this report.

Off road? In a BMW? Here’s the thing: xDrive provides variable torque-split between front and rear axles by means of a multi-plate wet clutch on the output to the front drive shaft. It modulates distribution, under normal conditions, at a ratio of 40:60. Should the ABS/DTC (dynamic traction control) system detect wheel slip, xDrive feeds up to 100 percent of engine power to the front or rear axle as needed. But because its rear drive shaft is hard-coupled to the transmission output, full torque transfer forward can only be achieved if neither rear wheel has traction, i.e. both are slipping.
 
In that case, DTC brakes spinning wheels to regain traction and directional stability without driver intervention. Both differentials are of open design and therefore rely on DTC braking to facilitate power transfer from slipping wheels to those that can grip. Impressive as all this may be, new X4 is still primarily a “soft road” vehicle with street tyres and no spare. Bear that in mind before tackling really adventurous trails.

But what’s fitted to an X4 before extras? Things not already mentioned include six airbags, ABS with dynamic brake control (DBC, aka EBA), EBD, cornering brake control (CBC), attention assist, park assist with camera and sensors, run-flat tyres with pressure monitoring, auto-locking doors and a crash readiness system.

Also standard are automatic tailgate operation, onboard computer, automatic stop and start, braking energy regeneration, eight-speed Steptronic transmission with paddles, three-zone automatic air conditioning, cruise control with braking function and speed limiter, keyless start, satnav with traffic information, intelligent service planning and emergency calling, drive mode selection and a comprehensive entertainment setup.

This X4 evoked reflections of the soul Bimmers used to have - precise, planted, quick - almost sinful to drive. But then they became bland; like appliances. We hope this means they’re finding their way back.

Test unit from BMWSA press fleet



Sport seats are optional

What We Do

This is a one-man show, which means that every car reviewed is given my personal evaluation and receives my own seat of the pants judgement - no second hand input here.

Every test car goes through real world driving; on city streets littered with potholes, speed bumps and rumble strips, on freeways and if its profile demands, dirt roads or goat tracks as well. As a result, my test cars do occasionally get dirty. It's all part of the reviewing process.

I do my best to include relevant information like real life fuel economy or a close mathematical calculation, boot size or luggage space, whether the space is both usable and accessible, whether life-sized people can use the back seat (where that applies), basic specs of the vehicle and performance figures if they are published. In the case of clearly identified launch reports, fuel figures are of necessity the laboratory numbers provided with the release material.

If ever I place an article that doesn't cover most things, it's probably because I have dealt with a very similar vehicle already, so you will be able to find what you want in another report under the same manufacturer's heading in the menu on the left.

Hope you like what you see, because there are no commercial interests at work here. There are no advertisers and no “editorial policy” rules. I add bylines to acknowledge sponsored launch functions and the manufacturers or dealerships that provide the test vehicles.  And, as quite a few readers have found, I answer every serious enquiry from my home email address, with my phone numbers attached, so you can see I do actually exist.

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