With just a few months left before its debut, the BMW X4 drops some of its camouflage to reveal more design details. The latest spy shots, courtesy of Palbay, reveal almost the entire fascia of the compact Sports Activity Coupe. The X4 was accidentally unveiled back in November when the car was spotted filming an official commercial.
BMW X4 follows the same design language as seen on newer models, a front-grille with a 3D kidney look as well as the “squared” circular headlights. The high gloss frame of the grille is open to the sides and at its lower extreme, lending it an almost “floating” appearance in the center of the nose. The grille features prominently sculptured bars.
The x4 adopts a sportier stance with a sloping roofline, sculpted lines across the body and angular panels. In profile, the silhouette of the X4 mirrors that of the bigger X6 but on a smaller scale.
Despite being the exact same length, and with an identical wheelbase to the X3, the X4 is 53mm lower and 34mm wider. That gives it a more aggressive stance, but will also impact on practicality. Expect boot space to drop from 550-litres in the X3 to around 500-litres in the X4.
No pictures of the interior have been released yet, but BMW will probably keep the layout near-identical to the X3’s, as it has done with the X6, in an effort to minimise development costs.
2014 BMW X4 will be offered with standard rear-wheel drive and optional xDrive, while engine lineup will be taken from the X3. Examples of models include a gasoline 240 hp (179 kW) 2.0-liter, a 181 hp (135 kW) diesel and a more powerful inline-six 3.0-liter TwinPower Turbo with 330 hp (224 kW).
The BMW X4 will be built alongside the X3, X5 and X6 at the Spartanburg plant in South Carolina, US.
[Photos: Palbay]
