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There are two types of BMW M cars, those that simply wear the badge, and those that define it, and the new X4 M40i is definitely one of the former.
WHAT IS IT? The ultimate version of the slightly strange-looking Sports Activity Coupe that is the X4.
WHY WE’RE TESTING IT Because it’s a game changer for BMW’s M division, and looks like it could be close to the most purist-fibrillating car that the maniacs from Munich offer.
MAIN RIVALS Audi RS3, Mercedes-AMG A45, Mercedes-AMG CLA 45, Porsche Cayman
PLUS: More power and torque, more speed; more noise; the M badges; steering feel and heft; noticeable difference between comfort and sport modes MINUS: Looks like the world’s biggest baseball cap; seems slightly pointless; high centre of gravity compromises handling; understeer at the limit
THE WHEELS REPORT According to the Germanically cheery folk who work at BMW’s skunken werken, “M is the most powerful letter in the world”.
M stands for Motorsport, of course, not Megalomaniacal or Mein Kampf, but you have to wonder if the potency of that particular consonant is lessened each time it gets applied to an M Performance model, rather than a proper M car such as the new BMW M2.
These branding exercises are clearly worth whatever sheen they might wipe away from the M for Mystique, because while some 35,000 people bought a proper M car last year, almost 28,000 more went for a Performance model.
Unsurprisingly, we didn’t take the X4 around the exciting Laguna Seca circuit because no car that stands as tall and rides as high as this should have anything to do with motorsport.
The ride quality on the 20-inch, double-spoke M alloys is pleasant enough, in Comfort mode, and the car sways its way through with minimal roll, although rear passengers tend to complain a bit (they’re already in a bad mood because of the restricted headroom in the back, which is the negative payoff for the fast-roofed, coupe-like styling).
The steering also weights up nicely in sport mode, providing a more genuinely M feel, while the car’s xDrive all-wheel-drive system has been tweaked to make it more rear-biased, and thus more properly sporty feeling.
Overall, though, if you want to tackle anything more challenging than medium, easy-does-it bends, you either have to take it slow or wrestle with understeer.
The noises from the M Sports Exhaust system, complete with chrome black tailpipes, do enough to convince your ears that you’re in something serious, while a 0-100km/h time of 4.9 seconds is also nothing to be sniffed at.
Of course, the big point there is that here in Australia you can have an xDrive35i version for just under $90,000, but even with the best will and the fattest wallet in the world you can’t buy the M version, yet, because so far it’s only being made in left-hand drive, because it’s a car whose very existence is heavily driven by Americans.
When BMW gets around to making the X4 M40i for the world’s minority road users, however, BMW Australia says it will have a good, hard look at the business case, and that shiny M badge in particular.
SPECS Model: BMW X4 M40i Engine: 2979cc 6-cyl, 24v, dohc, turbo Max power: 265kW@5800-6000rpm Max torque: 465Nm@1350-5250rpm Transmission: 8-speed automatic Weight: 1921kg 0-100km/h: 4.9sec (claimed) Fuel Economy: 8.6L/100km Price: Not for any money On sale: When the business case adds up
