BMW X4 30d

BMW X4 is a tricky thing to get your head around. It’s a nigh-on two-tonne 4dr diesel coupe crossover that looks like a jacked-up 4-Series Gran Coupe, a shrunken X6 or a very slinky X3, depending on your view.

And the confusion doesn't end when you hide from the curious proportions and get behind the wheel. Sitting 20mm lower than you would in an X3, and on stiffer springs, you wrestle weighty steering that lures you into driving it like a car far sportier than it actually is.

We Brits only get diesels, and ours is an xDrive 30d with a 3.0-litre 255 bhp six-pot that returns 47.9 mpg and 156 g/km CO2. It offers a fine balance of response and plenty of torque (413 lb ft), seeing of 0–62 mph in just 5.8 seconds.

With the help of 4WD accompanied by the X3’s optional rear dif as standard, the heavy X4 can hustle its bubble butt and weight around with aplomb. But the engine is unrefined. It does settle at speed, but then the baton of coarse decibels is quickly transferred to loud wind noise that resonates into the cabin.

Costing £3,600 more than the more practical X3, and £4,635 more than the better-handling 4-Series Gran Coupe, the X4 is a niche that you’re paying the price to fll.