BMW X4 (2015)

CAR GARAGE | BMW X4 (2015) | First, it's said to have the personal backing of BMW CEO Reithofer Nortbert. As Germany-based reporter Greg Kable notes, BMW had projected modest worldwide sales of 20.000 per year, but moved over 80.000 X6s Between the Model's end-of-2008 and summer 2010 launch.  Object: higher per-vehicle profits. So now BMW's U.S. plant will have plenty of room to build X4s alongside X3s, X5s, and X6s.

Engines for North America should involve the X3's pair of 3.0-liter inline 6-cylinder: a 240-horsepower base version and a single-turbo unit with 300 horses. Both engines may incorporate BMW's Brake Energy Regeneration System, the which is Basically a "smart" alternator drive except when coasting That decouples and braking to Eliminate a source of fuel-wasting engine drag. An X6 Active Hybrid-style option is an outside prospect somewhere down the road.  It's Basically the same engine destined for a 1-Series M Coupe That will soon join BMW's premium-compact-car line.  Also like the latest X3, the 2015 BMW X4 will pair an 8-speed automatic transmission with both mainstream 6-cylinder engines. A 4-cylinder models BMW would substitute Likely's 7-speed DCT (Dual Clutch Transmission), a dual-clutch automated manual That behaves much like a conventional automatic.

Predictably, the 2015 BMW X4 will inherit the X3's basic 4-wheel independent suspension with front struts and rear multi-link geometry, but with everything tuned for sportier moves a la X6. Of course, BMW's usual alphabet soup of computerized driving aids will be on hand. Among them is Dynamic Drive Control with Dynamic Damper Control. An electronic chassis-tailoring system like Audi's Drive Select, it alters transmission, throttle, suspension, steering, and antiskid-system responses to suit different driving needs. Dynamic Damper Control involves auto-adjusting shock absorbers automatically stiffen That in hard cornering within driver-selected Normal, Sport, and "Sport +" settings. Bundled with all this is BMW's Performance Control, the which brakes individual wheels and modulates the throttle as needed to keep the vehicle on course. It also resets the AWD's front / rear torque split from the normal 40/60 percent to 20/80, this to Simulate the dynamic response of a well-balanced rear-drive vehicle.

Standard chassis features of the 2015 BMW X4 will include large 4-wheel disc brakes with ABS, BMW's DSC (Dynamic Stability Control) anti skid system with traction control, and speed-sensitive Servotronic power steering with electric-motor assist as another fuel-saver.  Also Likely to be on the options list is BMW Connected Drive, the brand's new mobile-Internet system on board That allows reading e-mails on the iDrive screen dashboard when stopped or hearing messages (by synthesized voice) while driving. That bodes well for the 2015 BMW X4, the which prove Could even more popular Because of the Greater agility and fuel-thrift implied by its smaller size and reduced weight. (The X6 Active Hybrid uses a twin-turbo 4.4-liter V8.) It's also Offered in the 7-Series premium large-sedan and will undoubtedly be extended to other BMW series in the not-too-distant future. What about a diesel option for the 2015 BMW X4? It's possible, Especially as the company already offers an excellent 50-state-legal 3.0-liter 6-cylinder turbo diesel in the 335d premium-compact sedan and X5 xDrive 35d-premium midsize SUV.