BMW X4 review

There’s more than enough space in the BMW X4’s front seats for you to stretch out – even if you’re very tall. The steering wheel adjusts for height and reach, and the standard-fit sports seats hold you in place securely without feeling too firm.

Unfortunately, lumbar support – to help reduce backache on long drives – costs extra across the BMW X4 range. You can get electric seat adjustment but only as part of the rather expensive Premium Pack. This upgrade does come with a handy memory function, however, so you can quickly return the seat to your ideal driving position if you lend your car to someone else.

In the back, the news isn’t quite so good. While the BMW X3 has enough head room for another couple of adults to sit without their heads brushing the ceiling, the BMW X4’s raked roofline means that anybody over six foot tall will suffer just that. Still, leg room is just as good as in the X3, so those same adults sat in the outside seats won’t have their knees jammed against the front seatbacks.

Unfortunately, there isn’t quite as much space for carrying three adults side-by-side as you get in the Mercedes GLC Coupe. The central seat is firmer, narrower and raised above the outer two and there’s a large lump in the floor that’ll get in the way of the central passenger’s feet.

Thankfully, it’s reasonably easy to fit a child seat. You get two sets of Isofix anchor points as standard and they come with handy folding covers instead of easy-to-lose removable caps. The BMW X4’s raised ride height means you can easily lean in to strap in a child, but its low roof means you’ll have to stoop down if you’re very tall.

The BMW X4 comes with plenty of handy storage bins to help keep the interior looking tidy. The front door bins are big enough to hold a 1.5-litre bottle each and the glovebox is large enough for an extra one-litre bottle.

There’s space to tuck your keys, wallet or purse under the central front armrest and you can get a wireless charging pad for your phone under the dashboard for as an optional extra.

The rear door bins are just as big as those in the front and there’s a second small storage bin tucked behind the round bottle holder in each door. The BMW X4 comes with a folding rear armrest with two built-in hidden cupholders, but they’re only big enough for a small bottle or drinks can.

If you think that the BMW X4’s huge bootlid (electrically powered as standard) will open to reveal a cavernous boot to make up for the cabin’s slightly limited rear space, you’ll be disappointed again. The boot floor is nicely flat and square and there’s only a slight lip at its entrance to lift heavy bags over, but with 500-litres of space on offer, it accommodates 50-litres less cargo than the BMW X3.

That being said, it’s still on par with the similarly slinky Mercedes GLC Coupe, however, so you’ll have no trouble loading a set of golf clubs, a baby buggy and a few soft bags all at once.

If you fold the rear seats down (they split in a 40:20:40 configuration as standard) you still have some 200-litres less than you would have if you’d bought an X3. The BMW X4’s 1,400-litre load bay is exactly the same size as the aforementioned GLC Coupe but it lags some way behind the Range Rover Velar’s capacious boot.

There’s still enough space for a bike with both its wheels attached, but because the BMW X4’s roofline slopes more than an X3’s, the space on offer isn’t quite as accommodating of tall, bulky items – even if you remove the load cover.

At least the boot floor is flat so you won’t have any trouble sliding heavy luggage right up behind the front seats. There’s also just enough space under the boot floor for you to tuck a few soft bags safely out of sight.