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    2021 BMW X4 M update spied

    The second-generation BMW X4 is approaching middle age and is getting a facelift as it prepares to battle another German rival: the new Audi Q5 Sportback.

    William Stopford

    William Stopford

    News Editor

    William Stopford

    William Stopford

    News Editor

    The second-generation BMW X4 coupe SUV was introduced back in 2018 so it’s just about time for a mid-cycle nip-and-tuck.

    The update will likely be headlined by the introduction of BMW’s latest iDrive operating system, OS7.0. We also expect a larger infotainment system, a redesigned shifter, and some other tweaks to the centre console.

    Our spy photographers captured the updated X4 in M guise. Outside, tweaks are limited to the front and rear ends.

    There look to be slimmer LED headlights and a refreshed grille at the front, though we don’t expect the X4 to go full M3/M4 with its double kidneys.

    Instead, expect to see the kidneys become more conjoined, as with other recent BMW products, with the two separate elements separated only by a thin strip of chrome instead of body-colour paint.

    Mind you, BMW could put huge double kidneys on a coupe SUV just to really drive you all crazy.

    At the rear, changes appear to be limited to new tail light graphics and potentially a new rear bumper.

    Whether we’ll see any upgrades to the X4’s powertrains isn’t yet clear.

    The recently revealed M3 and M4 Competition feature the same 3.0-litre twin-turbocharged inline six-cylinder engine as the X4 M Competition with the same power output (375kW), albeit with more torque (650Nm vs. 600Nm).

    The M Competition currently tops the local X4 range, which also consists of xDrive20i, xDrive30i, M40i models.

    Sales are holding steady against its arch-rival, the Mercedes-Benz GLC Coupe, with 951 units year-to-date against 891 from the swoopy Benz.

    The segment is about to get a little more interesting, however, as Audi introduces its rival coupe SUV: the Q5 Sportback.

    Though Audi remains coy about the prospect of an RSQ5, it has confirmed there’ll be an SQ5 variant of the Sportback that’ll serve as a diesel-powered and likely similarly-priced alternative to the X4 M40i.

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    William Stopford

    William Stopford

    News Editor

    William Stopford

    News Editor

    William Stopford is an automotive journalist based in Brisbane, Australia. William is a Business/Journalism graduate from the Queensland University of Technology who loves to travel, briefly lived in the US, and has a particular interest in the American car industry.

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