2027 BMW iX4 Is The Most Dramatic-Looking Crossover Coupe Yet From The Brand That Started The Craze

While it wasn't the first to get into the four-door coupe game, BMW kicked off the crossover coupe craze with the first-generation X6 in 2007. Two decades on from that, we've seen multiple generations of X6, plus multiple generations of the smaller X4 and the even-smaller X2, and BMW's Gran Turismo models like the 5 Series GT and 3 Series GT are clear derivatives as well. Now that dozens of automakers have introduced crossover coupes of various types, and the category shows no signs of slowing down despite some model lines being canceled, BMW is going full steam ahead with its newest coupe-SUV — or should I say, going full electrons ahead?

The 2027 BMW iX4 is the third production model in the company's Neue Klasse lineup to be revealed (the X5 is Neue Klasse in design, but not platform), and as you've probably guessed from the name and the photos, it's the coupe version of the electric iX3 SUV. Before you ask, yes, the X4 is successful enough to justify this. From 2021 through 2025 BMW sold about 10,000 X4s per year in the U.S., versus about 70,000 X3s each year, which ain't bad for such a niche vehicle.

It'll help that in late 2027, a few months after the iX4 will have already gone on sale in 50 xDrive form like its iX3 sibling, BMW will launch an iX4 M60 model with over 600 horsepower. If that's not enough, there will almost certainly be an iX4 M that shares its quad-motor powertrain with the upcoming electric M3, so all those dudes who love weaving through traffic in their X4 Ms can now do so silently.

From below the beltline the iX4 looks the same as the iX3, and it's identical to the boxier SUV in length, wheelbase, and width. The bumper and side skirt designs are the same, though the iX4 does come with the M Sport package as standard. The taillight graphics are slightly different on the iX4, but even its tailgate looks basically the same, at least from the taillights down. There are some new colors, like the Frozen Pure Red you see on the M60 in these photos, with the Individual catalog to follow.

BMW

The iX4's roofline is obviously the main event, and it's more dramatically raked and wedgy than what we've seen from any of BMW's other crossover coupes. I think it gives the iX4 an awesome look both in profile and at an angle, and it suits the angular Neue Klasse styling well. (Again, I need BMW to make the coupe that was spied years ago.) The rear shoulders D-pillar are really well resolved, with the roof flowing better into the flush rear glass. Instead of having a spoiler at the top of the rear window like on the old X4, the iX4 just has a little spoiler at the top of the tiny decklid.

BMW says the iX3 has a drag coefficient of 0.23, a tick better than the iX3, but we don't yet know if it will have a better range than the iX3, as you might expect it to given the sleeker roof. The automaker only has its own range estimates for the U.S., which are a bit lower than the iX3's EPA ratings, but BMW's iX4 estimates do exceed its original estimates for the iX3, which themselves were handily exceed by the EPA. So the coupe probably will have longer range.

BMW

According to BMW's estimates the iX4 50 xDrive will have up to 428 miles of range, against the iX3 50 xDrive's 434-mile EPA range; BMW originally estimated 400 miles from the iX3, so I think the iX4 could get 450 miles from the EPA. Make sense? Even if you get the optional 21- or 22-inch wheels with summer tires instead of the standard M Sport 20s, your iX4 should have a range of at least 390 miles — on 22s with summers, the iX3 gets 392 from the EPA.

Sorry, that was a lot. To cleanse your mind, how about some yellow headlights? Like we saw on the new 3 Series, the M60 version of the iX4 will have optional M Yellow Lights that are inspired by BMW's Le Mans racer. The light signature has three elements that evoke the stripes of the M logo, and there are configurable patterns and welcome animations for the available Iconic Glow grille illumination.

The iX4 50 xDrive (in Eucalyptus Green, below) has one electric motor at each axle, sending 463 hp and 475 pound-feet of torque to all four wheels. BMW says it'll hit 60 mph in 4.7 seconds, the same as the iX3. The 112.2-kWh battery pack that gives it such a good range can be DC fast-charged at up to 400 kW, able to add 184 miles in 10 minutes or go from 10% to 80% in 21 minutes. Not bad! Down the line, there will probably be a cheaper, less-powerful iX4 40 model, both with xDrive all-wheel drive and maybe with rear-wheel drive as the base offering.

BMW

If you're already looking at a crossover coupe, though, you probably want the sporty fast one: the iX4 M60. It's still got only two motors, but they've been cranked up to produce a total of 603 hp and 645 lb-ft. That will scoot the iX4 to 60 mph in 3.9 seconds, only a tenth behind an M3 Competition, and it'll reach a top speed of 149 mph, instead of the 130-mph top speed of the iX4 50. Don't expect too drastic of a range hit, either.

In addition to the extra power, the M60 gets an electronically controlled M Sport rear differential, M Sport drive modes and sound profiles, standard adaptive M suspension that has its own spring and damper tuning, anti-roll bar links added to the front axle, increased feedback and precision from the variable ratio steering rack, and M Sport brakes.

BMW

BMW also says "the driver can use the shift paddles on the steering wheel to actively influence the responses of M eDrive and to adapt performance with exceptional precision according to the driving situation at hand," but there aren't any more details on that. Sadly, they look just as tacky as all of BMW's other recent M paddle designs.

The passenger experience of the iX4 is the same as the iX3, at least for the people up front. It's got BMW's new iDrive and Panoramic Vision setup, weird steering wheels, yadda yadda. I think it looks great. The M60 is available with M Sport seats that have better bolstering, illuminated logos and massage, but the M60 only gets boring interior combinations, at least for now. The standard setup is black Veganza leatherette with M PerformTex inserts, or you can get Adelaide Grey Merino leather paired with that same textile. Go for an iX4 50 and you can get the interior in Digital White, a terracotta red called Castanea, or the Agave Green you see in these photos. Now that's chic.

BMW

One major group of stats left out of BMW's press release is how much cargo space the iX4 will have. If the X3 and X4 are anything to go by, it'll have significantly less cargo space with the second-row seats in place, with all of that space cut off by the sloping roof. From the provided photos it'll still have a pretty good amount of room, especially with the seats folded. The rear seat looks spacious too, even with such a big panoramic sunroof. Not having a transmission tunnel helps a lot.

BMW

BMW will produce the iX4 at its factory in Debrecen, Hungary, the same plant as the iX3. Though we don't know exactly when first U.S. deliveries will be, BMW says the 50 xDrive model will start at $66,200 not including destination, which will probably be the same $1,350 as the iX3. That's $4,700 more than a base iX3 50, though the price difference shrinks to just $2,200 if you take into account the iX4's standard M Sport package.

Say what you will about the iX4 and its ilk, but I think everyone should be grateful that there are car companies still willing to put out niche body styles. BMW is also working on two-door i4 coupe and convertibles, after all.