THE first Sports Activity Coupe to emerge from the fast-expanding BMW stable has hit the streets with an entry level price tag of £36,590.

An SUV with ‘the sporting elegance of a classical coupe' the new X4 is the fourth X model from the prestige brand.

It comes with a choice of three diesel engines, the company's xDrive all-wheel-drive system, a package of BMW EfficientDynamics measures plus a raft of techno treats.

While the X4 is based on the mid-size X3 - its length and height are identical bar a few millimetres - the newcomer follows in the footsteps of the BMW X6 with more of a classic coupe look.

So the driver and front passenger sit 20mm lower and the rear passengers 28mm lower than in an X3, and the cabin has a high-gloss black panel look with aluminium trim strips in the wood. 

Load capacity is between 500 and 1,400 litres which, thanks to 40:20:40 split-folding rear seats, aids practicality and there's also an automatically opening tailgate.

Kit included as standard is appreciably higher than on the X3, the likes of variable sport steering, 18-inch alloys, park distance control, performance control and Xenon headlights all part of the deal along with heated front seats and BMW Business Media package.

For an extra £1,500  the xLine trim level brings in exclusive alloys, a satin aluminium exterior trim, dark copper interior, sport seats and xLine leather upholstery, while the M Sport model adds another £3,000 for even more kit, M aerodynamic body styling and M Sports suspension.

And all versions include BMW's xDrive all-wheel-drive system as standard.

Kicking off the range at £36,590 is the xDrive20d SE model powered by a newly developed 2.0-litre diesel engine developing 190bhp for a 0-62mph time of 8.0 seconds.

It comes as standard with a six-speed manual gearbox but can be specified with an eight-speed auto box which brings fuel consumption down to 54.3mpg and sets the CO2 emissions at 138g/km.

The 3.0-litre xDrive30d xLine costs £44,890, has the automatic gearbox as standard and can return a Combined figure of 47.9mpg with emissions of 156g/km. It's very quick too with acceleration to 62mph in 5.8 seconds.

The xDrive35d engine tops the X4 line-up at £48,990, its 3.0-litre diesel delivering a hefty 313bhp.

With its standard-fitted Launch Control, the car can fire from 0-62mph in 5.2 seconds and on to a top speed of 153mph, while returning 47.1mpg and emitting 157g/km.

Helping keep the fuel figures down are BMW's EfficientDynamics technologies like Auto Start-Stop, brake energy regeneration and low rolling resistance tyres.

There's also a full range of ConnectedDrive, advanced safety options and online entertainment features.