BMW X4 Sports Activity Coupé to make New York debut

The latest in the German carmaker's growing range of all-wheel-drive crossover vehicles will be making its first public appearance at the New York International Auto Show in April.

Conceived as a car that offers the looks and elegance of a coupé with the presence and performance of a 'soft-roader' -- i.e. a vehicle that isn't really built to climb every mountain or ford every stream -- the X4 promises to be quite potent all the same.

It will be offered in the US with a choice of two TwinPower turbo engines, the biggest of which offers 300hp on tap and a 0-100kph time of just 5.2 seconds. Badged as the X4 xDrive35i, it will also offer BMW's rather excellent, progressive all-wheel-drive system that's just as good for aiding in cornering as it is for keeping wheels spinning when the terrain gets a bit muddy.

The car will also come with an 8-speed Steptronic sport automatic transmission with shift paddles as standard when it goes on sale in the US later this year.

The New York International Auto Show gets underway on April 16 with the first of two press days before opening to the public on April 18.