Editor's note: This Car Seat Check was written in January 2017 about the 2017 BMW X4. Little of substance has changed with this year's model. To see what's new for 2018, click here, or check out a side-by-side comparison of the two model years.
When introduced as an all-new luxury SUV for the 2015 model year, the BMW X4 failed to make a compelling case for its existence — why not just buy an X3 for less money? The 2017 X4 M40i answers that question with 55 additional horsepower and performance worthy of its sports coupe inspiration. For families, the five-seater's aggressive exterior styling translates to compromised utility due to the low roofline and stingy cargo space. However, with just one notable exception, it's a Car Seat Check champ. Here's where the X4 excelled (and where it fell short) …
How many car seats fit in the second row? Two
Solid
- Latch, grade A: The two sets of Latch anchors are located in the outboard seats; they're positioned just inside the seat bight and the leather seat cushions push out of the way for easy installation. Also, the top tether anchors are well-labeled and easy to find on the seatbacks.
- Rear-facing convertible, grade A: This seat installed with ease and fit well; we did not need to move the front passenger seat forward; our 5-foot-8-inch front passenger had enough room.
- Forward-facing convertible, grade A: This seat was again easy to install and after raising the head restraint, it fit well.
- Booster, grade A: Our booster seat also fit well once we raised the head restraint. Although the seat belt buckles are positioned low in the seat cushion, they're not so low that the booster slides over them.
So-So
- Infant, grade C: Although our rear-facing infant seat installed easily, we had to move the front passenger seat forward to accommodate it; our 5-foot-8-inch front passenger's knees were jammed into the glove box.
Skip It
- None
Grading Scale
Solid indicates an A grade for optimum ease of use and fit. So-So indicates B or C grades for one to two ease-of-use or fit issues. Skip It indicates D or F grades.
A: Plenty of room for the car seat and the child; doesn't impact driver or front-passenger legroom. Easy to find and connect to Latch and tether anchors. No fit issues involving head restraint or seat contouring. Easy access to the third row.
B: One room, fit or connection issue. Some problems accessing third row when available.
C: Marginal room plus one fit or connection issue. Difficult to access third row when available.
D: Insufficient room, plus multiple fit or connection issues.
F: Does not fit or is unsafe.
About Cars.com's Car Seat Checks
Editors Jennifer Geiger, Jennifer Newman and Matt Schmitz are certified child safety seat installation technicians.
For the Car Seat Check, we use a Graco SnugRide Classic Connect 30 infant-safety seat, a Britax Marathon convertible seat and Graco TurboBooster seat. The front seats are adjusted for a 6-foot driver and a shorter passenger. The three child seats are installed in the second row. The booster seat sits behind the driver's seat, and the infant and convertible seats are installed behind the front passenger seat.
We also install the forward-facing convertible in the second row's middle seat with the booster and infant seat in the outboard seats to see if three car seats will fit; a child sitting in the booster seat must be able to reach the seat belt buckle. If there's a third row, we install the booster seat and a forward-facing convertible. Learn more about how we conduct our Car Seat Checks. Parents should also remember that they can use the Latch system or a seat belt to install a car seat, and that Latch anchors have a weight limit of 65 pounds, including the weight of the child and the weight of the seat itself.
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