BMW X4 SUV review

How do you create a car more fashionable than an SUV? It seems the current answer is the coupe SUV, which combines the high ground clearance with a sleeker design. The BMW X4 faces a growing number of rivals, including the Audi Q5 Sportback and Mercedes GLC Coupe, while even mainstream cars like the Citroen C4 and Renault Arkana are trying to capitalise on this expanding part of the market.

Cars like the BMW X3, Mercedes GLC and Audi Q5 are among the most popular upmarket SUV models, with many buyers abandoning saloons and estates, such as the BMW 3 Series, Mercedes C-Class and Audi A4, in their favour. But buyers also want sporty looks, which is where the new wave of coupe SUVs like the BMW X4 come in.

Under the skin, the X4 is essentially the same car as the X3. However, having swapped the boxy, utilitarian body for a rakish fastback design, the X4 looks more sporty.  Like the rival Mercedes GLC Coupe, it's a concept that puts style and driving fun ahead of family-focused practicality while retaining the commanding driving height and large dimensions of an SUV. 

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Making a four-door coupe out of a boxy SUV is a tricky task for automotive designers, and the X4 was never going to look as sleek as the relatively low-slung BMW 4 Series. Some like the slightly caricatured effect of a swoopy roofline tacked onto the top of a bulky SUV body, while others may find the design oddly proportioned.

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There’s little wrong with the way the X4 looks from the front, with an identical design to the X3. The rear view is pretty bluff though, thanks to the high rear end and a cliff-like tailgate that sports a large BMW badge. The letterbox-like rear window is a bit of a compromise too.

The X4 doesn't want for showroom appeal, though – the trademark 'double kidney' grille is more pronounced than ever, and the standard Active LED headlamps catch the eye.

Huge wheelarches offer space for big alloy wheels to fill, and that provides further clues that sportiness and aggression are key to the X4's appeal. Indeed, a look at the price list reveals two M Performance models that make their first appearance in the latest X4 range – a petrol X4 M40i and diesel M40d. xDrive20d and xDrive30d models make up the rest of the range, which means only one petrol is offered against three diesels. All versions have BMW’s xDrive four-wheel-drive system and an eight-speed automatic gearbox as standard.

A flagship performance X4 M Competition model is offered too, offering considerable performance from a 503bhp twin-turbo 3.0-litre straight-six petrol engine. It shares its powertrain with the X3 M Competition SUV and both cars are capable of surging from 0-62mph in 4.1 seconds and on to an electronically limited top speed of 155mph.

Compared to the first-generation X4, the latest is a little larger – 81mm longer and 37mm wider, to be precise. As well as allowing a slightly longer, lower look, the greater distance between front and rear axles is said to free up some interior space.

The X4's interior design is nothing like as divisive as its exterior, with a classy dashboard that's almost the same as the X3's – no bad thing, as the latter is very well made and easy to use. It feels sporty, too, and that's before you hit the road. On the move, it transpires that BMW's claim that the X4 "will out-handle the Porsche Macan" is entirely believable.

It responds with the kind of immediacy that used to be an SUV impossibility, yet proves comfortable on broken road surfaces, despite the huge wheels and tyres fitted on most models. However, the more conventional X3 offers a combination of ride and handling that's very nearly as impressive, and does so while offering more interior headroom and a bigger, more practical boot.

It's unlikely that Euro NCAP will crash-test the X4 individually – the X3 is so similar that its five-star rating effectively applies to the X4, too. Both cars have a suite of safety features that includes autonomous emergency braking and can be upgraded to include an active cruise control system, which can bring the car to a halt and then set off again in heavy traffic.

Occupying 21st place (out of 29 brands) in our 2021 Driver Power survey, BMW's record for owner satisfaction isn't entirely blemish-free. The roundel badge remains desirable, though, and the X4 certainly stands out from the SUV crowd.

However, the X4 is more expensive than the X3 and that extra cost is unlikely to be reflected in increased residual values. That means it's a pricier ownership proposition than its sister model, without having any significant advantages elsewhere. If you love the style and want the best-driving BMW SUV, though, look no further.