SUVs are practical, safe vehicles that offer more space – and typically more off-road ability – than your average sedan. For many people, SUVs are favorited over minivans and trucks because they offer the ability to fit more people while not sacrificing style and cargo capacity. There are a lot of good looking SUVs, and even though they have grown in popularity, some people still aren’t in love. SUVs tend to handle like the large, heavy vehicles that they are, and historically have a boxier appearance in place of nice curves and body lines. The BMW X4 is here to change all of that – it’s the SUV for people who don’t like SUVs.

What sets the X4 apart

The BMW X4 has the sleek styling and body lines of the manufacturer’s sporty sedans and coupes paired with a compact size and fun handling experience. Regardless of trim level, you get the all-wheel-drive experience which enhances the car’s performance. You could take it off road if you really want to, but you probably don’t.

It’s smaller size puts it into the category of compact SUVs, and it’s almost comparable in size to the GT versions of the BMW sedans. The sloping roofline gives it a coupe-style back end, different from the boxier styling of typical SUVs.

The interior is lined with high-quality leather and wood veneer that makes the X4 feel more like a sports car with back seats than an SUV. Along with the handling

Options and pricing

There are two available options for the 2020 X4, and both are fairly priced and have a lot to offer. The standard, base model X4 is offered only with the xDrive, BMW’s all-wheel-drive system, and you can buy one brand new for around $52,095. There aren’t too many changes between the 2019 and 2020 model years, and you can find them on the used market for slightly less.

Under the hood of the xDrive 30i is a 2.0L 4-cylinder engine boosted by twin turbochargers to produce 248hp and as much as 258lb-ft of torque. It isn’t the fastest SUV on the market but for the size it still offers a fun and enjoyable ride.

As with any BMW model, there is an M version, the BMW performance version connotation that you might recognize from the M3 or M6 models. It is the more powerful of the two trim options available for the 2020 model year, and it has a starting price of about $61,995, which is less than $10,000 higher than the base model xDrive.

The M40i has more power provided by the 3.0L 6-cylinder engine – which is also twin turbocharged – and it gives us as much as 382hp, a pretty big bump from the base model for not too much higher of a price.

Overall the BMW X4 is the closest you can get to driving a sports car while actually driving an SUV. It’s one of the more affordable options on the BMW lineup