Once upon a time, sports cars were low, lithe and long. Then the crossover SUV became a thing. Porsche introduced the Cayenne and it became the marque's best-seller very quickly, largely because it's absolutely a Porsche in terms of performance. Since then, it's been eclipsed by the smaller Macan.
What followed from there was the idea of a crossover SUV with coupe-like styling. Many of us had hoped the Honda Crosstour would be the beginning and end of that particular idea (it was a sales failure), but it lives on in cars like the Mercedes-AMG GLE 63 S Coupe and the BMW X4 M Competition.
Why? How? Well, because these vehicles, ungainly as their external proportions appear, are absolute monsters in terms of performance. The 2022 BMW X4 M Competition is playing with the fullest imaginable deck---a 3.0-liter twin-turbo six with 503 horsepower and 479 pounds per foot of torque. Sixty seconds from a standing start happens in 3.3 seconds. Handling? Well, that bracing in the engine compartment isn't there for show. And it's all-wheel drive.
The EPA fuel economy average of 15 miles per gallon city, 20 highway is nothing to write home about, but if you're in the market for a machine like this with performance like this, my guess is EPA numbers don't factor into your equation.
The base price of the 2022 BMW X4 M is $73,400. That comes with a comprehensive list of standard equipment (see window sticker below).
As with all European vehicles, there's also a pretty hefty helping of extra-cost options, including $7,000 for the Competition Package, $4,500 for the Malachite Green Metallic paint, $2,250 for the Executive Package and $2,500 for the M Drivers' Package. With $995 destination charge, the as-tested price of the 2022 BMW X4 M Competition is $90,695.
I appreciate the power and performance of the BMW X4 M Competition, and there are clearly buyers for it. But you can duplicate that performance in other cars, in other BMWs and get a lower center of gravity and (to my eye) a more attractive car. Still, if this package works for you, it absolutely delivers.
