2021 BMW X4 M

You're going to have to cough up some serious dough to get behind the wheel of this blistering mom-mobile. BMW asks a base price of $73,400 for the privilege of owning one, but the good news is that the BMW X4 M's price is relatively low compared to competitors. The Porsche Macan Turbo starts with an MSRP of $84,600 while the Mercedes-AMG GLC63 Coupe which costs $76,500 as a 2020 model with an increase likely for 2021. These two can also be loaded with options to drive the price sky-high, but the X4 M, even when fully loaded, tops out at $92,100.

It is truly amazing how far manufacturers have come in their ability to make large cars feel small. We're not saying the X4 M is massive, but it is still a tall car with SUV aspirations, but what BMW has managed to do here is truly astounding. Out on the road, it feels beautifully well-rounded from a handling perspective, but even in its softest drive modes, the suspension feels filled with concrete. Still, that's a compromise you're going to have to be willing to make if you want this level of performance. The X4 M rides on coil springs that have been set up for sporty driving, and this can be felt at lower speeds, where the ride can feel jarring over rough surfaces. On the highway, in its most comfortable setting, the X4 M will make for a pleasurable travel companion. Sport and Sport Plus modes are best reserved for the track, where glassy surfaces help to avoid jarring crashes, but even still, it feels unnecessarily stiff.

The X4 M's all-wheel-drive system allows for a rear-biased mode, which grants some tail-happy skids, and the traction control can be fully deactivated for even more trouble. But despite the rear bias, it's amazingly stable around corners and manages to keep its nose flat and tucked at all times, belying its high-riding nature almost entirely. The brakes are sharp and suit the X4 M's dynamic ability to a tee. Fitting the Competition package means a set of thicker anti-roll bars and a set of 21-inch wheels that do nothing for road comfort, but if, for some reason, you regularly track your SUV, it will shave split seconds off your lap times.

The X4 M can be viewed in two ways: It's either a rock hard performance SUV that shows a giant middle finger to the concept of comfort and practicality for the sake of style and performance, or, it's an over-engineered machine that compromises on the essence of what an SUV is supposed to be. While the high levels of performance simply can't be disputed, we tend to be of the opinion that the X4 M is a little too harsh for day to day life. The fact that an owner is unlikely to take an SUV to a track day further cements this notion, as it's not like the compromise is made up for in other logical avenues. Sure, it's the most spacious of the other coupe-like crossovers, and the tech, safety, and convenience features are all impressive, but it's just a little too hardcore for what the average buyer in this segment is looking for. A Macan is more comfortable, albeit at a far higher price, and the Mercedes-AMG GLC63 has more comfort and more character. Still, as a taste of what's to come in the BMW M4, the X4 M is a mighty impressive engineering feat.

You only get one option for 2021, so you'll have to tick some options to spec your X4 M above the base model. If it were up to us, we would opt for a Dark Graphite Metallic paint job. Inside, we would get Merino leather seats finished in Tartufo, which requires the $950 M Sport seats to be added, but we'd retain the standard carbon fiber trim. Of the packages on offer, we wouldn't be able to say no to the luxury-packed Executive Package for the extra practicality and comfort of heating for both front and rear seats, Parking Assistant Plus, a head-up display, gesture control, and wireless phone charging. For some added sportiness we would also go for the M Carbon Exterior Package to get the M carbon rear spoiler, M carbon mirror caps, as well as single-piece carbon finishers around the exhaust pipes.

The Mercedes-AMG GLC63 is one of the fastest SUVs globally with a sub-eight-minute lap time around the Nurburgring in S form, and one of the X4 M's chief competitors. This mega SUV packs a serious punch, but at the same time is a refined daily driver and practical cruiser. Under the hood lies a turbocharged 4.0-liter V8 producing 469 hp and 479 lb-ft of torque, which is lower than the X4 M, but the S version ups those outputs to 503 hp and 516 lb-ft of torque; a serious power difference. The 0 to 60 time is dealt with in 3.6 seconds, which destroys the X4 M's time of four seconds. On the road, the GLC63 is the more relaxed and comfortable car to drive, especially at low speeds, fitting the bill better as a luxury SUV. The BMW is sharper, however, but pays for this with a rock hard ride. The interior of the Mercedes is a more special place to be in, and the craftsmanship is impeccable. At $76,500, the Merc isn't much more expensive, and we feel it makes for a better daily driver.

The first thing worth noting is the price difference between these cars: the Porsche Macan Turbo is $11,200 more expensive than the BMW. Once you get over that fact, you can start to focus on what's really important: which one is better. The Porsche is powered by a 2.9-liter twin-turbo V6 that produces a lower 434 hp and 405 lb-ft of torque. The Porsche makes the best of that power in all configurations; it has a zero to sixty time of 4.3 seconds, or 4.1 seconds with the Sport Chrono package, but still won't match the BMW for acceleration. On the road, the Macan is either pillowy or stiff, thanks to its bipolar adaptive suspension, but either way you swing it, it handles great and is just as good at hitting the corners. The interior is a grand place to be but suffers from the same limited back seat space thanks to a sloping rear roof. The Porsche also doesn't offer as much tech as the BMW, and you'll have to fork out for optional extras to match the level of goodies in the Bimmer. The Macan does, however, offer slightly more cargo space with the seats folded down, but it's not enough to pay $11k extra for. Both are highly accomplished, but the BMW is the better performance deal for the money.