Serving as a so-called ‘coupe’ variant of the popular X3 crossover, the BMW X4 trades a bit of cargo practicality in the name of style, cutting a fast roofline with a steeply raked back window. Hey, sometimes there’s a price to looking good.

Cross-shopping will definitely include machines like the Mercedes-Benz GLC Coupe, a vehicle which also prioritizes its roofline over cargo efficiency. The Audi Q5 deserves a nod, as do the Volvo XC60 and maybe the Alfa Romeo Stelvio if a person is feeling particularly euro.

Minor changes greet the X4 in this new model year, including a shuffling of included options such as heated front seats and remote starting packages. BMW may also rename some of its paint shades and offer up new wheel styles.

Around these parts, an X4 is available with one of two powertrains. The xDrive30i trim has a 2.0L turbo inline-four with 248 horsepower and can scoot to 100 km/h in about 6.3 seconds, while a more powerful M40i xDrive musters 382 horses from its turbo’d 3.0L engine and drops that acceleration time to under five seconds. Both are equipped with all-wheel drive and an 8-speed automatic.

The 2.0L xDrive30i trim swill fuel to the tune of 11.1 L/100km in town and 8.6 on the highway for a combined rating of 9.9 L/100km, according to the feds. Tellingly, at least in terms of how hard that 2.0L is working in this car, the more powerful M40i xDrive is rated at 10.9 city, 9.0 highway, and 10.0 combined. If the bigger engine is in budget, buy it.

As one would expect at this price range, items like forward-collision warning and automatic braking helpers are standard, as are lane departure warning systems and lane keeping assists. Annoyingly, the likes of an active cruise control with stop & go and front cross-traffic alert are relegated to an optional $2,000 package.

Consumer Reports gives the X4 a middling 3-of-5 rating for predicted reliability, about average when compared to other new cars in its segment. Given a relative dearth of survey data, the group is basing this prediction on other models in the BMW brand. Predicted owner satisfaction is high, at 4-of-5, perhaps because many customers choosing style-over-practicality do so with eyes wide open.

A typically sombre German cabin awaits buyers of an X4, particularly when clad in a dark colour. However, BMW makes available some much more interesting upholstery including Cognac Vernasca leather, Fiona Red Merino leather, and an option with contrast stitching in BMW M colours. As is the wont of this brand, most of those cost extra. A wide 12.3-inch infotainment screen actually blends decently well into the dashboard given its placement.

Total length of the X4 is 4,762 millimetres (187.5 inches) which places it in good company with many of the other compact crossovers on our roads. Overall height is 1,621 mm (63.8 inches) on a ground clearance of 204 mm (8.0 inches), the latter being wholly appropriate for navigating the rink parking lot for hockey practice. Cargo space with all seats in place is 525 L or 18.5 cubic feet.

The sum of $60,500 plus fees will get you in the door of an X4 xDrive30i, though any number of options and packages can push that total much higher. A heady $75,600 is demanded for the more powerful M40i xDrive, though it does come with more standard gear and its fuel economy isn’t much different from the 30i. Going hog wild in options can push the total scarily close to a hundred grand.