Why We Love Wedge Sneakers, the Same Reason We Love the 2019 BMW X4
Scotty Reiss
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Sporty style that makes you look gorgeous and perform flawlessly? What’s not to love!
Men will never understand wedge sneakers. Most don’t understand the crossover hatchback, either.
All the more reason to love the BMW X4 crossover hatchback, redesigned for 2019. Girls, especially those of you who love to drive, this one is for you.
Like a great pair of wedge sneakers, the crossover hatchback is the best of all worlds: a sporty look that pairs the elegance and elevation of heels with the traction and comfort of sneakers. They let you walk 10 miles and work your core while wearing your best skinny jeans or a skirt. They prove that no, you don’t have to wear yoga pants and sweat like a Teamster to get a good workout.
Further reading: See what we thought of the 2017 BMW X4
The side view of the X4 sedan meets SUV. Photo: Scotty Reiss
Who This Car is For
- Luxury car buyers
- Buyers who love sporty and stylish all rolled into one
- Buyers who love crossovers and SUVs but want the drive feel of a sedan
- Buyers who regularly have small back seat passengers or occasionally, adults
- Drivers who need all wheel drive at least sometimes
- Drivers who appreciate the higher ground clearance of an SUV
- Anyone who appreciates flexible cargo space
Further Reading: Not sure a crossover is for you? We also took the BMW 530i for a spin.
The front cabin of the X4 dressed in red and sporting the M sport package. Photo: Scotty Reiss
What This Car Costs
- 2019 X4 30i 4 cylinder 248 horsepower twin turbo $50,450
- Add M Sport design package, $3,000
- Add heated seats, head up display and gesture control, $3,400
- Add digital instrument cluster, surround view camera and park assist, add $3,250
- Upgrade to the larger 6 cylinder 355 horsepower twin turbo X4 40i base, add $10,000
- Destination charge: $995
We Took the BMW X4 For a Spin… On the Road and on the Track
BMW introduced the X4 crossover hatchback four years ago to much love from the brand’s female customers; more than 200,000 have been sold world wide. And, we know why: this could be the perfect car. First of all, you get all the convenience and function of a kid-hauling, stuff-toting SUV, but not in a big, boxy hard-to-park car. The higher ground clearance and hip-level height of the seats makes getting in and out is easy. The hatchback is easy in/easy out for groceries, gear and luggage, and the folding seats make impulse purchases easy.
And then, its looks. The X4 is part sexy sedan, part capable SUV. Just like those wedge sneakers. Capable traction and style that lifts you to eye level with the world, all while making you look good, too.
Further reading: Get ready to go electric; that’s what BMW is thinking, too!
The front view of the X4 shows its sedan-like appeal. Photo: Scotty Reiss
The Thing About Wedge Sneakers: They’re As Much About Performance As They Are About Style
No, you’re not going to run a marathon in them, but you can run a marathon day of shopping and be comfortable and sure-footed. They are as much about performance as they are about style. This is the focus of the X4, too: Performance as well as style.
And this is why men will love the X4, even if they don’t get the idea of a crossover hatchback.
When BMW retooled the X4 they focused on the drive experience (being tagged as Ultimate Driving Machine, after all) to soothe their drive-focused customers. This includes improved handling and a choice of two powerful engines. This means there should be no complaints about the drive experience of this function-focused car.
Want to see more? We took a good long look at the BMW X4 on Facebook live.
Head up display was a feature on the model we test drove and one I’d recommend investing in. Photo: Scotty Reiss
Two Engine Options So You Can Pick Your Drive Experience
We took the X4 M40 i on a winding back-roads tour through the mountains of South Carolina and up to Brevard, North Carolina and the car was impressive. The X4 handled the curves and hills quite nicely, accelerating masterfully. Both my co-driver George and I found the drive experience to be fun and from the passenger’s seat, comfortable. I even spent some time in the back seat while George drove and can say that the comfort of the driving dynamics and cabin were great: I never felt car sick, even once.
Then, I took the 30i out for a spin around town. The smaller engine, which delivers 285 horsepower (compared to the 355 HP in the 40i engine), gave me enough gusto to merge onto the highway, scoot out of the way of oncoming semi trucks and hit exhilaration speed pretty quickly. It’s not a huge engine but it’s certainly enough.
The X4 features a wireless charge pad, which held my plus-sized phone nicely and charged it even in my heavy case. Photo: Scotty Reiss
The Masterful Beauty of a Hatchback: Comfort and Convenience, Plus a Super Smart Cargo Floor
SUVs and their ample cargo space have spoiled us. After driving an SUV for years I just can’t look at a sedan the same way as I did when I was 16. I chuckle at the sedan’s inferiority in managing stuff – sports gear, luggage, strollers, backpacks, groceries, you name it. But I still love the drive experience of a sedan; with its lower center of gravity you have more control and, consequently, more fun behind the wheel.
This is brilliant: the cargo floor is held in place with a hydraulic arm so you can load things in without struggling to hold it open. Photo: Scotty Reiss
I Love This Thoughtful Feature. Thank You, BMW!
The hatchback crossover is the best of both worlds, especially when it comes to the hatchback of the X4. The hatch is wide and easy to access, and BMW’s designers added bins under the cargo floor. This allows you to store things out of sight, or, you can put your milk and melons in them and they won’t roll around on the ride home from the market.
But here’s the brilliant thing: Try lifting the cargo floor and getting the melons out of your shopping cart all at the same time. You can’t. So, BMW’s designers added a hydraulic arm that, when you lift the cargo floor, holds it in place. You can place things under the floor and on top of it at the same time. Melons and milk and grocery bags and hockey bags and backpacks. And no squished bread.
This is a performance spec not to be overlooked: Managing stuff is even more important when your drive includes winding back roads for a driver who likes to have fun. I don’t just get this, I love it. Like a prized pair of wedge sneakers, when you can put the fun in function, you’ve won.
The oversized sun roof makes the hatchback feel bigger, brighter and roomier. Photo: Scotty Reiss
PS: Here’s another feature in the X4 we love (you’ll find it in their other models, too ????)
Our X4 Playlist
And, this is what we listened to in the X4 when we weren’t listening to the engine.
Disclosure: I was BMW’s guest for this test drive; travel and accommodations were provided but all opinions are my own.
