BMW X4 vs Volvo XC40

What's the difference?

Look, personally I found it amusingly weird when German car companies started sloping the roofs on sedans and calling them “coupes”, despite the fact that they had four doors. Their ability to imagine segments, and find buyers in them, that have no reason to exist is almost something to admire.

But turning SUVs, like the already very capable X3, into coupes? Frankly, it’s like turning an ass into an elbow. Lower the roof to reduce headroom and shrink the boot? Why? Because it will look so sexy people won’t be able to resist it. That’s BMW’s approach with the X4 and, somehow, it seems to work.

And, to be fair, sporty SUVs are not a BMW thing: the Range Rover Evoque, Audi Q5 Sportback, and Mercedes-AMG’s range of GLC Coupé models have all taken off, each contributing toward an unlikely trend that doesn’t seem to be going away any time soon. 

The XC40 Recharge Twin Motor is the flagship model for the segment leading small electric SUV from Volvo.

Well positioned in terms of price, specifications and driving range, it continues to prove itself a fierce rival to the Mercedes-Benz EQA, Lexus UX and newcomer BMW iX1.

But does it bring its A-game to every attribute buyers in the small electric SUV segment demand? In this review, we put it to test to find out.