I’m going to be honest, I’m really quite excited for the upcoming BMW X4 M40i. While it might hurt my car enthusiast “street-cred” to admit to wanting to drive a coupe-like SUV, I can’t help but be excited for the X4 M40i. Reason being is that the current BMW X3 M40i is superb. In fact, I’d go as far as to say it was the most enjoyable SUV I’ve ever drive (I haven’t driven an Alfa Romeo Stelvio or Jaguar F-Pace yet). So the idea of making it sportier and more exciting looking is one that makes me very happy.

This new render from Christian Schulte Design shows off what an X4 M40i might look like. While it doesn’t explicitly say that this is the M40i variant, it’s quite easily to tell. The aggressive front bumper, larger air intakes and dark wheels all give it away.

We’ve seen spy photos of the upcoming BMW X4 and can see that this rendering looks quite similar. The spy photos showed off a BMW that, fortunately or unfortunately, looks a bit like the Mercedes-Benz GLC-Coupe. The roof is still aggressively raked, as in the first-gen X4, but tis a bit swoopier, a bit more well rounded. It’s also a bit softer looking than the hard-edged original car. It’s also much better looking.

Under the hood of the BMW X4 M40i will lie the same 3.0 liter turbocharged I6 engine as the BMW X3 M40i. That will make it good for 355 and 369 lb-ft of torque. All of which allows the X3 M40i to get from 0-60 mph in about 4.5 seconds. So the upcoming X4 M40i will be quick.

Couple-like SUVs aren’t very popular among car enthusiasts. However, they serve their purpose and this upcoming BMW X3 M40i seems to be a good one.

[Source: DriveMag]