LIVING in the Cotswolds, I'm lucky to have a number of good roads with light traffic where I can still enjoy driving.

And I'm also only an hour away from the Welsh Marches, with some marvellous traffic free areas that I've been to on many occasions over the years.

When I last drove the BMW X4 coupe/SUV, I chose one of my favourite routes and had a whale of a time for a couple of hours on a sunny afternoon.

The X4 is a car that only exists because it's fashionable. It's roughly the same size as the company's X3 SUV and of course, many buyers like an SUV for its height and space.

But sometimes, they don't want to lose the sportiness of lower riding cars they've owned previously.

Other coupe/SUVs simply don't manage to reach that wide range of attributes, but the X4 is excellent.

Like many others in the world of motoring, when these coupe crossovers first came out I asked the simply question why? I didn't believe there was a market for them, but BMW, Mercedes and others have proved me wrong in no uncertain terms.

However, buying them secondhand can be a complicated business, since there are so many trim and engine combinations available.

Suffice it to say that if you're thinking of one, make sure it has all the bells and whistles you want.

The main engine sold in this country has been the 20d also used in the 2, 3, 4 and 5 series cars, a 2.0-litre diesel with 187bhp that gets from zero to 60 miles an hour in a decently quick 7.7 seconds. It's economy figure is 44 miles per gallon.

Like all the other models, it comes with four wheel drive and an eight speed automatic gearbox as standard, which is steptronic at the top of the range.

The other diesel engine is the well-known BMW 3.0-litre and this comes with 261bhp. 60 comes up in a very good 5.6 seconds and it's rated at 40mpg.

Top M40d has the same 3.0-litre but is boosted to a superb 335bhp - enough for a sprint of 4.7 seconds and yet it still manages 40mpg.

Petrol models are both 3.0-litre units and these open with a 354bhp power output in the 3.0i, which brings up the benchmark in 4.7 seconds and is rated at 30mpg.

And then comes the M Competition with an amazing 502bhp from the same 3.0-litre engine. This is enough to bring the 0 to 60 time down by a full second to 3.7, with economy of 26mpg.

Inside there is a high quality dash and the same quality for everything else, but the rearview is more restricted than in more upright saloons and hatches.

Comfort is good in the main but the designers' more sporting intent shows in quite firm spring settings. This is offset by superb leather seats that are among the best on the market.

Roadholding is superb, with very little roll and excellent feel from the steering helping towards tremendous levels of grip.

A series of bends and changes of direction can often be taken without having to slow down much, and nothing upsets the fantastic refinement.

Standard kit on M Sport models includes those excellent sports seats, part-digital instruments and BMW's very good navigation system operated either via a wide touchscreen or the i-Drive controls.

There's a full range of driver aids to help keep it on the straight and narrow and sprayed-on tyres on 19-inch alloy wheels don't unsettle it in any way.

Extras packs are likely to have been added by original owners including a tech pack with a head-up display and gesture control for £1,690.

Pay about £24,700 for a '19 19-reg M Sport 20d, or £36,550 for a '22 22-reg M Sport 30d MHT with tech pack.