Compare the2024 Volvo V90 Cross CountryVS 2023 BMW X4

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Volvo V90 Cross Country have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The BMW X4 doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Volvo V90 Cross Country are height-adjustable to accommodate a wide variety of driver and passenger heights. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages passengers to buckle up. The BMW X4 doesn’t offer height-adjustable seat belts.

Both the V90 Cross Country and X4 have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The V90 Cross Country has power child safety locks, allowing the driver to activate and deactivate them from the driver's seat and to know when they're engaged. The X4’s child locks have to be individually engaged at each rear door with a manual switch. The driver can’t know the status of the locks without opening the doors and checking them.

The Volvo V90 Cross Country offers optional built in child booster seats. They’re more crash worthy than an added child seat because of their direct attachment to the seat. BMW doesn’t offer the convenience and security of a built-in child booster seat in the X4. Their owners must carry a heavy booster seat in and out of the vehicle; V90 Cross Country owners can just fold their built-in child seat up or down.

Both the V90 Cross Country and X4 have rear cross-traffic warning, but the V90 Cross Country has Braking Intervention (automatically applies the brakes) to better prevent a collision when backing near traffic. The X4’s Cross Traffic Warning doesn’t automatically brake.

Both the V90 Cross Country and the X4 have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, plastic fuel tanks, four-wheel antilock brakes, all wheel drive, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, post-collision automatic braking systems, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning and driver alert monitors.

For its top level performance in IIHS driver and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, side impact, roof strength and head restraint tests, its standard vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention system, its standard vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention system, and its standard headlight’s “Acceptable” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the V90 Cross Country its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2022, a rating granted to only 128 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The X4 has not been tested, yet.

The X4’s redline is at 7000 RPM, which causes more engine wear, and a greater chance of a catastrophic engine failure. The V90 Cross Country has a 6000 RPM redline.

The V90 Cross Country’s 2.0 turbo/supercharged 4-cylinder hybrid produces 47 more horsepower (295 vs. 248) and 52 lbs.-ft. more torque (310 vs. 258) than the X4 xDrive30i’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

On the EPA test cycle the V90 Cross Country gets better mileage than the X4:

The V90 Cross Country has a standard cap-less fueling system. The fuel filler is automatically opened when the fuel nozzle is inserted and automatically closed when it’s removed. This eliminates the need to unscrew and replace the cap and it reduces fuel evaporation, which causes pollution. The X4 doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Volvo V90 Cross Country higher (7 out of 10) than the BMW X4 (5 to 7). This means the V90 Cross Country produces up to 8 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the X4 every 15,000 miles.

For better stopping power the V90 Cross Country’s standard front brake rotors are larger than those on the X4:

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the V90 Cross Country’s wheelbase is 3 inches longer than on the X4 (115.8 inches vs. 112.8 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the V90 Cross Country is 1.6 inches wider in the front than the average track on the X4.

For better maneuverability, the V90 Cross Country’s turning circle is 1.7 feet tighter than the X4’s (38.1 feet vs. 39.8 feet).

The V90 Cross Country has 1.5 inches more front legroom, .2 inches more rear headroom and .4 inches more rear legroom than the X4.

The V90 Cross Country has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the X4 with its rear seat up (25.2 vs. 18.5 cubic feet). The V90 Cross Country has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the X4 with its rear seat folded (69 vs. 50.5 cubic feet).

Standard Trailer Stability Assist (TSA) on the V90 Cross Country uses the Electronic Stability Control sensors to detect trailer sway, then uses individual brakes to counteract any swaying and help keep the tow vehicle and trailer steady. The X4 doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

Unlike the driver-only memory system in the X4, the V90 Cross Country Ultimate has a passenger memory, so that when drivers switch, the memory setting adjusts the driver’s seat and outside mirror angle and the front passenger seat also adjusts to the new passenger’s preset preferences.

Heated windshield washer nozzles are optional on the V90 Cross Country to prevent washer fluid and nozzles from freezing and help continue to keep the windshield clear in sub-freezing temperatures. The X4 doesn’t offer heated windshield washer nozzles.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the V90 Cross Country has a standard rear wiper. The X4 doesn’t offer a rear wiper.

In poor weather, headlights can lose their effectiveness as grime builds up on their lenses. This can reduce visibility without the driver realizing. The V90 Cross Country offers available headlight washers to keep headlight output high. The X4 doesn’t offer headlight washers.

Manual rear side window sunshades are available in the V90 Cross Country to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The X4 doesn’t offer rear side window sunshades.

The V90 Cross Country has a standard heated steering wheel to take the chill out of steering on extremely cold winter days before the car heater warms up. A heated steering wheel costs extra on the X4.

The V90 Cross Country Ultimate has standard massaging front seats in order to maximize comfort and eliminate fatigue on long trips. Massaging seats aren’t available in the X4.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Volvo V90 Cross Country has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. Wireless charging costs extra on the X4.

The V90 Cross Country offers an optional 115-volt a/c outlet on the center console, allowing you to recharge a laptop or run small household appliances without special adapters that can break or get misplaced. The X4 doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.