Electric convertibles are an endangered breed. At the lower end, cars like the Mazda MX-5 are still in the lead, and there are quite a few carbon-fiber chassis roadsters on the market, but they fall into the so-called category. supercars – so they are very, very expensive. The BMW M4 Competition Convertible doesn’t have many direct competitors. This is perhaps why the Bavarians continue to produce their two-door sports car with sunroof when rivals from Mercedes-AMG and Audi’s mid-sized convertible top models are not selling for the moment.
Indeed, this BMW’s closest rival in terms of power is Porsche’s 911 GTS Cabriolet, but this car is sportier, but also significantly more expensive. So is the M4 Competition Convertible a good price? The ambiguous answer is: not exactly, but this impressive-looking convertible delivers true sports car performance. And while the appearance of this car is quite controversial (judge for yourself from the photos), there is no question about its dynamic qualities. It is for this reason that we start from the “heart” of the M4 Competition.
–
Engine and driving characteristics
The 3.0-liter six-cylinder turbo engine is taken over from the Coupé version, with the same 503 hp. and 650 Nm of torque. It is also paired with an identical eight-speed automatic transmission, but the M4 Competition Convertible is only available with M xDrive all-wheel drive and no rear-wheel drive version. Although the soft top of this car is 40% lighter than the folding hard top of its predecessor, the M4 Competition Convertible still weighs a whopping 1,920 kg. This is due to the weight of the electric roof mechanism plus some additional reinforcements to compensate for the loss of body stiffness. This makes it even more impressive that this model sprints from 0 to 100 km / h in just 3.7 seconds. The weight actually aids in straight line traction and the M4 feels well balanced. With 650Nm of torque in any of the lower four gears, the car lunges forward after only a short pause until the turbo kicks in.
–
Acceleration is impressive too, with the sharper engine and transmission settings and distinct turbo bore likely to appeal to sport-minded drivers. The high weight of the car makes itself felt, but this BMW has a colossal level of grip, thanks to the M xDrive system, which also works to increase the car’s agility by distributing power with a tilt towards the rear axle. Torque is transmitted to the front wheels only when needed. 4WD Sport mode allows you to have a good feeling for the car. Obviously, as with the Coupé, switching off the ESC sends all the power to the rear only, but it is best done by experienced drivers and only on the track. Otherwise, the average fuel consumption for a car with more than 500 horsepower is by no means high. We drove over 1000 kilometers and the average consumption was 11 liters per 100 kilometers.
–
However, the M4 Competition Convertible feels a little heavy, except for the weight and a little more flexibility in its body. This is noticeable even on a bumpy road. It’s far from terrible, but you feel a little more structural vibration through the stiff two-piece carbon fiber bucket seat compared to the Coupe version, and the M4’s stiffer suspension exacerbates that feeling. Otherwise, the car is stable even at the high speeds the M4 can reach, but these should not be attempted in Comfort mode. Of course, there are countless options available to customize the car’s settings, with adjustable suspension, steering, accelerator pedal, ESC, brake pedal sensitivity and other settings that can be configured and saved as a preset by tapping one of the two red paddles. mounted on the steering wheel.
–
Internal
The roof opens at the push of a button and folds electrically in 18 seconds at speeds of up to 50 km / h. With the top open you might expect to enjoy the roar of the powerful engine, but the fact that the engine is turbocharged and much of its sound is amplified through the speakers means that it isn’t as impressive in sound as you would have thought. It’s a full-fledged four-seater, although rear legroom is limited, as is headroom when the roof is up.
–
The roof folds down into a cavity in the trunk, so there are 385 liters of trunk with the roof up and 300 liters with the one down. The latter figure is 80 liters more than its predecessor, which had a more voluminous folding hardtop. As for the instrument cluster, you get the same level of kit as the regular M3 and M4, which means a great feature-packed infotainment system and performance enhancement kit, as well as a digital instrument cluster.
–
Judgement
The open version of the BMW M4 is one of the few options in this price range in the market for powerful convertibles, so it should be noted that it is good for buyers to have this choice, because the main German competitors have already left this sector. It’s not the most comfortable car and removing the roof gives you much more access to noise and dirt, especially in big cities, but it definitely adds a different dimension to the driving experience. If you want an exclusive, larger convertible with lots of power, the open version of the BMW M4 Competition is your best bet. The basic price starts from BGN 193,900 VAT included.
–
Put a rating:
☆
☆
☆
☆
☆
–
4.5
Assessment 4.5 from 11 voice.
–
– –
