car tests

Netherlands cabrioland

The summer of 2022 will go down in the books as one of the sunniest summers ever. Although on some days it was even too hot to drive with the roof open – yes, it can also be too hot to drive a convertible – more and more Dutch people will consider a convertible because of the pleasant weather. You used to feel like you were riding in the rain 364 days of the year, but 2022 already had over 100 warm days. These are days when the thermometer in De Bilt officially hits at least 20 degrees.

BMW M4 Convertible

But a convertible that you want to drive all year round should be more than just a compact two-seater. Those are fun if you only take them out of the barn for two weeks a year. From a daily driver you demand more. It must have at least four seats and reasonable luggage space. And preferably, of course, a wonderful soundtrack. We then quickly arrive at the new BMW M4 Convertible.

510 hp

BMW’s new potent convertible has been on the market for a year, so it has just had its first full summer. We were allowed to put it through its paces for a week. That one flew by. That may have had to do with the glorious weather, but maybe it was because of the 510 hp and 650 Nm 6-cylinder in-line engine? The BMW sprints from 0 to 100 km/h in just 3.7 seconds and to 200 km/h in 13.1 seconds. Full power is available between 5,510 and 7,200 rpm, where the red rev range only begins. Feast! This is not a convertible in which you put on a cap against the sun. You can, but you’re guaranteed to lose it in 3.7 seconds.

Top speed BMW M4

At 200 km/h, of course, the fun isn’t over yet. The electronic limiter only intervenes at 250 km/h. Unless you opt for the M Driver’s Pack, then the M4 doesn’t stop accelerating until 280 mph. For this option, the German brand does demand 2,795 euros. If you enjoy visiting our eastern neighbors, then this one-time investment is worth considering.

Circuit worthy

If you like to go to the track – possibly also at our eastern neighbors, for example at a well-known track in the Eifel – then a higher top speed is of course also nice. But then you probably also long for better brakes and extra good furniture. For 17,899, BMW offers the M Race Track Pack. Admittedly, a hefty sum of money, but then your brake discs will last for say 300,000 kilometers. On public roads then, but also on the track they are wear-resistant.

Zandvoort

Indeed, we are talking about lightweight M Carbon ceramic brakes. You can recognize these brakes by their gold-colored calipers with M logo. We didn’t get to test them to their limits – we love our driving license – for that you have to go to Assen or Zandvoort in the Netherlands. On the racetrack in the seaside resort, these brakes are pushed to the limit though, as BMW Netherlands uses this test car there for driving training at the BMW Driving Experience. On public roads, the expensive set of brakes is overkill. Which is nice, of course, when it comes to brakes.

Furniture

In addition to four circuit-worthy brake discs, you also get two M Carbon bucket seats for that nearly 18 grand. It may seem a little odd, bucket seats in a car for sun worshippers, but the M4 convertible is, after all, a tearaway monster and less of a gran tourer. So you need them. The seats offer perfect lateral support and more comfort than you might think. Especially the carbon element that sticks out in the middle of the seat looks rather uncomfortable. Once you’ve taken a seat in the tubs – which requires some climbing experience – you can sit there for hours without getting uncomfortable. The M Carbon bucket seats are even heatable and electrically adjustable in just about every direction.

Show off

Moreover, these racing seats might actually be a logical choice in a convertible. Once the roof is down, everyone can enjoy the visible carbon parts on the backrest and the illuminated M4 emblem. If you’re spending this kind of money on a set of chairs, it’s okay to show off a little, right? In addition to the four fistfuls of exhaust pipes, it is mainly the seats that indicate to those behind that you are not driving a normal BMW.

xDrive

Both on public roads and on the race track, you can have a lot of fun behind the wheel of the BMW M4 Competition xDrive Convertible. The xDrive all-wheel drive system is standard on the convertible, but most of the power goes to the rear wheels. As it should be, with a BMW. The settings menu allows you to send even more power to the rear. If you really want all 510 roaring horses to go to the rear wheels, you can turn off the Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) completely and opt for rear-wheel drive only. If you know how to go through this complicated procedure, we assume you know what you are getting into.

Practical

During our week of testing, it is far too hot to burn rubber. We prefer to do that on the track anyway. Again, our driver’s license is dear to us, and the BMW M4 – in any form – is a license-killer if you can’t control your right foot. Therefore, let’s focus for a moment on the practical aspect of the car. In addition to being a good daily driver, the M4 Convertible is also a great vacationer. There’s room for four adults, and in the very back you can fit a couple of hefty bags and two rolling suitcases. You can silence the cheeky exhaust system with the push of a button, so your neighbors don’t start throwing eggs at you in their bathrobes in the morning. That’s unpleasant, anyway, with a convertible.

Eggplant

The fabric roof can be lowered to a speed of 50 km/h. Of course, you don’t have to do anything to do that yourself, except push a button. We can’t say much about its looks, because tastes do vary. Personally, we think the car is a fine piece of equipment to look at. It looks hugely aggressive, yet stylish. The BMW Individual color helps with that. The eggplant color is called Madeira Red and is one of the nicest colors you can get from the brand.

What does a BMW M4 Convertible cost?

Less attractive may be the price tag, but that’s not entirely BMW‘s fault. Thanks to a hefty bpm fine of 40,157 euros (!) plus, of course, 21% VAT (23,886.66 euros to be exact), the final amount you have to pay at the dealer for this particular test car comes to 179,090 euros. For 147,082 euros, you can drive a BMW M4 Competition xDrive Convertible out of the showroom towards the sun with no options.

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