The BMW M4 Competition Convertible packs a ton of performance into a convertible body form. In many cases, the convertible version of the coupe is toned down and made less powerful. Not so in the M4 Convertible, which maintains a keen focus on performance.
There's only one version of the M4, and it's the Competition variant with xDrive all-wheel drive and an eight-speed automatic. BMW might be right to skip the manual—enthusiasts will likely want a coupe anyway—but limiting the convertible to all-wheel drive is an odd move. BMW may have customer statements that show an odd craving for bad-weather traction and drop-off cars (or getting as many badges on the back of an M4 to impress the neighbors), but there's also no denying the performance benefits xDrive brings to the M4 when it's not dominating. Blizzards and weather rivers on the weather.
We found it to be an easy system to use on a racetrack, and even with the added weight, the M4 Competition Convertible bested the rear-wheel-drive M4 Competition Coupe to 60 mph in a tenth of a second. BMW claims this convertible does 0 to 60 mph in 3.6 seconds, and from the driver's seat, there's no doubt they can match that time over and over again. Launches with the rear-wheel-drive M4 are always subject to a wheel spin, but the AWD Convertible zips off the line with no lag or fuss—you lose the convertible's weight, and the AWD M4 Competition Coupe is 0.2 seconds faster.
On the subject of weight, when equipped similarly, the convertible adds 327 pounds to the M4. That's enough to really notice in a car that weighs 4,306 pounds. Despite this weight increase, BMW managed to reduce the weight attached to the roof by 40% for the new generation by switching back to a soft roof after two generations of retractable hardtops (here we are back the old 3 Series convertible). You'll have the choice between a black top or "Moonlight Black," with the latter designed to mimic the shimmer of metallic paint in sunlight. Putting the roof up or down takes about 18 seconds, and you can do it at speeds of up to 31 mph.
We've come this far without touching on the M4's design, which, depending on who you talk to, is either aggressive and fun or obnoxious and nasty. The profile mimics coupes, and you'll know it's M in the rear thanks to the distinctive quad exhaust and black M Competition badge. It's all fairly elegant and subtly sporty everywhere you look besides the front, but that can be said of a lot of BMWs these days.
As with many built-in convertible coupes, BMW makes up for the loss of stiffness caused by removing the roof. To do this, the M4 Convertible is equipped with a model-specific torsion bar at the rear of the body.
The end result is a performance convertible that behaves very similar to the coupe on which it's based. This means that the M4 Convertible can be just as happy as a potential daily driver or a hardcore performance car - its talent pool is just as vast. Set the different driving mode goals to their full comfort settings, and the M4 cruises smoothly and with little drama. You can even make it completely quiet in the cabin with the roof up if you put the exhaust in the quiet mode (but it's not fun).
Where the M4 Competition Convertible really shines is when the roof is closed as you cruise down a beautiful road on a sunny summer's day. In this environment, the coupe rivals on the driving pleasure scale. And yes, enthusiasts desiring maximum performance will still prefer the coupe's lighter feel, but the extra involvement of immersion in the outside world and this six-cylinder's booming exhaust note do much to make up for the added weight. You'll feel the extra weight in tight corners and under braking, but having fun doesn't stop you. The roofless M4 is still very much a high-intensity performance car with the chops to put a smile on any performance junkie's face.
As we pointed out, the loss of the roof means more exhaust noise. This is a plus, but probably not enough to fully sway us. Sure, the inline-six sounds okay, but we wouldn't go so far as to call it great. You'll get a chorus of crackles and pops when overtaking and with contractions; Noise builds up the octave as you fill it up in the rev range, but at no time does it produce a wow factor. 503 horsepower and 479 pound-feet of torque hit you back in the seat with blistering authority, wind-in-your-hair amplifying the drive, but this convertible doesn't offer the kind of life-altering experience one might get from other performance cars of the past or present.
The same new steering offered in the M3 and hardtop M4 is on board this variant. You'll be surprised how light it is at first (even in Sport), but it's a huge improvement for BMW. Excessively heavy driving is a disaster that affects many cars, but not this M4. Outside of the heavily bolstered, carbon-bolstered seats found on our test car, the M4 Convertible is an easy ride to live with during the daily grind, too. Insert a wind deflector to make conversations possible at highway speeds with the top down. Plus, the extra drive is surprisingly luxurious for a soft top. BMW uses numerous layers of insulation, a flush glass rear window and a smooth top surface to aid in this luxury effort, and the result is satisfying. You are not likely to miss the hardtop.
