2022 BMW M4 Competition Convertible xDrive launch review

The last-generation M4 Convertible definitely wasn’t a high point for the M badge, so can the arrival of all-wheel drive and a fabric roof transform this one’s fortunes?

What we love

Huge performance, impeccable traction and accessible fun when you want it

Fabric roof combines snug insulation with open-topped thrills

Excellent standard equipment – as you’d expect for this price

What we don’t

The heaviest M3/M4 yet, although the mass is always well controlled

Complex UI makes it hard to tweak dynamic settings

Rear-wheel-drive mode only available with stability control fully off

Introduction

While both the power outputs and price tags of BMW’s M-cars have increased steadily over the years, the arrival of the new 2022 BMW M4 Competition Convertible brings us close to another statistical benchmark. Because when measured using the EU’s favoured testing methodology – with three-quarters of a tank of fuel and an imagined 75kg driver on board – it has an official kerb weight of 1995kg. We live in a world where a two-tonne M4 is very nearly a thing.

There are plenty of reasons for this, of course – and it certainly doesn’t destroy the driving experience. Convertibles are almost always heavier than their metal-roofed sisters, and although the new open-topped M4 has ditched its predecessor’s heavy retractable hardtop for the conventional fabric roof, it is still carrying substantial underbody reinforcement.

It is also going to be exclusively offered in Australia with the xDrive all-paw system that BMW has just given its Coupe sister. For what it’s worth, the mass supplement is now less than before. The F83 M4 Convertible was 250kg heavier than the perma-roofed version, and the new car trims that to 145kg. But it’s still what the makers of fat cat memes would refer to as an absolute chonker.

The core mechanical package is all shared with the xDrive Coupe, meaning a 3.0-litre twin-turbocharged six-cylinder engine producing 375kW and 650Nm, and sending drive to the smart transmission through a standard eight-speed auto ‘box. The option of a manual Convertible has been dropped for all markets.

The all-wheel-drive system tries to keep the M4 as rear-driven as it can for as long as it can, but there is the option for drivers to completely disengage the front axle and turn the car into a rear-driver, although this can only be done with the stability control turned fully off. On BMW’s figures, the cabriolet is 0.2sec slower from 0–100km/h than its tin-topped sister, but a 3.7-second time through the benchmark is still outrageously quick.

Key details	2022 BMW M4 Competition Convertible xDrive
Price (MSRP)	$176,900 (before on-road costs)
Colour of test car	M Portimao Blue

While BMW’s huge corporate radiator grille is losing its ability to shock with repeated exposure, it is still the most controversial design detail on the car. In the M4’s defence, it definitely looks better in black as here than when ringed in chrome, but I’m really struggling to unsee a mate’s description of the 4 Series’s front graphic as looking like an angry squirrel.

Like the Coupe, the M4 Convertible has been given a pumped-up bodykit, but at the back the strange pretend diffuser that surrounds the quad exhaust pipes looks very odd, especially as its elements are almost vertical. Presumably that’s to justify the Competition tag.

I drove a car in Britain, meaning the steering wheel was on the right (and proper) side, but the weather was cold and the all-wheel drive got tested by damp and slippery conditions underfoot. My test car’s spec didn’t quite correspond to what will be standard in Australia, but a comprehensive options workout had given it a near full set of options to be tested.

In Australia, pricing for the M4 Competition Convertible will start at $176,900 before on-roads, that representing an $11,000 supplement over the xDrive Coupe version. Standard equipment will be comprehensive – as you’d expect for that price – with the Harmon Kardon surround-sound system, M Sport seats with ‘air collar’ heating, head-up display and laser headlights all coming as standard, on top of many other goodies.

A la carte options are limited to steering wheel heating ($385), the smart BMW display key ($539), front seat ventilation ($1385), and the M carbon bucket seats offered in the Coupe (a hefty $5770). The seats are included in the $20,000 M Carbon package, which also brings extra carbon trim and carbon-ceramic brakes.

There is also an M Driver’s package that increases the Convertible’s limited top speed from 250km/h to 280km/h and brings a “racetrack training course”.

	2022 BMW M4 Competition Convertible xDrive
Seats	Four
Boot volume	300L (roof down)/ 385L (roof raised)
Length	4794mm
Width	1887mm
Height	1395mm
Wheelbase	2857mm

Inside

Was there ever a more misguided idea than the retractable hardtop? It seemed to spread like wildfire across the car industry, the speed of its transmission undoubtedly due to the parts suppliers behind the magic folding mechanisms, but it is genuinely hard to think of a car that was enhanced by the fitment of one. The marketing spiel always promised a combination of a sturdy coupe and a sun-kissed convertible, but the reality tended to be cars that were needlessly heavy and noticeably wobbly.

No cabrio-coupe suffered more more than the E93 BMW 3 Series and its F83 4 Series successor, the last M4 in particular always feeling compromised by the high-placed mass of its magic roof and the loss of structural rigidity caused by the decapitation. Which is why the decision to switch this generation of 4 Series Convertible back to a folding fabric roof is a welcome one.

No, the Convertible doesn’t feel like a pseudo-Coupe from inside with the roof in place – there’s no headlining on the fabric. But it does feel snug and secure, and the roof operates quickly and cleanly at speeds of up to 50km/h, making it easy to put it up or down while waiting at traffic lights or moving in slow traffic.

From the windscreen rail downwards, the cabin is functionally identical to that of the M4 Competition Coupe, meaning lots of carbon-fibre trim, bespoke M Graphics for the digital instrument panel, a different centre console than the one in the regular 4 Series, with the gearshifter still needing to be moved right for drive and left for neutral or reverse.

Space is good for front seat occupants, and although scrambling into the back is a tight squeeze – especially with the roof raised – adults will be able to squeeze themselves in without excessive complaint. As in the regular 4 Series Convertible, the M4 has 385L of luggage space with the roof raised and 300L with it lowered.

My test car had the bulky M Carbon bucket seats, which didn’t really suit the car at all – getting in is made uncomfortable by the need to negotiate the sizeable bolster on the seat base, and the harness cut-outs create some draughts when moving at speed with the roof down. They also do without the ‘air collar’ heating, which would have been a nice addition in wintry English weather.

Infotainment and Connectivity

BMW has backed multiple horses when it comes to usability, with multiple ways to do the same thing. In addition to an impressively comprehensive array of physical controls by 2021 standards, many functions are also accessible through the central touchscreen, as well as the ability to use gestures for certain basic tasks. On top of that, a pseudo-intelligent digital personal assistant can be summoned by saying “Hey, BMW”, and commanded with orders including changing the cabin temperature.

Yet while the previous generation of M-cars often felt like they had too many dynamic control buttons, the new M4 (and its M3 sister) show the alternative can be just as fiddly, with a SETUP button on the centre console bringing up a touchscreen to allow management of the various modes for engine, chassis, steering, brakes and the xDrive functions. Adjusting these on the move therefore requires taking eyes off the road, although it is possible to save two favoured configurations to the miniature M1 and M2 paddles behind the steering wheel.

Safety and Technology

We don’t have separate ANCAP tests for the M4, but the close structural relationship with the basic 4 Series Convertible is a reassuring one. In Europe that achieved a reassuringly sturdy five-star NCAP score in 2019, this includes a 96 per cent adult occupant rating and an 80 per cent child rating, and BMW is also proud of the active roll-over mitigation system.

Standard active safety equipment is similar to that of the top-end 4 Series Convertible, including AEB, lane-keep assist and a reversing assistant.

Value for Money

The rise in the prices of BMW’s M-cars over the years has effectively inflated them into new segments. The current M3 now costs as much as the last-generation M5 did when it was launched, but also offers a very similar level of performance. The new M4 Competition Convertible hasn’t leapfrogged to the level of the former M6 Convertible, which was more than $300,000 when it was last sold here, but it does offer more space and is almost certainly faster cross-country thanks to AWD.

The M4 Competition Convertible’s most obvious rival is the Mercedes-AMG C63 S Cabriolet, which has the benefit of a V8 soundtrack but only comes with rear-wheel drive.

At a glance	2022 BMW M4 Competition Convertible xDrive
Warranty	3 years/ unlimited km
Fuel type	Petrol
Fuel tank size	59L
Fuel cons ( claimed)	10.2L/100km (WLTP)

Driving

The M4 Competition Convertible can’t deliver the precision or ultimate performance of its Coupe sister – but it gets impressively close considering the structural issues brought by its open body shell. It’s certainly a far better-focussed dynamic proposition than the old F83 M4 Convertible and its folding hardtop.

Unlike its predecessor, it deals with rougher roads impressively well. The F83 felt noticeably unrigid over poor-quality surfaces, the rear-view mirror often vibrating in sympathy with the car’s wobbly structure. The G83 M4 feels far sturdier over every type of surface. Yes, it is still possible to feel some evidence of the reduced structural strength; a very slight deflection in the steering column taking bumps with the roof down. But it is slight enough not to get in the way of the driving experience.

The extra mass over the M4 Coupe has had a more obvious effect, especially when asking the Convertible to change direction quickly, but BMW’s chassis expertise and the torque juggling rear differential do an outstanding job of making the M4 feel smaller and lighter than it actually is. Even in its default mode, the xDrive system tries to send as much torque to the rear axle for as long as it can, only diverting significant quantities forwards when slip is detected.

Selecting the switchable 4WD Sport setting increases the sense of rear-driveness. That clever rear differential deliberately overspeeds the outside rear wheel to give the sense that oversteer is imminent well before the rear tyres reach the limit of grip. The stability control allows a liberal amount of slip beyond that before intervening.

There is also a pure rear-drive mode for those who think an all-paw M4 is a step too far, although it is hard to see the function getting much use. To engage it you first need to fully deactivate the stability control – not something most owners are likely to want to regularly do on-road. The cold, greasy English back roads I drove the M4 Convertible on gave little desire to experience the full fury through two tyres unfiltered.

Although selecting RWD didn’t turn it into a hedge-holing widowmaker, the combination of a slippery bit of road and the engine’s huge low-down torque did create an adrenaline-jolting burst of third-gear wheel spin. At which point the sentinels were turned back on and left on guard.

Key details	2022 BMW M4 Competition Convertible xDrive
Engine	3.0-litre six-cylinder twin-turbo petrol
Power	375kW @ 6250rpm
Torque	650Nm @ 2750rpm
Drive type	All-wheel drive
Transmission	Eight-speed auto
Power to weight ratio	195.3kW/t
Weight (kerb)	1995kg [EU], 1920kg [DIN]
Turning circle	12.6m

As with the xDrive M4 Coupe, the Convertible is blisteringly quick and easy to drive hard. My test car’s Michelin Pilot 4 S tyres generated huge adhesion even on 10-degree tarmac, and the steering feels as good as it does in the coupe – accurate, rich in feedback and delivering massive front-end bite.

Understeer is pretty much non-existent, but nor does the M4 ever feel snappy or wayward. The fact it can do all of this with a view of either sky or stars, and without any significant dynamic compromise through losing its roof, is a serious achievement. It sounds better than the coupe too – even with the roof in place, more of the exhaust note reflected from nearby surfaces gets back into the cabin.

Beyond the need to engage with the touchscreen to change driving settings, complaints are limited. The carbon-fibre gear change paddles behind the steering wheel look nice, but feel too light in operation: chunky metal would be better.

The optional M carbon bucket seats of my test car also soon proved themselves a strange choice, suffering both from the size of their lower cushion bolsters (which makes getting in and out a pain), but also from draughts around the harness cut-outs on their backrests. They also missed the standard seats’ air collar heating. Personally, I’d do without.

Conclusion

While many traditional sports cars have been roadsters, there has long been a dividing line among performance versions of regular models: one where convertibles have been seen as less accomplished and, for the mutterers, also as less valid choices. Yet the compromises that used to divide cabriolets from coupes have diminished over the years, especially when they are fitted with fabric roofs rather than cumbersome folding hardtops.

Some people might still look down on the M4 Competition Convertible compared to its tin-top sister, but anyone picking the cabrio is likely to be wearing an equally broad grin – and a better suntan.