BMW M4 Convertible Review & Prices

The BMW M4 Convertible is a high-performance drop-top designed to set your hair on fire with its powerful straight-six engine, then extinguish it by allowing the wind access to your now flaming noggin.

It goes head-to-head with a select few go-faster convertibles, with the Porsche 911 Cabriolet just about the closest thing to a direct alternative. Perhaps also consider the Jaguar F-Type Convertible, Lexus LC Convertible and Bentley Continental GTC. The thing all these cars have in common, though, is that they’re pricier than the BMW.

True enthusiasts will tell you the coupe is the one to go for, because removing the roof compromises body rigidity so the car handles 0.35% worse. (We may have made up that number for comic effect.) So the M4 Convertible is a little bit like putting ketchup on your Wagyu Beef. Purists will tell you you’re wrong, but often it’s more fun to go against the grain.

And fun is certainly one way to describe the M4 driving experience. Under the bonnet you get the same twin-turbo 3.0-litre straight-six-cylinder engine found in the coupe, making 510hp and 650Nm of torque and resulting in a 3.7-second 0-62mph time.

Numbers of less interest but still important are the official 27mpg fuel economy figure (only achievable if you’re very restrained with the throttle pedal) and CO2 emissions of 233g/km. The latter puts it in the top-but-one vehicle excise duty band for the first year payment, so you’re looking at over £2,000.

To help you make the most of all that power, there’s some extra body bracing and suspension upgrades, while the alloy wheels (19 inches front, 20 inches rear) have fat, sticky tyres. You get steel brakes as standard, upgradable to fancy carbon ceramics.

The convertible is only offered with ‘xDrive’ all-wheel drive, where the coupe also has a rear-wheel drive option. Our experience with xDrive in the coupe tells us that’s nothing to worry about, though, because it’s rear-biased, agile and playful on a fun road. And it can even be made to send power to the rear wheels alone for mad skids, should you desire. The car will also analyse your drifts and rate them out of five.

Just like its hard-top relation, the M4 Convertible looks aggressive. The chunky wheel arches and low, wide sills make it look wide and hunkered down to the floor, while the quad tailpipes and diffuser at the rear give it a motorsport-inspired, racier edge.

Up front we’ve become used to the flared nostril grille, so it’s not quite as controversial as it was when we first laid eyes on it. It works better on the M4 than the regular 4 Series thanks to the way it blends into the sharp creases in the bonnet.

It looks a little awkward from the rear with the fabric roof up, but fold this back and the long boot makes more sense with a clean and mean look.

Inside, the M4 doesn’t feel particularly special compared with more exotic alternatives, so this is perhaps where you really feel the cost savings are being made. That being said, its design might be getting dated but everything feels solidly put together, and a few M touches here and there elevate it over the regular 4 Series.

If you can find the extra circa-£3,700 for the M carbon bucket seats they’re a great option to tick, being comfortable, looking fantastic and giving extra kneeroom to those in the back.

We’re big fans of the way the coupe drives, with plenty of grip on a winding road and acceptable road manners around town. Come back to find out what we think of the Convertible’s on-road experience once we get behind the wheel.

In the meantime, you can check out the latest prices on the BMW M4 Convertible to see how much you could save. Our network of trusted dealers also has extensive stock of used M4 Convertibles and various other used BMWs, too. And if you need to sell your car first, carwow can help with that, too.