BMW took the wraps off a convertible version of the recently launched M4 Competition M xDrive. Yes! xDrive meaning it’s am AWD. This fabric roof model is the third body style to join the lineup. The soft-top 2022 M4 Competition Convertible is now lighter and faster than its predecessor. The German automaker will sell the new open-top performance sports car alongside the two-door coupe. The new BMW offering has three modes – 4WD, 4WD Sport and 2WD, and will go on sale in July 2021 confirmed the automaker.
Starting with the most noticeable thing, the huge kidney grilles inherited from the coupe version of the M4 Competition. They extend all the way from the bonnet to the splitter lip. Something that you can’t unsee. We know design is a subjective thing, but we all can agree that it is not one of the best grilles seen on a car. Period. Alright, once you manage to take off your eyes of that abomination, the specs will make your eyes even wider.
Powered by BMW’s 3.0-litre six-cylinder in-line engine with M TwinPower Turbo technology used in M4 Competition, the new Convertible now generates 510hp, a 60 hp bump over the predecessor model. The engine has familiar M performance characteristics with a peak torque of 650 Nm.
This high-performance engine is mated with an eight-speed M Steptronic transmission with Drivelogic. It has three shift programs and the selector lever is in M-specific design with the gearshift paddles on the steering wheel to give you that sporty feel. All this makes the sportscar capable of a 0-100kmph sprint in just 3.7s. With a top speed of 280kmph, the claimed mileage is 9.8kmpl (which should be the least of your concerns if you’re investing in a car like this).
Complemented with the M xDrive all-wheel-drive system and Active M Differential, the new M4 Competition M xDrive offers enhanced traction, directional stability and dynamism. However, BMW allows the driver to use the drive-specific modes available and send power only to the rear wheels, if required. The sportscar comes in three modes – 4WD, 4WD Sport and 2WD for a pure rear-wheel drive with the driving stability control system deactivated.
There is also adaptive suspension on offer alongside the M Drift Analyser and M Laptimer. This niche offering from the Bavarian manufacturers gets the typical M model styling with 19-inch M-forged front wheels and 20-inchers at the rear. The sleek headlamps and the aggressively styled front bumper only adds to the racy look of the vehicle, so does the smooth flowing lines on the sides. The diffuser and quad exhausts also liven up the smart-looking rear. In short, with the roof minus, it carries over the look of its coupe twin.
Coming to the list of electronics, the BMW M4 Competition Convertible got plenty of them, if not endless. Let’s start with the new soft-top roof that goes down in just eighteen seconds (Thanks to the 40 per cent lighter weight). Once the top’s off this beauty, you can see the newly developed M Sport seats, extended Merino leather trim, as well as seat ventilation inside the cabin.
It gets other standard pieces of equipment like ambient lighting, BMW Intelligent Personal Assistant, hi-fi speaker system, three-zone automatic climate control (definitely not a priority when buying an open-top). For a rich driving experience, it packs in the BMW Live Cockpit Professional featuring fully digital display grouping, and a cloud‑based navigation system with BMW Maps.
The Competition variant has a lot of optional features like the M carbon bucket seats, interior trim strips in high gloss carbon fiber, heads-up display among many others. Oh! And I totally dig the paint on this one.
The M4 Competition Convertible will go against the Audi RS5 Sportback and the Mercedes-AMG C63 S. The new-gen models are most likely to make it to the Indian shores, considering the previous-gen model was on sale in the market. Expect it to be priced at a lot more premium mainly because this one may just come as a CBU. No Made in India for the M4 Competition or the convertible in most probability. Although, with the recent interests that the Germans have shown in making high performance vehicles in India, I’ll not completely consider it impossible.
