2022 BMW M4 Convertible

When BMW decided the 3 Series Coupe deserved a unique model designation, the 4 Series was born, and BMW's M division immediately got to work. The M division's take on the two-door model was that it should be lighter and stiffer, making it sportier than the BMW M3. While a convertible version of a car is typically a softer drive aimed more at lifestyle buyers, for 2022, the all-new M4 Convertible comes in one trim only, and that trim is the Competition. That means it comes with the M xDrive all-wheel-drive system and 503 horsepower generated by its turbocharged six-cylinder engine. For 2022, the folding hardtop is gone and replaced with a lighter fabric roof.

BMW has gone all out for 2022 with the M4 but doesn't face strong competition from traditional rivals, with only the Mercedes-AMG C63 Cabriolet still competing, albeit in its final year before an all-new one comes along with half the cylinders. Has BMW done enough to fend off the competition for years to come? We got behind the wheel to find out.

Look, we gave it a year, and the front is still ugly. Not that it matters, because if you own it, you rarely have to look it in the face. The car's ugly face is your neighbor's problem, not yours. The oversized grilles are flanked by LED headlights and DRLs. It's good-looking from the rear, though the diffuser and quad exhausts look like they were borrowed from a much bigger car. The bumper to exhaust ratio is just a bit off, in our opinion.

The M4 Convertible is best appreciated from the side, whether you have the folding roof up or down. A metal roof almost always results in a bloated rear end, but the new M4 Convertible doesn't suffer from that problem, thanks to a fabric roof.

The wheels on the convertible are staggered, with 19-inch items at the front and 20s at the rear. Shadowline exterior trim is standard, and the model-specific M side mirrors.

The M4 Convertible rides on the same 112.5-inch wheelbase as the M4 Coupe. The 189.1-inch overall length is also precisely the same, as is the 74.3-inch width. It is slightly taller at 54.9 inches.

The most significant difference between the M4 Coupe and the M4 Convertible is the curb weight. The Competition Coupe weighs 3,979 pounds, making it one of the lightweights in the segment; on the contrary, the Convertible is a hefty beast that weighs in at 4,306 lbs. That's a 327-pound weight penalty, which is roughly two teenagers. Still, the performance penalty is hardly noticeable, so strong is the pulling power of the turbocharged six-cylinder.

The M4 Convertible has a fantastic color palette. Typically, BMW only gives you white and black as no-cost options, but the convertible is different. Alpine White is still no-cost, so you can keep it elegant. Sao Paulo Yellow is also no-cost if you want some attention.

Naturally, you get the usual selection of Germanic dark colors like Brooklyn Grey, Skyscraper Grey, and Black Sapphire at a cost of $550, but the rest of the extra-cost metallic options are pretty wild. You can choose between Portimao Blue, Toronto Red, and Isle of Man Green. BMW's Individual Paint options retail for $1,950, and you can choose between Dravit Grey, Tanzanite Blue II, and Aventurin Red. There are also two $3,600 options, Frozen Brilliant White and Frozen Portimao Blue.

The standard soft top is black, but you can get a slightly less intense black option called Moonlight Black. Keep in mind that you can also play around with the alloy options. The standard alloys are bi-color, but you can go for a set of black wheels. These black alloys contrast beautifully with Isle of Man Green, which is the exact specification we'd order.

The M4 Convertible is only available with the Competition Package, which means you get the full 503 hp and 479 lb-ft of torque. BMW's M xDrive is also standard, as is an eight-speed automatic. No manual option is available, though it suits the nature of the car. Track enthusiasts will likely go for the entry-level M4 Coupe with a manual transmission or the M4 Competition Coupe with rear-wheel-drive. Basically, there's an M4 for every kind of customer.

Because of the added weight, the M4 Competition Convertible is slightly slower to 60 mph, but not by much. BMW claims 3.6 seconds, which is just 0.2 seconds slower than the coupe. The top speed is electronically limited to 155 mph, but you can raise it to 174 mph by going for the M Driver's Package, which increases top speed and includes a one-day class to teach you how to handle the car.

There aren't many competitors left in this segment. The Mercedes-AMG C63 is nearly dead (Mercedes-AMG will only produce the twin-turbo 4.0-liter in limited numbers), and Audi doesn't do a drop-top RS5. You could make a case for the E-Class Convertible, but it's more of a boulevard cruiser, and its AWD system is there purely for safety. The closest rivals these days are from the USA. The Mustang GT and Camaro Convertible are both RWD, but they lack the scalpel-like demeanor of the M4. The Camaro ZL1 is more powerful and track-ready, with 650 hp and 650 lb-ft on tap.

As with other AWD BMWs of late, you can disengage the front axle and play the drift analyzer game. Like any other drift mode, it's a great way to end up on YouTube, however.

The latest version of BMW's M TwinPower turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-six is a masterpiece of an engine. It uses two mono-scroll turbochargers with variable valve control and high-precision injection.

The result is 503 hp at 6,250 rpm and 479 lb-ft at 2,750 rpm. Thanks to the latter, you do feel the slightest hint of turbo lag, but once the M4 is on the move, you have around 3,000 rpm and eight gears to play with. It will happily rev to 7,200 rpm, and though you're way outside of the powerband at that point, it does make a grin-inducing sound that is worth chasing. On top of that, throttle response is sharp as hell when in one of the M modes. That gives you two ways to drive the M4 Convertible for fun - you can wring its neck and enjoy the fury, or you can focus and make sure you're getting every last bit of usable power out of the engine. Neither way is wrong.

With all-wheel-drive as standard and the ability to drive with the wind in your hair, the M4 Convertible shapes up to be a performance car for all seasons. We didn't get a chance to venture into the snow, but we had a wild time in the car around Palm Springs and the canyon roads of California. The M Division's take on the turbocharged straight-six engine is a raucous treat, making convertible's extra weight on the road unnoticeable without driving it back-to-back with the coupe or on the track. When scything through canyon roads, the M4 convertible has all the precision of a metronome, but it's keeping time for the engine equivalent of your favorite rock band at its loudest. We criticized the numbed feel of the last generation M4's steering, but BMW has listened, and there's a drastic improvement that brought us a sigh of relief. Mix that with the rowdy-yet-smooth engine, dramatic changes in sport mode to the dynamics, crazy-fast gear shifts, and you have what feels like a return to form for BMW.

With the M4's top brought down, there's more buffeting from the wind than we find with cars designed from scratch for open-air driving, and at higher speeds, we recommend putting the roof up. For normal driving, it's not distracting. From what we remember, the 2022 M4 Convertible drives just as smoothly as the last iteration, and out of sport mode, it becomes a more sophisticated car - you wouldn't call it docile, which is a good thing as nobody wants a docile M car.

While the BMW won't be winning any frugality awards, the EPA estimates that it should do 16/23/18 mpg city/highway/combined. These figures are disappointing compared to the Mustang GT and the Camaro ZL1 convertibles. Both still use large capacity V8 engines (supercharged in the Chevy) but deliver similar fuel consumption figures. The EPA claims the Ford Mustang GT is capable of 15/24/18 mpg, while the Camaro ZL1 drop-top will average 14/20/16 mpg with a manual and 13/21/16 mpg with an automatic gearbox.

The M4 Convertible has a 15.6-gallon tank, which means you can drive around 280 miles before needing a refill.

The M4 Convertible uses the same interior as the M4 Coupe but is adapted slightly for the open-top experience. You get upmarket materials, an excellent central touchscreen interface, supportive seats, separate controls for all the functions you engage with the most.

The standard specification is generous, though we don't like BMW's new digital instrument cluster. It works in BMW's luxury models, but here it's just clunky. We prefer Porsche's layout, which gives you an analog tachometer with a small speed display flanked by digital displays for less relevant info. None of the BMW's displays work. The dual rev counter is silly, as is the rev counter that climbs counterclockwise. We get that we live in the digital age, but some things are sacred.

The M4 is a four-seater, but you'll definitely want to pack your shorter companions into the back - children will be absolutely fine with the 34.7 inches of legroom. Of course, headroom isn't an issue with the roof down, but with the roof up, the 34.8 inches of headroom is measly compared to the front's 40.3 inches. The driver's seating position is close to perfect, as you'll find more than enough ways to adjust the M sport seat. The seat bolstering isn't too aggressive but makes a good split between easy comfort and keeping you in place while driving with exuberance.

You might be tempted by the $3,800 M Carbon Bucket seats, offering a lightweight design, integrated headrests, and Alcantara side bolsters for more support during high G-force cornering. These buckets look good but aren't as comfortable as the standard seats. Considering the application, we'd stick with the stock seats, which offer more long-distance comfort.

BMW offers three base colors, all combined with black. These options are Tartufo (brown), Ivory White, and Black. The rest are color combinations, including Yas Marina Blue/Black with Yellow accents, Silverstone/Black, Kyalami Orange/Black, Fiona Red/Black, and Fjord Blue/Black.

BMW also offers a more upmarket leather in the same color combinations mentioned above, retailing for $2,550 each.

Aluminum Tetragon is the standard interior trim, although you can opt for carbon Fiber for $950. BMW's Individual options include Piano Black Finish, Aluminum, and Open-Pored Black Wood with Silver effect, but you'll need to fork out $1,080 additionally and be prepared to wait a little longer for your car.

BMW provides two cargo capacity figures. With the roof folded down, you get 10.6 cubic feet of cargo capacity. While not exceptional, it is a usable amount of space and on par with what you get in the small German sedan segment. It's also on par with what the few remaining competitors in the segment provide.

If you do need more room, you can raise the roof. This will increase the cargo capacity to 13.6 cubes. That's actually a bigger trunk than the 4 Series Coupe, though you can't fold the rear seats down in the convertible.

Interior storage is ample, with large door pockets, storage space underneath the center console, and armrest storage for the front passengers. Since there isn't enough space for a rear center seat, that space has been dedicated to housing two cupholders for the rear passengers.

BMW gives you a decent number of standard features while still leaving enough room for improvement on the options list. As standard, it has dual-zone climate control, a three-spoke M steering wheel with the famous contrast stitching, comfort access keyless entry, auto-dimming side and rearview mirrors, three-stage heated and power-adjustable front seats, four-way power lumbar support for the front seats, multicolor ambient lighting, M seat belts, a wind deflector, and a universal garage door opener.

A beautiful 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster is standard and forms part of the Live Cockpit Professional system. A heated steering wheel, ventilated front seats, a neck warmer, remote engine start, and gesture control can be added optionally.

On the safety side, the M4 Convertible comes with dynamic cruise control, park distance control, auto high beam assist, advanced real-time traffic information (with over-the-air updates), and an active driving assistant as standard. The latter comprises frontal-collision warning, blind-spot detection, lane departure warning, and speed limit info. A head-up display is available on the options list.

Holding all things information/entertainment together is BMW's latest iteration of the iDrive system that's accessed through a 10.25-inch screen. iDrive 7.0 can be operated by voice or the touchpad controller. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are both standard, as is a beautifully-tuned 12-speaker, 450-watt Harman Kardon sound system. Wireless charging and a Wi-Fi hotspot are optionally available.

While the touchscreen response isn't the sharpest out there, it's smooth, and the menus are easy to navigate. From there, you can change everything from individual driving dynamics to the interior ambient lighting, as well as manage your playlist.

The M4 Convertible is all-new, with no recalls issued against it yet. Since it has so much in common with the M4 Coupe, we can have a glance at its performance so far. The 2021 model was recalled twice. The first was for the possible loss of braking assistance and ABS, the second was for the passenger seat belt retractor not functioning correctly. We assume the manufacturer would've ironed these issues out going into the new model year.

The M4 Convertible comes standard with a four-year/50,000-mile limited warranty, four-year/unlimited mileage roadside assistance, and a 12-year unlimited mileage rust perforation limited warranty.

There is no safety review of the BMW M4 Convertible available. Neither the NHTSA nor the IIHS has had the opportunity to test the 4 Series range, including the M4. Since it's based on the 3 Series, it is worth looking at the sedan's ratings. It scored five out of five stars in every category from the NHTSA, while the IIHS gave it a Top Safety Pick award when equipped with adaptive headlights.

Each M4 Convertible comes standard with eight airbags, active knee protection, safety belts with pre-tensioners, a rollover protection system, LED daytime running lights and LED headlights, a rearview camera, automatic high beams, front and rear park distance control, tire pressure monitoring, and rain-sensing wipers.

On the driver assistance side, it comes with frontal collision warning, active blind-spot detection, lane departure warning, speed limit information, dynamic cruise control, and advanced real-time traffic information. A head-up display and the Driving Assistance Professional package are available on the options list, and the latter adds extended traffic jam assist, steering and lane control, emergency stop, and evasion assist.

BMW's M4 is a consistent gem in what seems to be an ever-expanding range of vehicles from BMW. At this point, BMW is seemingly happy to slap an M badge on everything it makes, but the M4 is the enthusiast sweet spot for luxury, tech, and bombastic thrills on the road. If you want all that and to feel the wind in your hair, then the convertible is a no-brainer if you have around $100,000 to spend and get exactly what you desire in color and features.

It's a spectacular car to drive, whether cruising through the countryside or attacking a back road. The obvious car to cross-shop the M4 Convertible with is the Mercedes-AMG C63 Cabriolet, which cranks the grin factor up a notch at the cost of precision driving. If you're not looking to shave hundredths of a second off of lap times, then the C63 Cabriolet is worth test driving as well. For the same sort of money, the Porsche 911 Carrera Cabriolet is also an option, and that's where you'll likely find those hundredths of a second, even with the top down. To us, the M4 Convertible sits between those cars as the best of both worlds.

There is only one M4 Convertible, and it's the Competition with xDrive. It comes with a starting MSRP of $86,300, excluding the destination and handling fee of $995. Expect the overall price to increase substantially when you kit it out with your choice of exclusive paints or additional packages.

There is just one model, called the M4 Competition xDrive Convertible. It's equipped with BMW's M TwinPower turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-six and produces 503 hp at 6,250 rpm and 479 lb-ft at 2,750 rpm. The power is sent to a rear-biased AWD system via an eight-speed automatic transmission.

As standard, it comes with a power-folding soft top, LED lights, 19/20-inch alloy wheels, and quad exhaust pipes.

On the inside, it boasts a three-spoke M steering wheel, leather upholstery, three-stage heating for the power-adjustable front seats, dual-zone climate control, keyless entry, a wind deflector, and multi-color ambient lighting, to name just a few.

The M4 Convertible also boasts a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster known as Live Cockpit Professional. It has a 10.25-inch touchscreen interface that comes standard with navigation, Bluetooth connectivity, over-the-air updates, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and a 12-speaker Harman Kardon sound system for infotainment purposes.

In addition to the usual passive safety features, it gets frontal collision warning, active blind-spot detection, lane departure warning, speed limit information, dynamic cruise control, and advanced real-time traffic information.

BMW offers two packages for the M4 Convertible. The Driving Assistance Professional Package retails for $1,700 and adds extended traffic jam assistant on limited highways and Active Driving Assistant Pro. The latter is a more advanced version of the standard driver assistance suite and includes steering and lane control assist, an emergency stop assistant, and an evasion assistant.

The Executive Package retails for $1,350 and adds a head-up display, a heated steering wheel, remote engine start, and gesture control for the infotainment system.

There are also many standalone options to choose from, including ventilated front seats ($350), neck warmers for the front seats ($650), and the M Carbon Exterior Package for $4,700.

Naturally, you can order M Carbon Ceramic brakes for $8,150. Track enthusiasts will likely go for the RWD Competition Coupe, so we see no reason why you need such powerful brakes on a convertible. The M Drive Professional bundle costs $900 and equips the Convertible with an M Laptimer app while the $2,500 M Driver's Package increases the top speed of the vehicle and includes a one-day-only high-performance driving class at a BMW Performance Center.

There is only one model, but it's worth looking at some of the options. As mentioned earlier, we'd have an Isle of Man Green exterior with the full black alloys. It goes nicely with the Kyalami Orange and Black interior. Remember, with the top down, people are going to be looking inside, so you might as well treat them. As for optional packages, we'd have both the Driving Assistance Professional and the Executive Package. They're reasonably priced, and you might as well if you're already spending more than $80k on a car. We'd add the neck warmers, but that's about it. Our build total comes out at $91,545, all-in.

Both are four-seat convertibles with soft tops, producing 503 hp. And that's where the similarities end. The Bimmer only produces 479 lb-ft, while the Merc has 516 lb-ft available from 2,000 rpm. Both have 503 hp, when you opt for the C63 S, although a more affordable C63 is available that matches the BMW's torque but only has 469 hp. The Merc is a bit more simple than the BMW. It sends all its power to the rear wheels via a nine-speed automatic gearbox. The BMW is quicker. It gets to 60 mph in 3.6 seconds, while the Merc gets there in 3.9. The C63 has a 180 mph top speed.

The BMW is a scalpel-like canyon carver merged with a boulevard cruiser, while the C63 is a rabid animal of a thing thanks to that mega V8. Even with the nannies switched on, it will happily twitch sideways on anything resembling a damp road.

Droptops are all about enjoying the sun and fresh air, as well as the noise provided by the engine. Since they'll never be as rigid as their coupe cousins, you go into the purchase knowing about the sacrifices. We much prefer the old-school sledgehammer-like approach of the C63 S and that it will be the last of its kind. We'd happily spend our money at Merc, if you can find one that is.

It always feels unfair to put a car up against the seminal sports car of the 21st century. It's annoying how good the Porsche 911 is, whether you have it with a roof or not. And, since it's not that hard to get an M4 Competition Convertible to near the $100k price, you're within spitting distance of the cost of the base 911 Cabriolet.

The Porker uses a twin-turbo flat-six producing 379 hp and 331 lb-ft of torque. That's way down on the BMW's 503 hp/479 lb-ft, but as we've seen before with Porsches, it's not all about power. Porsche 911s are about balance and engagement. The base model gets to 60 mph in 4.2 seconds, but the top speed is capped at 180 mph. You can also have it with a manual gearbox. Yet the Porsche wins this battle, not because of speed. Instead, it's a combination of steering feel, accuracy, responses, and phenomenal grip. It also does the slow cruising thing exceptionally well. Also, it's a Porsche.

We hate to sound like a broken record, but anything that goes against the 911 is somehow destined to lose. Drive one, and you'll understand.