BMW 4 Series Convertible Review

We’re keeping the driving mood moderate and the car still feels sleek enough. Time to open the brochure a bit.

BMW explains that, despite the increase in dimensions, the 4 Series Convertible still makes for a 44 lbs (20 kg) lighter proposition than the 3 Series Convertible it replaces. Well, comparing the official kerb weight figures of the two reveals quite the opposite, as the 4er is actually a bit heavier. In 428i guise, the car weighs at least 3,965 lbs (1,800 kg) by US standards. As for the 435i, this tips the scales at 4,095 lbs (1,860 kg).

You won’t hear us complaining though, since the planted feel of the car we mentioned in the intro makes for an interesting conclusion. The 4 Series Cabriolet feels like a heavy car, but in a good way. It gives you plenty of confidence and there’s a particular aroma to eating up the miles in this. We’d even go as far as say that, when it comes to cruising, this is a better drive than the Coupe.

We’ll have to wait and see how the M badge changes this. Until then, we have to mention that this result only came natural.

Aside from strengthening the chassis, BMW has also played with various suspension variables, from camber angle to spring and damper rates. What’s truly interesting is that this will not hurt your body.

In fact, this must be the best-balanced BMW ride / handling feel we’ve seen in quite a while. Of course, when you take the Convertible out of its comfort zone, which means to dial things past seven or eight out of ten, it does feel a bit looser than the Coupe.

The road behind us has served us with a series of medium-difficulty bends and we got the picture - the Convertible is a more prone to understeer, albeit only slightly. Heck, if you’re in the 428i , the 240 hp (245 PS) and 255 lb-ft (345 Nm) aren’t even enough to upset the chassis. BMW modulates its electronics pretty profoundly these days and, even with DSC “fully” Off, you won’t be able to overpower the grip. No drifting in the four-banger then. You can still persuade the back to step out, but the army of chassis changes will fight the tendencies, aiming to bring the car back in line.

The steering isn’t quite an example of feedback either, especially around the center point. Then again, as the scenic landscape settles in, we don’t care about such matters. This BMW knows how to keep one in a GT mood.

Because of this, the two-liter engine proves enough for most driving situations. Part of our team complained about the throttle response not being sharp enough up to 2,000 rpm. Still, most of us were just fine with the power delivery. After all, the peak torque does arrive between 1,250 and 4,800 rpm.

Well, at least we all agreed on one thing – the powerplant sounds really fun for a four-cylinder unit.

Thus, while the 6.2-seconds-to-60-mph four-banger doesn’t pack enough grunt for the sporty drivers out there, it is refined enough to make the six-cylinder 335i a treat for the spoiled ones.

As for the latter, this delivers the usual 300 hp (306 PS) and, because Bavarians like symmetry, 300 lb-ft (407 Nm) of torque. While the muscle does make quite a difference, the overall feel isn’t sharpened up by all that much. We have to remind ourselves this is an off-the-shelf BMW with a three-liter engine, not even an M Performance model.

As for the familiar ZF 8 HP transmission, this proves as comfortable as ever. They’ve also added a coasting mode. We subjected this to the usual test, asking the car to return on power suddenly and things went smooth.

Still, we’d like to see BMW come with a special implementation for swifter full-blast shifts, something like Jaguar’s Quickshift.

As a fun fact, or an annoying one, depending on whom you are asking, both the 428i and the 435i offer the same 130 mph (210 km/h) top speed. Oh, the joys of electronic limitation...

Despite this, we do not have to focus the discussion solely on these two. Europe also gets the 420d oil burner, but BMW recently announced the full list of engines and xDrive versions for the 4er is coming this summer.

With the roof above our heads, the car travels pretty much on the comfort side and we’ve racked up a sizeable number of miles over the past hours.

Oh and by the way, the Gods have sent the rains upon us today, but the 4 Series Convertible wasn’t too bothered by this.

Another area where the 4 Series Cabriolet wasn’t all that disturbed by what was thrown at it was the safety one. We’re improvising a bit here, since the 3 Series sedan was the only model we've tested before. Still, the vehicle received Good ratings in all the IIHS crash tests, with the exception of the small overlap. This rather fierce trial that defeats many vehicles left the 3er with a Marginal rating.

As for what happened over in Europe, the BMW 3 Series is one of the safest cars the Euro NCAP has ever tested.

Staying on the topic, you can always dive into the deep list of optional safety equipment. The latest feature on the menu is the Attentiveness Assistant. Mercedes and VW have offered driving fatigue monitoring for quite some years, so we won’t insist on this.

Leaving the Active Cruise Control, Lane Change and Lane Departure usual systems aside, we’ll focus on the LED headlights. The glare-free High Beam Assistant works when in complete dark and the way in which it lights up the surroundings, but not the other cars is brilliant. At times, you feel like a jet fighter pilot attacking the other drivers with shades. Alas, BMW’s LED headlights simply fall behind what Audi offers in terms of sheer lighting.

When creating the Convertible, BMW was as German as possible.

They came up with a roof that’s rock solid and, while the folding metal top still has some drawbacks, you can color us fully impressed (something like a rainbow would do) on the chassis work.

Up there with the M135i xDrive, this is where the 4 Series Convertible sits for us - we are referring to the best BMWs we've driven in recent years. The way in which the 4 Series Convertible feels on the road inspires you. Sure-footed, this is the best way to describe it.

We never thought we’d say this, but, from behind the wheel, we prefer the Convertible to the Coupe. You see, the 4 Series is much better at cruising than it is at performance driving and the aforementioned feel of the Cabrio makes it take the title. We’ll also name this as the best part of the car.

Alas, as a Cabriolet, the 4 Series is a good answer to a question nobody wants to ask - you can't use the car as a four-seater convertible.

The outdated system is the worst part of the car, as it forces you to perform manual labor and transforms the car into a two-seater.

It is this little element that would send us to the Mercedes E-Class Cabriolet, should we be in search of a car from this segment. The Merc is not without its issues, but its electric, rear-mounted wind stopper and its Aircap system make it brilliant for open top driving.

Perhaps the greatest of those problems is that the facelifted E-Class Cabriolet is noticeably more expensive than the new BMW 4 Series Convertible. Speaking of this, we’ll mention that the 428i Convertible comes with a MSRP of US$48,750, more than $8,000 over the starting price of the 428 Coupe. And the 435i’s US$ 54,900 MSRP means you have to pay a premium of almost US$ 9,000 over the Coupe.

Don’t worry though - the value might seem high, but Mercedes and Audi come with similar pricing differences between coupes and convertibles.

In Europe, the 428i Cabrio begins at EUR 48,200, while the 435i Cabrio starts at EUR 54,000. Oh and let's not forget the EUR 46,300 420d Cabrio – the prices include 19 percent VAT.

Since the best and the worst sides of the BMW 4 Series Convertible kind of cancel each other out, you’ll probably end up driving with the roof up most of the time. Which is what some people do in any convertible anyway.