BMW 4 Series Convertible on sale now from $88,800

Drop-top fans of the new BMW 4 Series can now look forward to driving with the roof down with the launch of the BMW 4 Series Convertible in Australia. Read ForceGT’s review here.

Closely following in the footsteps of its Coupé sibling, the latest drop-top model from BMW is said to set new standards in terms of dynamics, elegance and driving pleasure for its segment.

According to Phil Horton, managing director of BMW Group Australia, the new BMW 4 Series Convertible sets fresh heights in emotional allure.

“With its striking blend of performance, elegance and innovation the new BMW 4 Series Convertible instantly appeals,” he said.

“It’s a definite winner and is sure to extend on the worldwide success of its predecessor,” said Horton.

Like the Coupé, the 4 Series Convertible has a muscular stance, with large wide air-intake in the front apron. The designers have also successfully created a convertible with a sleek and elegant silhouette, whether the roof is up or down.

The new model is larger than the outgoing model, measuring 4,638mm in length (+26mm) and 1,825mm (+43mm) in width. The chassis has also been significantly extended with 50mm added to the wheelbase and substantial increases to the tract width, with 45mm extra at the front and a full 81mm at the rear.

The three-piece retractable hardtop in the BMW 4 Series Convertible is based on the tried and tested mechanical design from the predecessor, albeit with numerous enhancements that reduce noise level to improve the interior ambience. The new, more noise absorbent headliner also includes interior lighting features to bring it more in line with the fixed top Coupe variants.

The three-piece retractable hardtop opens in just 20 seconds, even whilst driving at speeds of up to 18km/h and includes an easy-loading function for convenient access to the boot.

The new BMW 4 Series Convertible is also available with the optional Air Collar feature (standard on 435i). This new feature warms the neck with a variable stream of air and includes three-position adjustment via a control cleverly integrated into the switch for the convertible roof.

Powered by the latest in engine technology, the new BMW 4 Series Convertible models are all equipped with BMW TwinPower turbo engines.

At the entry point to the range, the 420d Convertible is equipped with a BMW TwinPower turbo four-cylinder diesel engine producing 135kW of power and 380 Nm of torque. The 420d accelerates to 100km/h in 8.2 seconds and boasts a staggeringly low fuel consumption figure of 4.8L/100km, with emissions of just 127 grams of CO₂ per km.

The 428i Convertible features the multi-award winning TwinPower turbo four-cylinder petrol engine, developing 180 kW of power and 350 Nm of torque.  This output is enough to achieve the 0-100 km/h sprint in just 6.4 seconds while consuming a low 6.7L/100 km of fuel on the combined cycle.

At the top of the range, the supremely capable performance of the 435i Convertible is generated by the much lauded BMW TwinPower turbo in-line six-cylinder petrol engine which produces 225 kW and 400 Nm of torque.  Reaching 100 km/h in just 5.5 seconds, the performance belies the conscientiously frugal fuel consumption and emissions figures of just 7.7L/100km and 180 g/km of CO₂ respectively.

These impressive results are achieved in part due to the standard inclusion of the eight-speed sport automatic transmission for all BMW 4 Series Convertible models.

All three models come with a suite of BMW EfficientDynamics technologies that contributes to their low consumption and emissions figures, including Auto Stop/Start, Brake Energy Regeneration, ECO PRO mode and on-demand ancillaries such as electric power steering.

Safety wise, the 4 Series Convertibles are equipped with roll-over protection system, four airbags for front passengers, active protection which initiates protective measures if an accident situation is imminent, front and rear Park Distance Control, rear view camera, bi-xenon headlights with auto headlight and rain sensor, as well as an anti-dazzle interior rear view mirror.

Standard feature highlights include full electric sport seats with memory and heating function, six-speaker audio system and Bluetooth.

The 420d Convertible comes standard with the high-end navigation system Professional which includes an iDrive touch controller, a high-res 8.8-inch colour screen and 20Gb hard drive storage for music files.

the 428i Convertible is further enhanced with the addition of anti-dazzle function for interior and exterior mirrors, electric lumbar support for driver and front passenger seats, internet functionality and an upgrade to the nine-speaker HiFi loudspeaker system and the inclusion of the Adaptive M suspension, which lowers ride height by 10 mm and provides adaptable damping.

Both the 420d and 428i Convertibles also include either the ‘Sport Line’, ‘Modern Line’ or ‘Luxury Line’ as standard. All of these standard packages are designed to create a specific character for the car.

The ‘Sport Line’ features specific high-gloss black for the front and rear bumper trims, kidney grille, b-pillar trims and window recess covers with a black chrome trim for the exhaust tip. The interior is also characterised with chrome pearl grey surrounds on air-conditioning and radio controls, sport leather steering wheel with red contrast stitching, high-gloss black interior trim with coral red accent lines and the choice of black leather upholstery with red stitching or coral red upholstery with black stitching. The 420d Convertible will also receive 18-inch double spoke style alloy wheels with the 428i Convertible getting 19-inch alloy rims in star-spoke styling.

Selecting the ‘Luxury Line’ uses similar trim elements to create an entirely different character. Exclusive chrome trims now feature on the front and rear bumper, kidney grille and exhaust tip, and the Line also offers alternative upholstery colours of saddle brown with extended trim colour, Veneto beige or black. Wheel sizes stay the same for the respective models but get a different styling with 18-inch multi-spoke style for the 420d Convertible and 19-inch for the 428i Convertible.

‘Modern Line’ creates further differentiation with 18-inch turbine style for the 420d Convertible and 19-inch turbine style for the 428i Convertible and exclusive satinated aluminium trims for the kidney grille, front and rear bumpers, window recess covers and exhaust tip. The Dakota leather upholstery is available in either black, oyster with black colour world or oyster with oyster colour world. The interior is trimmed in pearl dark with pearl gloss chrome accent lines with black or oyster for the leather steering wheel.

The top of the range 435i Convertible comes standard with an M Sport Package (optional on 420d and 428i) comprising of 19-inch M double spoke alloy wheels, M aerodynamics package, M leather steering wheel and a host of M Sports package trim. It also gets Adaptive M suspension, variable sport steering and high performance fixed calliper four-pot brake system.

Other niceties include Comfort Access, a 12-speaker 500W digitally amplified Harman/kardon surround sound system.