The sexy BMW 4-Series convertible
I do fancy a good convertible. Nothing beats driving along your favorite piece of mountain road – in this case Longtom pass- with the sky above you; the wind in your hair, a very pretty girl by your side, oh and on this occasion, BMWs superb 3.0l TwinPower Turbo motor adding the theme music.
The new BMW 4 Series convertible heralds the dawn of a new coupe era at BMW. Launched in Europe last year, South African customers have recently been taking their all-new 4-Series BMWs home with them.
Here is what you can expect from this exciting new model.
Launched as the fourth generation of BMW’s sporty mid-size convertible, the new BMW 4 Series (which is offered in three different body types – Coupe, Convertible and Gran Coupe) embodies the very essence of aesthetic appeal and dynamics in the premium segment. Its stylistic features carry the promise of a powerful presence on the road, stand-out dynamic ability and driving pleasure in abundance. Indeed, the new BMW 4 Series represents a paragon of balanced proportions and the final chapter in a story of development. The “4” in its title headlines this new era and emphasises not only its stand-alone design, but also an even greater technical differentiation from its BMW 3 Series cousins.
The new BMW 4 Series convertible is visibly larger in width and wheelbase than the outgoing BMW 3 Series convertible, and its dynamically stretched silhouette sits considerably lower to the road. This, together with its BMW-typical short overhangs, long bonnet and set-back passenger compartment with flowing roofline, lends the BMW 4 Series impeccable visual balance. The car’s striking front end – with its characteristic BMW design features, such as the double-kidney grille, twin circular headlights and a large air intake in the front apron – is keen to display its family ties with the BMW 3 Series. However, the more sporting interpretation of the BMW 4 Series also underlines its dynamic convictions. A new element of the BMW 4 Series are the Air Breathers, positioned rearwards of the front wheel arches to reduce drag in this area. The cars muscular wheel arches and wide track make a particularly prominent contribution to the hunkered-down design of the rear, with its prominent horizontal lines.
The sporting two-door model that I drove, the BMW 435i featured BMWs fantastic six-cylinder in-line petrol engine. This motor develops 225kW and 400Nm of torque. The engine uses the latest BMW TwinPower Turbo technology. The state-of-the-art engine not only imbue the BMW 4 Series with outstanding acceleration and elasticity, it also join forces with the car’s intelligent lightweight construction concept to deliver further improvements in driving dynamics and lower fuel consumption.
The outgoing model, known as the E92 and E93 gave us -in my opinion- one of the best sports cars of the 21st century, the BMW M3. Now though the new coupe and convertible M version will be known as the M4 and if the new 435i convertible is anything to go by, the eagerly anticipated M4 is going to be quite an experience.
