BMW M4 Competition 2022: Convertible coming to Australia with xDrive later this year

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BMW has unveiled the 2022 M4 Competition Convertible which is expected to arrive in Australia towards the end of the year.

The drop-top M car will launch alongside the M3 sedan and M4 coupe in Australia, with all featuring some ferocious performance statistics and a somewhat controversial design.

The M4 Convertible in Competition guise with all-wheel-drive is the only variant currently planned for our shores, unlike the M4 coupe which will also arrive with a traditional rear-wheel-drive option.

A key change for the second-generation M4 Convertible over the first is the use of a softtop roof instead of a heavier hardtop option instead of a hard roof,  and in doing so has shaved 40 per cent off the weight of the roof system.

The change has also freed up an additional 80 litres of space in the boot, for a total of 300 litres of space when the roof is down or 385 when it’s up, which should make the M4 significantly more practical when taking weekends away.

Under the bonnet is BMW’s famous twin-turbo inline-six petrol engine making 375kW of power and 650Nm of torque.

In the Competition guise sold in Australia, that engine is coupled exclusively with an eight-speed torque converter automatic and sends power to a rear-biased xDrive all-wheel-drive system.

When all this power is sent to the ground BMW claims the M4 Competition Convertible can accelerate from 0-100km/h in just 3.7 seconds, just 0.2 seconds down on the coupe version.

With the roof lopped off, BMW has paid keen attention to retaining chassis strength in the M4 Convertible with torsion struts at the rear of the body designed to preserve the dynamic ability when pushing things to the limit.

BMW has opted for a staggered setup, with 19-inch forged alloy wheels the front and 20-inch models at the rear which build on a series of deep-cut body lines to create an aggressive overall stance.

Moving inside, the M4 Competition Convertible features a slew of M-specific hardware design to drivers know they are in something luxurious and a little bit serious.

This includes a leather steering wheel and gear knob with a series of red accents dotted around the cabin, while the seats are trimmed in a higher-grade Merino leather with ventilation a handy option for those hot Australian summer days.

Buyers looks for seats that are a little more race-ready should opt for the M Carbon Package which slashes 25kg off the overall weight and adds M Carbon bucket seats and carbon ceramic brakes.

The package also spruces up the exterior by swapping out the front bumper, mirror caps and rear diffuser for carbon fibre options that look good and weigh less.

Other notable standard equipment includes three-zone climate control and a Harmon Kardon sound system, which should make road trips a lot more enjoyable.

Safety has also been enhanced with features like lane keep assist and a reversing assistance function that built on BMW’s already quite extensive feature list.

We won’t know exact prices until closer to the date but expect to pay more than the $159,900 before on-roads asked of the current generation M4 coupe.