The 2022 BMW M4 Competition xDrive will be available in both coupe and convertible body styles from the fourth quarter of this year.
The two-door coupe will cost $165,900 before on-road costs, while the privilege of open-air motoring will set you back an extra $11,000 ($176,900).
The M4 Competition coupe will be available with xDrive in Australia.
Like the four-door M3, the M4 coupe will be offered in two other guises. The purist’s choice will be the base model six-speed manual, though BMW also offers the M4 Competition in RWD with an automatic transmission.
However, in Australia, BMW will only offer the convertible in full-fat Competition xDrive trim.
What kind of firepower do you get for your money?
The xDrive system adds $6,000 to the price of an M4 Competition ($159,900 plus on-roads) and gets a few tweaks to enhance performance.
The M4 Competition xDrive uses the same twin-turbo straight-six engine as the RWD car.
Under the bonnet is the same 3L twin-turbo ‘S58’ straight-six which produces 375kW and 650Nm. The M Division had to revise the oiling system to cope with the G forces generated by the xDrive cars on the racetrack.
Naturally, the extra grip afforded the xDrive system means the 0-100km/h sprint tumbles to 3.5 seconds for the coupe (down four-tenths). The convertible shares all the hardware with the coupe, though the extra chassis stiffening needed blunts its standard sprint time to 3.7 seconds.
The xDrive system also brings even more drive settings to play with, as BMW allows drivers to modify the logic and torque split of the xDrive system. Both cars utilise an eight-speed torque converter automatic transmission.
The M4 will be available as a drop-top but only in full-fat Competition xDrive trim.
Like the BMW M5 Competition, driver’s will be able to send drive exclusively to the rear 20-inch alloy wheels in drift mode.
The xDrive cars also get bespoke spring and damper settings, and tweaked the geometry for the front axle to suit their grippier character.
What about creature comforts?
Being the range-topping variants, the Competition xDrive cars come with plenty of kit. Inside there is a 10.25-inch touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, 12.3-inch digital driver’s display, Merino leather upholstery and electrically adjustable, heated front sport seats with lumbar support.
Open air motoring combined with a ferocious straight-six sounds pretty appealing to us.
Additionally, the M4 convertible brings the benefits of a retractable soft-top that can close up to 50km/h in 18 seconds. The new folding mechanism is lighter than the old M4’s metal-origami folding roof by 40 per cent.
BMW will offer options packages for the M4 Competition coupe, including a $26,000 carbon fibre package. This adds lightweight bucket seats, carbon ceramic stoppers and carbon exterior highlights.
The Australian arm of BMW is still yet to confirm whether this pack will be available for the M4 convertible.
BMW M4 2022: pricing in Australia
Prices listed are before on-road costs.
- M4 coupe Manual – $149,900
- M4 coupe Competition Auto – $159,900
- M4 coupe Competition xDrive Auto – $165,900
- M4 convertible Competition xDrive Auto – $176,900
