Beauty and The Beast unite in this week’s Car Pro review vehicle, the 2022 BMW M4 Competition xDrive convertible.
Exterior
The beauty part is evident when you see this hot roadster in Toronto Red. Sharp lines, beautiful wheels, front and rear diffusers, black accents at the bottom of the car, and rear quad exhaust set off this great-looking hot rod.
Performance
The beast part is under the hood where you’ll find a heavily-braced 3-liter twin turbo inline six cylinder putting out a heart-pounding 503-horses and 479-pound feet of torque. It is hooked to an 8-speed automatic with huge paddle shifters. Zero-to-sixty time is right at three and a half seconds, top speed is 155. The xDrive designation means it is all-wheel drive.
On the steering wheel with controls you’ll find red M1 and M2 buttons. These are shortcuts to configure how aggressive you want the car to perform.
Interior
Even the performance BMWs like this one have a luxury interior and my tester certainly does. Bolstered leather seats with lit M4 badges hold you nicely in place in those hard turns and a configurable 12.3-inch gauge cluster greets you as you push the start button.
Carbon fiber adorns the interior, the center console, the steering wheel, and across the dash. There is a large head-up display that you see on the windshield.
High on the dash is a huge i-Drive screen to operate the Harman Kardon sound system, the navigation system, Bluetooth, car settings, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and a host of apps.
The center console is loaded with controls including the knob to operate the i-Drive screen, the start/stop disable, Autohold, the M Modes to change the way the car performs, and a button to quiet the exhaust, but I never tried that. There is also a wireless charger, cupholders, and USB port behind a sliding door. Everything is well laid out and easy to operate.
Access to the back seat is easy with a handle to electronically slide the front seat forward, just know the back seat is cramped and only useful for small children.
The M4 has a soft top that lowers in just seconds with a switch on the center console and it works seamlessly and doesn’t take any trunk space away like retractable hardtops do.
Options
The M4 comes very well equipped, yet has $18,000 in options including neck warmers built into the front headrests, interior and exterior upgrades, heated and cooled seats, and a heated steering wheel.
Safety features abound including a terrific rearview camera, blind spot monitoring, front and rear park assist, collision alert, lane keep assist, and much more.
Ride and Drive
The M4 drives like a dream, handling is incredible, the steering is weighted just right with terrific feedback, and the acceleration and exhaust sound are insane. Would I like to see it in a manual transmission? For sure, but if you use the shift paddles, you get a very similar sensation without the effort of shifting. This is one of the more enjoyable test drives of the year.
Fuel economy is 16 in town, 23 on the highway, and 18 overall. Total MSRP as equipped is $104,295 which is in line with competition from AMG and Porsche.
Verdict
In summary, this is a driver’s car and will put a smile on your face every single time you sit behind the wheel.
- What I Liked Most: Looks and Performance.
- What I would change: For $104,000 give me a power tilt wheel.
- MSRP: Base price $86,300/Total with transportation: $104,295.
- Fuel Economy: 16 city/23Highway/18 overall.
- Odometer reading when tested: 1,800 miles.
- Weight: 4,306 pounds.
- Spare Tire: Repair kit and run flat tires.
- Length-Width-Height: 189” long/74.3” wide/54” high.
- Fuel Tank Capacity: 15.6 gallons with the fuel filler on the passenger's side.
- Official Color: Toronto Red.
- Towing Capacity: N/A.
- 2022 BMW M4 Competition in a few words: Just an incredible car to drive, it’s easy to see why this is the ultimate driving machine.
- Warranty: 4-year/50,000-mile bumper-to-bumper with roadside assistance, and 3-years/36,000 miles of free maintenance.
- Final Assembly Location: Dingolfing, Germany.
- Manufacturer's website: www.BMWUSA.com
- Next up: 2022 Ford Maverick compact truck.
