2019 BMW M4 Convertible With M Performance Parts
A few months back, I attended what BMW called its 鈥淭est Fest鈥? which is where journalists were given the chance to drive several different cars in the same day. The difference between this event and a normal one, which would offer a similar opportunity, is that this was a bit of a free-for-all. So the cars were lineup up next to the track, at the gorgeous Thermal Club in Palm Springs, California, and the keys were in them. The journalists were free to grab whichever one they wanted, however many times they wanted, and go. Of the cars on hand, there was the new BMW M5, the BMW X2, 6 Series GT and one other car that caught my eye, as well as the eyes of several other motorists 鈥?a BMW M4 Convertible. This wasn鈥檛 just any BMW M4 Convertible, though. We鈥檝e seen countless M4 鈥榁erts over the years, so a standard one would have been white noise. This one, though, was a configured by our friends at M Performance, so it looked great.
It was painted in Tourmaline Violet Metallic, an Individual color that鈥檚 a bit similar to the Daytona Violet we鈥檝e seen on many other M cars. It鈥檚 not as good looking as the E36 M3鈥檚 classic Techno Violet, but it鈥檚 always cool to see a purple BMW. Sitting in the California desert sun with its top down, the purple M4 showed off its brownish leather interior and, the real eye-catcher, its six-speed manual transmission. Just the color scheme and six-speed stick in between the seats were enough to attract enthusiasts. However, there were also some carbon fiber goodies, gold Style 763M wheels, a lowered M Performance suspension and an M Performance exhaust. So, needless to say, there was a bit of a line of folks who wanted to drive it. That day, the M5 and X2 were my primary concerns, so I left my desire to drive the M4 鈥榁ert behind.
Plus, I鈥檇 already driven M4s before, so I wasn鈥檛 going to waste time driving it, time that could have been in newer, more important cars. Unfortunately, that never happened, as it was never available when I was available and I never got to drive my purple M4. However, our friends at M Performance said I could borrow it when I got back to New Jersey. Many months later, of course, because Test Fest was in March and New Jersey was still doing its best Siberian winter impression. Fast forward a few months later and it was finally time to drive my purple M4. When I approached the M4, it was sitting outside of BMW M Performance鈥檚 HQ with its top down, ready to go. That was actually a bit of a problem because, holy hell, those seats get hot in the sun and shorts were a bad idea. Scorched thighs aside, though, I was ready to roll in a car that I鈥檝e been waiting to drive for a long time. It looked fantastic, with the sunlight turning its subtle purple into a much more vibrant color.
The carbon fiber mirrors, lower front lip and, more importantly, its gold wheels made it stand out even further. Though, this is where my pre-conceived notions of a love affair start to fade. I start then engine up and am met with a bark and a fart akin to a vacuum cleaner sucking up a sock full of rocks. It鈥檚 angry and aggressive, sure, but there鈥檚 nothing pretty about it, nothing sonorous. And its seductive good looks seriously belied the rather crude noise coming from its quad, carbon-tipped exhaust pipes. Most of the problem lies with the BMW M4 Convertible鈥檚 S55 engine, the same engine shared with every other M3/M4. It just isn鈥檛 a good sounding engine and takes a lot of exhaust tuning to make it decent. For instance, the M3/M4 CS really good. But the M4 Convertible with an M Performance exhaust does not. Still, though, I wasn鈥檛 going to let that rain on my parade.
I had a six-speed manual, twin-turbocharged, rear-wheel drive, purple (!) convertible for a week at the end of May, with sunny weather. It鈥檚 hard for that to not put a smile on your face. So off I went. First gear, let off the clutch, take it easy until I鈥檓 out of BMW鈥檚 headquarters and then let all 425 horses play. Unfortunately, that鈥檚 where I encountered another issue. M Performance suspension is great when you鈥檙e on a track, which is mostly what my M4 was doing in Palm Springs. On the road, though? It鈥檚 far too stiff. Bone-shakingly so. I think I鈥檓 a few centimeters shorter after having driven it over some of New Jersey鈥檚 famously blitzkrieged roads. It鈥檚 as if the actual dampers are made of granite. On a track, this is great but not on the road. I would not recommend the lowered M suspension for a daily driver. That overly stiff suspension also had another negative affect on the car, cowl shake.
