Here’s the new BMW 4-series Convertible on test in Germany – just a couple of months after we first viewed the 4-series Coupe.
These are identifiably the replacements for today’s 3-series coupe and convertible twins, and BMW looks set to repeat the formula.
It’s one which seems quite indulgent, as many manufacturers rely on coupe-convertibles with folding hard-tops to occupy both niches.
Not at BMW. It sells enough of both bodystyles to warrant selling both a coupe and a convertible.
BMW 4-series Convertible: the F33
F32, the coupe variant of the 4-series, arrives first, going on sale in mid-2013. The F33 convertible will stick with today’s folding hard top, as evident in these spy photos.
The 4-series Convertible is due in spring 2014. BMW normally launches with a mix of toppy engines, before the smaller capacities (and in this day and age, lower turbo boosts) swell the volumes.
The mainstream engines in the 3-series Convertible successor
Forget the numbers on the badges – it’s no longer a reliable indicator of what’s under the bonnet. Most new 3-series family petrol engines are the 2.0-litre four-cylinder, with a variety of turbocharging to stretch power from 180bhp to 242bhp at launch.
Diesels, similarly, are a 2.0-litre four-pot, ranging from 114bhp (316d) to 181bhp (320d). We’d expect only the more powerful oil-burners to be offered in the convertible.
In the fullness of time, we expect the next M division version to sport a 3.2-litre inline straight six, mustering a similar 450bhp to today’s 4.0 V8.
