BMW M4 Cabriolet

2015 BMW M4 Cabriolet

A few months ago, the first ever M4 Coupe was born to succeed where the old M3 Coupes of yesteryears left off but from all the wrong and right reasons. Although the inline-6 turbo engine wasn't as better sounding as the old M3's V8 engine, the power steering is a bit vague for a car like this, and the conspiracy of why their chassis codes are different from the normal 4-Series Coupe, it's more powerful than the old M3's V8 engine, more lighter than the old M3, and overall, a lot more fun to drive.

With the arrival of the brand new M4 Cabriolet, can the open-top version be as fun as the Coupe equivalent? The answer can be a yes or a no.

First and foremost, it still comes with the same 3.0L TwinPower Turbo engine as the coupe version, producing 431PS of power output and 550Nm of torque, and it's available with either a 6-speed manual or a 7-speed double clutch gearbox, but like all convertible models do, the M4 Cabriolet adds 250kg of weight and 0-100kph time has been harshly dropped to 4.6 seconds with the manual or 4.4 seconds with the DCT. Despite the added weight, thanks to added body reinforcements like all cabrios do, this car is 60kg lighter than the old M3 Cabriolet, and even though this is drastically heavier than the M4 Coupe, it still handles just like the coupe does.

Although not suitable for track use unlike the M3 Sedan and the M4 Coupe does, it still knows how to throw in a party or two when it corners and if the timing's just right, this car can drift for fun. Who doesn't want to drift a turbocharged German convertible on the open space?

And when you're not on the track and on the road, you can press a button to open or close the roof within 20 seconds. With the roof open, it engages the so-called Air Collar, which is a fan mounted between the headrest and upper seat bolster to keep everyone's necks warm while the roof is open. That sounds reasonable but there's no wind deflectors found so when you're wearing a hat, chances of getting your hats blown away is extremely likely. Of course, you can still hear the noise from the exhaust but the blowing winds hamper your hearing when approaching built speed. Gets worse, some microscopic debris in the form of flying insects, falling leaves, or pages from newspaper may flew either your windscreen or your face when going in too fast. Oh geez. This is getting to complicated for a high-performance convertible version of the 4-Series, eh?

The new M4 Cabriolet starts at 78,500 Euros, which is 6,000 Euros more than the Coupe version, and you'll have to charge more for the available extras. So, if you're interested for the M4, go for the coupe version because it's affordable and more faster than the cabriolet but despite having its downsides, this is worth adding to your garage full of cars if you have the cash to pool it in. Besides, despite its weight disadvantage, the M4 Convertible still handles like an M4 but with the roof open, that's just a different story and you'll never know what might hit you while going in too fast.

Photo: BMW AG

Audi RS5 Cabriolet

Now let's move on to the Audi RS5. As told from Top Gear, the RS5 is not a decent alternative to the BMW M3, heavier than the BMW M3, not a successor to the fire-breathing Audi quattro and can be sometimes a terrible rubbish. Now however, Audi has come up with a new variant of the RS5...

2014 Audi RS5 Cabriolet

This is the Audi RS5 Cabriolet. Just like the RS5, it has quattro all-wheel drive that you can still reach incredible angles and rescue it but for the sake of neck-breaking pleasure. Like the RS5, it too has a 4.2 FSi V8 engine that produces 450HP of power. That's about the same power that you'll get on the upcoming C7 Corvette Stingray, if I'm honest. At the starting price of around 88,500 Euros, that's about as cheaper than the latest BMW M6 Cabrio or the Jaguar XKR-S Convertible! Hmmm...

That doesn't seem bad for a car that costs less than the M6 or an XKR-S but on the subject of the RS5, I can also expect some party piece that fires a droplet of exhaust, meaning that this car uses some petrol to make changing gear sound nice. Yes, really, the exhaust note of the RS5's pretty dramatic but this is the cabriolet version. And if by cabriolet, let's called it the ruined version of the RS5 because the weight has only gone up by around 200kg and the height has been lowered by over 20mm. With all the added weight on the RS5 Cabriolet, 0-100kph takes about 4.9 seconds and top speed normally limited to 250kph while being mated with a 7-speed dual clutch transmission, the one with the party piece I was talking about where the world's precious resources has been converted to noise.

In partial terms of driving the RS5 Cabriolet the feeling with the roof open is simple. You can listen to that exhaust note very clearly, which in fact, you can get high on to that noise as long as you want but don't if you are in a very cold place where closing the roof is mandatory. It might be best if you are in the world's best driving roads where you can freely open the roof, forget about the radio, and enjoy what's in store in the open road. This is about as cheeky as Chummy but in the corners, expect catastrophic understeer. It's got the power but when you're cornering the RS5, it kinda feels like you are going to eat the whole chocolate cake of be sent to the chokey. Ouch. Gosh, I don't wanna be in the chokey. I'd rather just eat the whole chocolate cake and get outta here before facing the most deadly consequence known to little kids many.

However, if you're in the city, the RS5 Cabriolet is not the kind of car you would use on a day-to-day basis because as you going around in the streets, people are starting to get you noticed that you are going to the wrong party in the wrong clothes. Say you are wearing your everyday work clothes and then you're entering your party only to find out that it's a costume party and you don't even have a costume. Also worse that you are bumping yourself at the frat house where you'll meet up with a bunch of trash-talking males boozing around for a couple of minutes and then sharing their experiences about bullying, skipping school, and other stuff that most idiots do in their university life. If you are driving this car while you are heading to the prom or to the opening gala hosted by your boss, it feels like you think you are Sir Chief...Oh wait, I'm not a Sir Chief, I'm an oxymoron driving an Audi! Ugh, there goes the pigsa in my back...

In essence then the RS5 Cabriolet is the kind of car that feels like there's something on your back and that "something" on your back is just an average pigsa, waiting to be squished...

Photo: AUDI AG