Car of the Year Awards 2025: Coupé/Convertible of the Year
If your inflatable dinghy starts losing air, you’ll cut the fun short and head to shore. When crisps lose their crispness, they’re nothing like as tasty. And we’ve all seen footage of the Tacoma Narrows bridge wobbling around in the wind before collapsing into Puget Sound. Yes, it always ends in disappointment when something isn’t as stiff as it needs to be.
We’re talking, of course, about structural integrity. It’s key to the way a car handles, rides and feels, and the BMW 4 Series Coupé has it in abundance. This helps it to be the sharpest car in its class to drive. What’s remarkable, though, is that its drop-top sibling feels so similar without a metal roof between the windscreen and rear window.
Often, taking the roof off a car causes it to go all jelly-like, and many convertibles feel vague and ponderous from behind the wheel. Not so with the 4 Series, though. With the canvas roof raised, you’d struggle to tell the BMW 4 Series Convertible from the coupé without driving them back to back; both have razor-sharp steering and fabulous cornering poise. Only if you encounter an almighty pothole might a shimmy through the steering wheel remind you that you’re in a convertible.
When fitted with optional adaptive suspension (£450), the 4 Series delivers a plush ride in its softest setting, helping to turn both versions into effortless long- distance cruisers (aided by refined engines and low noise levels at motorway speeds). And of course, Sport mode heightens the fun on a twisty road. It’s not as if either car is uncomfortable or boring on the standard suspension, but the extra outlay is worthwhile to experience the 4 Series at its very best.
Both versions offer the same choice of engines, our favourite being the 181bhp turbocharged 2.0-litre petrol in the entry-level 420i. Okay, the convertible’s extra weight blunts acceleration slightly, but 0-62mph in 8.2sec (down from the coupé’s 7.5sec) is still respectable; there’s more than enough performance for most people’s needs. The efficiency of the 420i means it will be usefully cheaper to run than the more powerful six-cylinder M440i, too.
Inside, the 4 Series is a full four- seater, with enough space in the back for a couple of six-footers to sit in relative comfort. It feels more robust than the interior of the rival Mercedes CLE, with mostly high-quality materials and a class- leading infotainment system.
Unless you’re willing to spend tens of thousands of pounds more, the only challenger to the 4 Series’ crown is the CLE. With adaptive suspension as standard, the coupé and cabriolet versions of that car are even comfier than the 4 Series. They’re pricier, though, and not as good to drive. Stiff competition, then, but we’re unbending in our support of the 4 Series.
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