2025 BMW M4 Cabriolet Review

I’m not a huge fan of fast BMWs.

There, I said it. They’re a bit much to live with, I don’t find them that nice to look at, and I’ve yet to meet a modern M car that’s rewarding to drive on the street. Oh, sure, they’re quick and capable but, importantly, they lack fun.

For instance, the regular BMW M4 feels like a Doberman straining at a spiked chain leash with a choker collar around its neck. It’s an impressive creature, but I don’t find it that nice to spend time with. However, due to its lack of a roof and consequent loss of chassis rigidity, the 2025 BMW M4 Cabriolet feels more like a Doberman on a regular leash with a name tag that reads Petunia. Not that much has changed but, all of a sudden, the vibes have improved immensely.

Comfort 8 / 10

Like every other performance brand out there, BMW’s M division loves to test its vehicles on the racetracks of the world and is engaged in an arms race for better and better performance metrics. Data and analytics require that a fast car be stiff and taut, and while there’s joy in such pursuits, they can also lead to headache-inducing cars that feel out of place on regular roads.

Because the M4 Cabriolet is roofless (apart from folding fabric top that goes up or down with an 18-seconds press of a button), it is necessarily less stiff than the regular M4. And because racetracks tend not like convertibles (cleaning up lost heads is a bit of a bummer for the marshals), the few milliseconds of lap time that softness might cost aren’t a big deal. The car is still rigid enough to be considered sporty (this isn’t some 1960s muscle car whose front feels like it's connected to the rear with string cheese) but it feels more like it’s moving with the road than clattering over it like an empty tissue box falling down a flight of stairs. 

Driving Feel 7 / 10

I will still go to my grave complaining about the M division’s steering calibration, which does not communicate at all with the driver through the brand’s massive bagel of a steering wheel. This does much to rob the driver of the fun and makes the M4 feel dead behind the eyes despite its enormous power — a bit like Tom Cruise. However, this cabriolet’s saving grace is that the chassis’ relative softness gives the driver something to feel, and that provides some sense of connection to the car. There are still high-performance coupes out there that provide a whole lot more connection, but at least this is something.

Power 9 / 10

For many, that won’t matter, because the M4 Competition Cabriolet — and the M4 Competition Coupe, for that matter — offers drivers a ton of power. The 3.0L straight six-cylinder under the hood sends 523 hp and 479 lb-ft of turbocharged torque to all four wheels (a gain of 20 hp over the 2024 model). The torque hits you in the back like a rogue wave and launches you to 100 km/h in 3.7 seconds (3.5 for the coupe). It’s also worth noting that there isn’t much that can compete with the M4 at its price point. Both Porsche and Mercedes-Benz charge a whole bunch more money for this kind of power, while Lexus will charge you more for less.

Sadly, the cabriolet, like the M4 Competition Coupe, is not offered with a manual transmission — only an eight-speed automatic. Those who want a six-speed and a clutch will have to opt for the standard M4 Coupe, which makes just 473 hp and 406 lb-ft of torque.

Fuel Economy 6 / 10

That power comes at a cost, though, and the price is a lot of premium fuel. The M4 Competition Cabriolet consumes 12.9 L/100 km in combined driving, according to Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) — a figure that was more or less in line with what this tester indicated after a week of driving. That’s 0.2 L/100 km more than the M4 Coupe, which makes sense given the extra weight (around 150 kg more than the M4 Competition Coupe) that is inevitably required to buttress any convertible after its roof has been removed.

Practicality 6.5 / 10

The M4 doesn’t start life out as the most practical vehicle on the road — the rear seat isn’t exactly generous — but it does at least provide owners with a healthy 440 L of trunk space, which is 12 L more than a Toyota Camry. That’s enough to swallow some golf clubs, and more than enough for your next road trip.

For the cabriolet, some trunk space has been sacrificed to the retracting roof. As a result, you’ll have to take some of your luggage spelunking into the thinner trunk, which can only contain 385 L of stuff. Although it’s smaller, and it’s a little less conveniently shaped, the trunk will still fit small items.

Features 8 / 10

The M4 shines in the high-tech toy department — literally. For 2025, all trim levels (M4 Coupe, M4 Competition xDrive Coupe, or M4 Competition xDrive Cabriolet) come with new taillights. Not only do these look more modern, they also feature — if you’ll forgive the 30-year-old reference — frickin’ lasers. This technology doesn’t just sound neat, it also allowed BMW to create 3-D graphics in the laser diode illuminated glass fibre bundles within the light assemblies, which makes their design more intricate.

Inside, the car features a 12.3-inch driver display and a 14.9-inch touchscreen, as well as a head-up display. Running on BMW Operating System (OS) 8.5, the infotainment system features a pretty useful voice assistant that can help you find features that can become buried in one of the many menus that BMW loves (more on that below).

If you’ve got the cash, you can add the $4,250 Premium package which comes with a fancier sound system, BMW’s drive recorder, a better head-up display with augmented reality directions, and M Drive Pro, which measures drifts and lap times, while giving drivers more control over the traction control system. For another $10,000, buyers can get the M Carbon package, which adds carbon fibre trim and bucket seats.

User-Friendliness 7 / 10

As alluded to above, BMW loves a menu. It loves submenus, supermenus, and even dinner menus, all of which can make it hard to find some basic controls, needlessly complicating simple tasks. However, with its latest OS, the automaker has at least worked to put commands you’re likely to use daily, such as the temperature controls, on the screen permanently. That has come at the cost of some physical buttons and nobs, which is disappointing, but makes the system easier to use overall, which is a positive.

Safety 7 / 10

As you might expect, BMW’s safety systems are well considered and well executed, it’s just disappointing that the automaker charges extra for features that are increasingly becoming standard across the industry. In addition to the $110,200 asking price for the M4 cabrio, you also have to pay an extra $2,000 for the Advanced Driver Assistance package, which includes land-keep assist and cross-traffic alert in addition to BMW’s Level 2 driver-assistance suite.

Styling 6.5 / 10

The M4’s beaver-toothed grille has not improved with age, but otherwise it’s a classically handsome two-door, and it makes a reasonably attractive convertible. Bonus points have to be given to BMW for the wide range of expressive colours it offers inside and out — that’s 31 paint colours, 16 interior colours, and four trim options, to be precise.

Value 9 / 10

Despite what might look like a lofty price tag, the M4 could be considered a bit of a steal. For instance, it makes around 50 hp more than the Mercedes-AMG SL 55 roadster, but costs around $50,000 less. Even the cheapest Porsche 911 convertible, the Carrera Cabriolet, costs around $50,000 more than the M4 Cabriolet and it has a 135 hp deficit to the bimmer.

The Lexus RC F might be considered a more direct competitor to the BMW, as it costs around the same amount of money, but it isn’t available as a drop top and it also makes 50 hp less. Similarly, the Mercedes-AMG CLE 53 makes around 80 fewer horses than the M4, but it does cost considerably less, and its grille is much less embarrassing, so maybe that’s a worthwhile trade-off.

The Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing is about the only way to get more power for around the same money, but it’s neither a coupe nor is it available as a soft top, so it’s hard to call it a direct competitor.

The Verdict

Despite its difficult styling and uncommunicative steering, the 2025 BMW M4 is a generous offering in its segment. Buyers get a whole heck of a lot of power, a cutting-edge tech suite, and the cool confidence of an aspirational badge — and they get that for a pretty reasonable price. Meanwhile, the drop top adds open air fun and a slightly less serious character to the equation, which could easily make it the champion of your pros and cons list when it comes time to shop for a luxurious performance car.