BMW 4-Series Convertible (2014 - 2020) 420d (190bhp) Sport (Business Media) 2d Auto Owner Review

Two cars in one - work and pleasure and both a fun drive :-)

POSITIVES: It is an economical, reliable, smart and discreet high spec car that ROOF UP easily carries four adults on a business trip with a surprisingly spacious boot. Roof down it becomes a great weekend fun car to blast to the coast or a trip away. It's practical and still has more and easier boot storage than anyone ever expects due to its unique stowed roof raising/lowering trick at the touch of a button that most reviewers don't seem to know about! (Look on YOU TUBE and see the car raise its boot lid and the folded roof to allow one to put in or take out items. Just brilliant!)

It is well equipped for winter with heated windscreen and steering wheel, plus the fantastic warming air scarves built into the heated electric memory front headrests. The wind deflector is very effective at reducing air turbulence for front passengers at speed. The red Dakota leather interior looks classy, not brash and the leather has worn well. Surprisingly, it has its own internal hard drive to load 100s of CDs, and if that sounds outdated it runs Spotify reliably from a smart phone! The famous BMW iDrive rotary control in the centre console is a dream for for all functions music sources/radio/CD/Sat Nav way way better than any menu laden touch screen.

NEGATIVES -well not much really ...

It is not a sports car, let's be honest, it is a smooth cruiser. It pulls strongly in a straight line and even though there is a noticeable difference between the softer adaptive suspension when in Eco Mode and then into firmer and much more responsive throttle in Sport Mode, one has to be cautious on bends at speed out on a winding A or B road. (For comparison it won't handle bends like my 170BHP Skoda Yeti 4x4 nor my pin sharp MX5.)

It has what reviewers call 'scratchy plastics' in the cabin. Door bins and centre console lack a luxury feel leaving keys or coins etc rattling as you travel. Actual Sat nav destination setting can be fiddly with the iDrive and it's best to use voice recognition with the roof up to get the system to hear instructions.

I've had mine nearly 3 years - brilliant reliability and always a sense of fun and style when I take it out. As others have said it's like two different cars - for me, one a sensible smart business car in the day and then, two a fun car to enjoy roof down under the stars by night or open rural drive on a dry day - no matter how chilly.