BMW M440i xDrive Convertible review

The engine is a tuneful and responsive 3-litre straight-six with a turbo, though the richness of the soundtrack makes you wonder if it’s actually naturally aspirated. The eight-speed automatic gearbox is faultlessly smooth and for this sort of laid-back, open-top machine, it’s every bit as responsive as you’d need it to be. Most of the time the car feels rear-driven, but plant your right foot in a low gear and there’s no hint of wheelspin as all four share the load. 

The cabin feels like it belongs to a model from higher up the BMW range, so good are the materials and build quality. Gone is the last version’s folding hardtop, in its place a fabric hood that isolates the cabin from wind noise and bad weather beautifully. For the sort of buyer who would gladly walk past a coupe and directly towards a soft-top, this car ticks so many emotional and pragmatic boxes you wonder if it is in fact flawless. 

But of course it isn’t. The ride is very good and the structure wobbles only a small amount over poor surfaces, and there is decent body control and good steering precision to a point. But this is not a car that likes to be leant on hard, for in that moment you feel its 1900kg mass as the body lurches and the tyres lose their purchase. So you back off, settle into a cruise and wonder if you should have had the coupe all along.

BMW M440i xDrive Convertible 

Engine: 2998cc, 6-cyls, turbo, mild-hybrid

Transmission: 8-speed auto, 4WD

Power: 369bhp @ 5500-6500rpm

Torque: 369lb ft @ 1900-5000rpm

Weight: 1890kg

Power-to-weight: 195bhp/tonne

0-62mph: 4.9 seconds

Top speed: 155mph

Fuel economy: 39mpg

Price: £59,670

Ti rating: 7/10