First the BMW coupe, then the open-top

October 23, 2013 by Alastair Sloane

BMW 4 Series Convertible

BMW has released a handful of stylised pictures of the 4-Series convertible, but here is the real thing, wearing a mild disguise.

The 4-Series open-top is expected to make its first official appearance at the Los Angeles motor show in a couple of weeks before going on sale in Europe and the United States early next year.

BMW NZ corporate affairs manager Ed Finn says the convertible will be available here, although he said he didn’t have a timeframe.

When it does land, the powertrains for the convertible will almost certainly mirror those of the hardtop 4-Series coupe, which has just gone on sale in NZ.

It is priced from $98,000 for the twin-turbo 2.0-litre 428i variant and $126,500 for the twin-turbo 3.0-litre six-cylinder 435i, the premium model. Both use eight-speed gearboxes.

BMW NZ isn’t taking the base model 420i coupe, believing two-door Kiwi buyers will best identify with the more powerful variants. Nor is it taking the diesel 420d, for the same reason.

BMW 4-Series coupe

The 420i uses a detuned version of the 428i petrol engine. Australia has the 420i at A$69,500. Australia also has the 2.0-litre 420d diesel at A$71,800.

The convertible’s electro-hydraulic folding three-piece hardtop roof can open and close in 20 seconds, at vehicle speeds up to 17km/h.

Like the coupe, the 4-Series convertible will offer different drive modes depending on the driver’s preference.

BMW-open-top

Each offers different parameters for the powertrain and suspension components. Eco Pro will make use of the stop/start system, Comfort makes the throttle a bit more sensitive, while Sport and Sport Plus offer drivers a more responsive vehicle.

The 4-Series convertible will be offered with BMW’s latest version of iDrive, which will control the aforementioned drive modes, navigation, entertainment and phone connectivity.

The 4-Series replaces the 3-Series coupe and convertible.

If you are in a position to shell out upwards of NZ$600,000 for the 60^thanniversary Porsche 911 S/T or optional Porsche 911 S/T Heritage, you’ll no doubt want the signature titanium watch that goes with it. That’s how Porsche figures it anyway. Or, if you want the watch you’ll need to get the car. Both the car and the watch are limited to 1963 units, the year the original 911 model broke cover. The watch – Chronograph 1 911 S/T and Chronograph 1 911 S/T Heritage – and the car carry matching edition numbers. The watch is priced at $US13,500, or around $NZ22,200. The car, says Porsche NZ, starts at $NZ608,000. A “strictly limited number” will go into production for NZ early next year.

Eight European Union countries are pushing to weaken new EU emissions limits for cars, saying they are overly ambitious and unrealistic for carmakers to hit. The eight countries – France, Italy, the Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia – said in a joint paper that parts of the proposed Euro 7 regulation, including curbs on exhaust pipe emissions, should be scrapped entirely. They said the limits would force carmakers to invest in improving exhaust emissions performance, money which would be better spent on developing zero-emission vehicles. Taken together, the countries would have enough votes to block the proposal.

A go-anywhere EV concept for the US military uses an onboard 12kW diesel generator to top up the batteries on the move. The all-wheel-drive has 800-volt technology and a 200kWh battery pack to power three electric motors, two in the rear and one up front. Claimed output is 745kW/15,590Nm, or 1000hp and 11,500 ft-lb of torque. The four-seater was developed by the defence division of General Motors and is based on the platform of the Hummer SUV. It rides on Fox performance shock absorbers and 37-inch tyres and comes with “exceptional” approach and departure angles for off-road mobility. Maximum range using the generator to keep things ticking over is said to be around 500km.

The outside temperature in Midland, Texas, was 40.5C when staff at the local office of the US National Weather Service set out to show the cabin of a closed car can literally get baking hot in summer. They mixed up a batch of chocolate chip cookies and laid them on the car’s dashboard – the surface of which showed a temperature of 87.7C. A little over four hours later the cookies were ready to eat. “Even though ours weren’t golden brown, we can confirm that they are done and delicious,” the staff wrote on Facebook.