BMW 3 Series Convertible Review

BMW 3 Series Convertible is a remarkable piece of automotive engineering by German manufacturer BMW. Our review is based on analysis of various BMW 3 Series Convertible reviews published online and data available on official BMW website. BMW 3 Series offers amazing drive, good looks and perfect reliability. There is a choice of two engine selection petrol and the diesel. Only drawback is that there is not much rear space due to roof folding mechanism. Car has high prices, which is not good for price conscious buyers, but good news is that the resale values are good.

It is good to drive and gives you a luxury feel with roof up and down mechanism. The engines are powerful, economical and keep carbon emissions low. When you put the roof up, you will realize why they have metal roof and not fabric roof. It looks like a coupe providing you advantage of having a convertible and coupe at the same time. It has one on one competition with Mercedes Benz SLK Cabriolet and Audi TT Roadster.

BMW 3 Series Convertible Price

The starting price is high and as you add more features, it will be heavier on your bank.

Power & Performance

You can select from a large list of engines and all of them offers decent performance. The entry-level 320i is enough to provide good pace, but the most expensive 4.0 litre V8 engine offers sheer power. If you are looking for good fuel economy, then consider the 325d that offer balance of performance and fuel average. You won’t be disappointed by any model because of the balance that BMW has maintained with each version.

The 3 Series Convertible has softer suspension that the coupe, but has a good heavy road grip. As the matter of fact 3 Series Convertible is heavier, which provides less responsive handling as compared with the coupe version. However, you should not take this comparison as a buying choice because 3 Series Convertible has much better handling than other competitors.

Interior & Exterior

The folding roof does effect the rear visibility because of heavy mechanism. However, you can adjust the driving seats to your comfort and visibility. You can opt for BMW iDrive that is available when you select the sat-nav option. The rear head and leg room is limited that you can expect from every convertible. Boot has enough space and the folding seats can add more room. Each model is equipped with plenty of standard equipment like automatic lights, vipers, rear parking sensors, electric seat adjustment, and automatic air conditioning. You can also add more features, but you may have to pay extra for every component.

The exterior looks a little outdated, but looks more classy and elegant. You might miss the 2013 curves and shape, but the look and feel is really mind-blowing. The rear lights look appealing during the night-time and you will love the stylish attitude of BMW 3 Series Convertible.

Safety & Reliability

We never heard about reliability issues in BMW and you do not have to worry either. All the materials and build quality is extraordinary. It was rated average in the mechanical reliability survey by JD Power, which is not bad for a fantastic car.

Thanks to metal roof, it is going to be difficult for thieves to get inside your vehicle. BMW has offered standard safety equipment like stability control, front airbags, body and head side airbags, and there are automatically rollover hoops to in case of accident. There is no crash test data available for Convertible, but the 3 Series has received 5 out of 5 rating in Euro NCAP crash tests.

eBest Cars Verdict

With all the praise and good aspects, the BMW 3 Series Convertible is expensive to own. However, strong resale value will save you good money when you plan to replace your car. There is decent set of engines that keeps the running costs and CO2 emissions low. It falls is tax band E-M, which means you have to pay higher when you go for high-end performance oriented version. The annual road tax will remain between £125-£490 and CO2 emissions between 131-140 g/km to over 255 g/km.

BMW 3 Series Convertible Pictures