The new BMW 3 Series and the new BMW 4 Series are on the verge of being unveiled. We will see the 3 Series at the Paris Motor Show in October, but it may be that BMW reveals its one number bigger, two doors lesser brother too. While many say that the new 3 Series is shaping up to be the best compact executive sedan, talks about the 4 Series haven’t been exactly fruitious. Yet, only days ago, spy photographers did catch a glimpse of what is definitely shaping up to be the new BMW 4 Series Convertible. While we did know that BMW will definitely offer a car like this, the thing is that the spied model actually had a soft top roof. Not a hard top as with previous two generations of a car.

Why The Shift?

Get this:

-* The BMW 2 Series has a soft top

-* The BMW 6 series has a soft top

-* The BMW 8 series will have a soft top

-* The BMW Z4 has a soft top

Obviously, BMW is trying to unify its lineup even more, but apart from that, installing a soft top actually has some clear advantages over the hard top roof:

-* Its lighter

-* It frees up more space when lowered compared to the hard top

-* It's a simpler design

-* It opens and closes faster

-* It is easier to fix if needed

-* Enthusiasts love it more

In short, while I am genuinely happy about the 4 Series getting a soft top, the crux of the matter is that this solution is easier and cheaper for BMW. Fine by me. After all, all the competition, which includes the A5 Cabriolet, and the C-Class Cabriolet, already sports soft top roofs.

Why You Should be Excited

Hard tops are cool. I find them really neat, and if I had my way, almost all convertibles would be hard-tops. However, they do bring unwanted complexity and unwanted weight to the car equation. As BMWBlog reports, they add weight at the worst possible place - on the top of the car. That is why they tend to be a bit jerky compared with the coupe models. Well, to circumnavigate the problem, BMW is reimagining the soft top. The new one offers superb NVH values (like the one on the new Z4), but it will also remove unwanted weight from up high. This equals up to more engaging and precise driving characteristics and a lighter car compared to the possible hard top spin-off.

Conclusion

The 4 Series Convertible will be sexy. I would bet on it. A I think that we have seen the first glimpses of it with the X2 M35i which develops 302 horsepower and 332 pound-feet of torque. Could the one in the 3 Series and the 4 Series get even more power? Maybe.

All in all, the 4 Series Convertible turns its back to a hardtop in favor of a soft top. It’s back to the roots for the BMW famous convertible based on the 3 Series sedan.

Further reading

Read our full review on the 2018 BMW 4 Series Convertible.

Read more BMW news.