Whatshot
The New 420i Drop Top BMW
The New 420i Drop Top BMW
Date: 2017-11-01
I immediately noticed the low centre of gravity of the new BMW 420i convertible as it slithered into my driveway. A tingling shiver went through me as Nico pulled up, stepped out and handed me the key.
The Air Breather aerodynamic intakes on the front grill seemed to smile and growl at the same time. The mesmerising look in the eyes of the 4201's face winked their Adaptive LED glint at me, they seemed to know I was staring right back at them. I just knew that the High-Beam assist would be relieving me of the duty of dipping the lights.
Of course the first thing I did was let the roof down and cruise, I was surrounded by state-of-the-art driver assistance from BMW's ConnectDrive, and the plush red leather seats were making me giddy with delight. In seconds I was free, the blue sky and the sea breeze became one with my 420i.
This was superb comfort and sublime power delivery, the 420i offers four drive modes, eco-pro, comfort, sport and the finger clenching sport+. If you are looking for fuel efficiency then the eco-pro setting will drop consumption considerably, courtesy of BMW's EfficientDynamics philosophy.
Sedate and smooth, until you select sport+, then you're in for some dynamic sporty driving performance. The 420i is quick off the mark and the Adaptive M suspension and chassis are so fine-tuned, the ride so smooth, that it is hard to judge the speed, you just don't seem to feel it.
The TwinPower Turbo engine purred silently in eco-pro mode and burred beautifully in sport+. A TwinScroll turbocharger with Valvetronic including Double-VANOS allowed the engine to rev freely and prodcue as much as 135 kilowatss and 290 Newton metres of torque. High Precision Fuel Injection goes a long way to reduce fuel consumption.
Coupled to an eight speed Automatic Transmission Steptronic gearbox and it didn't take too long for little beads of sweat to start forming on my brow. I was confident in the added safety features the BMW have given the 420i and I encourage you to take this car for a test drive, any one of the 4 Series models will more than likely raise the hairs on your arms in the very least.
Contact SMG Umhlanga for more information on this unique model, call them on 031 - 502 9800 or visit their showroom at 2 Wilton Crescent, Umhlanga Ridge.