Everyone loves a little then-and-now. Some do it for the sake of reminiscing a bygone era, others want to see just how much technology has improved lives. For this one, we are doing a bit of both: in order to fully understand the 2025 BMW M4 Competition Convertible, how much car culture has evolved over two decades, and maybe get a glimpse of the future, we need to go back in time. And the best way to do that is to meet up with an old friend of ours — this E46-generation M3 convertible.

Timeless or trendy?

Let’s begin with what is arguably the most important aspect of these cars — their beauty. You can really tell just how much tastes have changed over the years; we have always found the E46-generation M3 straight-up handsome, while the 2025 successor (codenamed G83, and officially known as the M4 for about a decade now) looks way more pronounced and provocative. We attribute a bit of this evolution to the uprising of social media. People today seem to put a lot of weight on how they show up; they want others to take notice of their arrival, the more phone pics and turned-heads the better.

Of course, the car in which they arrive is crucial to that. The 2025 M4 convertible nails the assignment, still turns heads for better or worse. Just about everyone still has an opinion not just on this aggressive-looking droptop, but also its coupe and sedan siblings as well. The now-classic E46, on the other hand, is truly appreciated mostly by those who understand what it is. In other words, it is an #IYKYK type of car.

Screens or buttons?

Inside, where the E46 M3 feels rich and clean, the G83 M4 is ultra-sporty and very much new-age. Aside from those red leather sofas and the thick steering wheel with the letter M, you can hardly tell the E46 M3 was one of the faster production cars of its era. Shifting over the M4, you can tell right away by the heavily bolstered bucket seats, the even beefier steering wheel, the metallic trim pieces, and the various purposeful buttons, that this is something that is designed to trigger that adrenaline rush.

While we love the timeless dashboard devoid of screens that are destined to look dated in just a few years, we do appreciate BMW’s current interior design language. It strikes a very fine balance between looking modern and too plain and minimalistic, but we think it is one that will stand the test of time better than many cars of this current generation.

Point-and-shoot or genuine engagement?

You could consider both of these sports cars, but that is pretty much where the similarities in this category end. The E46 M3 uses a 3.2-litre inline-six engine known as the S54, generating 333 horsepower and 278 pound-feet of torque. It is absolutely no slouch looking at the numbers alone, but the responsiveness and low-end torque of modern turbocharged engines have spoiled and desensitized us to what we used to consider fast.

The M3 needs time to build up rev and speed, and man does it do that so well all the way up to its near-8,000 RPM limit, and those who are not patient or caught looking away from the speedometer will think that it is traveling at a much more relaxed pace than it actually is. Hopping out of the M4 Cabriolet and into the E46 requires a conscious reset of the mind, but once you do, you will learn to enjoy the sheer exhilaration from waiting for the engine to load up fully, and the satisfaction from rowing one gear through to the next.

Hopping back into the G83 and you will get a sense of just how much, and more importantly why, people have gotten addicted to the feeling of instant gratification. Every response on the M4 Competition is razor sharp as there is seemingly no delay from when you mash down the throttle to when you are handing back your driver’s license, and all you have to do is hang on to the steering wheel as tightly as you can and let the lightning quick automatic transmission propels you to breakneck speed.

In terms of driving experience, however, we think this is where the modern evolution has taken a step in the wrong direction. It is not to say that the M4 Competition Cabriolet is not enjoyable, because it is intoxicating to be able to go around every corner quicker than most cars on the street and the satisfaction is turned up by its engine and exhaust growl made when you push it. However, with the G83, you do lose a sense of who’s responsible for more of the driving – the car or the driver – as the onboard computer has largely taken most of the guesswork that comes with high performance driving.

This is especially apparent when driving the E46 and the G83 back-to-back. You know for a fact you are the chief at helm in the older car, and all mistakes would fall squarely on your shoulders. Whereas with the M4 Competition Cabriolet, between the multiple drive modes, stability control settings, and even with the ability to switch from all- to rear-wheel-drive, it does everything in its might to prevent that from happening and make you look like a pro.

Final thoughts

Is this where the future of performance cars lies? The M4 is already extremely fast, and while we don’t expect that to be dialed down ever, we think the focus will shift back towards making cars genuinely fun and engaging again. We have seen this with the brilliant M4 CS, and seeing how much enthusiasts are willing to pay for pure driving dynamics in both the new and used markets, we think it is only a matter of time before we get a car that blends the best of the E46 with the fury that is the 2025 BMW M4 Competition Convertible. Now that would really be the ultimate summer driving machine.