It suits people who want a sporty BMW M without an open roof or rear doors. Among the BMWs available for car hire at Masons it sits between the smaller M2 and the open M4 Cabrio: more cabin space and all-wheel drive than the M2, a quieter interior on the motorway than the convertible, and a boot with no folded roof in it. The black paint is understated and causes no stir outside a hotel or an office.

What the M4 Competition is good for

The most common plan is a long weekend for two. Pick up the car in Prague on Friday afternoon, put two travel bags in the boot, and by evening you are sitting down to dinner in a spa hotel in West Bohemia or a guesthouse in the Šumava mountains. With a fixed roof the plan does not depend on the forecast: you can set off in March or October, when a convertible is too chilly.

The second reason is an event that calls for a suit or an evening dress: a wedding where you are a guest, a company party, a concert or a premiere. A black coupé suits an evening dress code, and the fixed roof keeps hairstyles intact even in the rain. For a short hop across Prague you can bring another couple; two adults fit in the back for twenty minutes.

The third group want a car from BMW's M division but see no point in a convertible. They are travelling in winter, face a long motorway drive, or do not want wind in their hair and stares at every traffic light. The coupé gives them the same six-cylinder and M character in a closed cabin where you can talk in peace.

In practice: seats, luggage and drive

The M4 Competition has four seats, but only the front two are comfortable for longer trips. The rear seats suit children, adults on a short journey, or bags. Rear passengers climb in past a front seat slid forward, so older passengers are better off in front. The boot takes luggage for two for a weekend: two medium suitcases or two larger bags. For a week, or for four people with suitcases, the car is too small.

All-wheel drive lets the car pull away without wheelspin on wet cobblestones or a damp forest road, and in winter it gives more confidence than rear-wheel-drive cars. The gearbox is automatic, so there is no clutch to work in Prague traffic. Under the bonnet is a three-litre petrol straight-six with two turbochargers. The coupé is wide and has long doors: in the narrow streets of Malá Strana and in underground garages with pillars, pick a space with room to spare. The low front spoiler does not get on with high kerbs, so enter garages slowly and at an angle. Prague's blue zones allow limited paid visitor parking; check the sign and time limit and pay online. For longer stays, choose a suitable garage or P+R car park. At a brisk pace you will stop for fuel sooner than expected.

Where to take the M4 Competition from Prague

A good destination for a day or an overnight stay is Loket nad Ohří, a small town with a castle on a rock in a bend of the Ohře river. The D6 motorway towards Karlovy Vary gets you there in about 2 hours. Most of it is relaxed cruising, where the quiet coupé cabin pays off; the final stretch crosses the hills above the Ohře valley on narrower, winding roads that stay damp in the woods even after a dry day. Park by the river, walk into the centre across the bridge and have lunch on the square below the castle. On the way back, stop at the Svatošské skály rock formations, a short walk along the river, or for coffee in Karlovy Vary.

M4 Competition or Mercedes-AMG C63 Coupé?

Both are black four-seat coupés for a weekend, with rear seats better suited to bags than to adults. The M4 Competition with all-wheel drive is the safer bet when your dates fall in autumn or winter, the forecast is uncertain, or a long motorway drive with luggage lies ahead. The C63 Coupé has a V8 and rear-wheel drive, and people hire it for the sound and the old-school feel; it makes most sense in dry summer weather, when the drive itself is the point. If the priority is getting the two of you to the hotel without fuss, choose the BMW. For a weekend built around the sound of a V8, take the Mercedes.