BMW Z4 is a Supra little roadster

Wednesday, 22 May 2019

**BMW Z4 M40i

Base price:** $133,800

Powertrain and performance: 3.0-litre turbo-petrol inline six, 250kW/500Nm, 8-speed automatic, RWD, Combined economy 7.4 litres per 100km, 0 to 100kmh 4.5 seconds.

The BMW Z4 looks better in the metal than in photos, but regardless of looks, the M40i is a rocket.

Vital statistics: 4324mm long, 1304mm high, 2470mm wheelbase, luggage capacity 281 litres, 19-inch alloy wheels with 255/35 tyres front, 275/35 rear.

We like: Serious performance. Now a much sharper thing. Much better looking in the metal.

We don't like: Conservative interior design. Relatively heavy and feels it.

The last Z4 pandered to American market tastes and it showed. Soft and uninvolving, it was a disappointing car after the sharp thing the previous one had been. But now there is a new one, and BMW was determined to make it into a proper sports car again. But have they succeeded?

Smooth and powerful, BMW's 3.0-litre turbo six is a fantastic engine.

A proper sports car again? Was it ever really one to begin with?

Well, yeah, the original Z3 was essentially a panicked, underpowered half-baked reaction to the success of the MX-5, and quickly earned a reputation as a poseur's car, but over its run (and with the addition of six-cylinder engines and the eventual mad M model) it blossomed into a truly good and properly sporty thing.

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It's successor - the original Z4 - boasted a controversial face by Bangle, but was a far more upmarket, powerful thing that was actually an even sharper, sportier thing again. Sure, there was a slightly anaemic 2.5-litre six (and even 2.0-litre four models in Europe), but the 3.0-litre six was a fine thing, albeit with a slightly harsh ride.

Then there was that awful Americanised one - arguably an overreaction to criticisms of the original Z4's ride - that went and ruined it all by being soft and floppy, but we shall never speak of that again, because the new one is a far, far better thing.

So does it actually challenge the likes of the Porsche Boxster then?

Well, no. But to be fair to BMW it is the closest they have ever got - but a hefty-ish (1,500kg) front-engined/RWD roadster simply can't match a lighter (1,350kg) mid-engined/RWD one, regardless of how good it is.

And the Z4 is actually very good indeed.

BMW's 3.0-litre turbocharged inline six is a fantastic engine in, well, literally everything they jam it into, and it is no exception here. Tuned to deliver slightly less power than in the questionable X4 M40i we tested recently (which produces 265kW, but is considerably heavier at 1,895kg), the level of anger is cranked right up in the roadster, making it a snarling, howling beast that bangs and pops at the appropriate moments and propels the Z4 towards the horizon at an impressive rate.

The big inline six bellow is intoxicating wound up to full belligerence, particularly with the roof down (no heavy, pointless metal folding top here - the new Z4 is back to a fabric roof), which is something the four-cylinder Boxster can't match, no matter how good it sounds.

The M40i sounds great. Even better with the top down.

But how does it go around a corner?

This is where BMW's focus on sportiness has really paid off, with a car that is massively more rewarding to chuck around a series of corners than its predecessor.

BMW completely redesigned the Z4's suspension, with a five-link system at the rear for the first time. Unsprung mass has been reduced by lightweight aluminium components, while new subframe mounting techniques have been used at both ends and the tracks are wider – by a significant 98mm at the front.

So is it proper sports car then? Well, to a degree, yes, but that 1,500kg weight does edge things more towards the GT end of the spectrum when it comes right down to it.

While immensely fun to chuck around, the Z4 doesn't quite have the deeply agile and instantly responsive edge something lighter like a Porsche Boxster has. But then it is often more fun than a Boxster in some ways too.

Mainly, that specific 'big engine up front/rear wheel drive/sports differential' kind of way that means the rear end is fantastically adjustable and responsive to the throttle in an entertainingly assured way that a mid-engined car can never match.

It's a pricey BMW, so I assume the quality and tech is up there as well?

You assume correctly - the Z4 packs BMW's latest interior styling which, while very nice and beautifully put together, is a bit conservative and staid for a sporty roadster, particularly one that looks boldly aggressive and modern on the outside.

On that note, the exterior looks are subject to personal taste, but I will say that the Z4 doesn't photograph particularly well and looks way more cohesive and appealing in the metal, particularly when in motion.

Of course, it gets a lot of BMW's latest technology like active cruise control, Driving Assistant, Parking Assistant, adaptive suspension, Connected Drive and a seriously impressive 10.25-inch HD 'Live Cockpit' display behind the steering wheel.

Any other cars I should consider?

The Jaguar F-Type is the closest competitor in terms of layout, equipment and execution, with the Z4 priced similarly to the V6 F-Type models. At $133,800, the Z4 is priced between the Boxster and Boxster S, and is fractionally less powerful than the S (250kW versus 257kW for the Porsche), but fractionally quicker to 100km/h (4.5 seconds versus 4.6).

The Mercedes SLC is positively ancient (seriously, it dates back to 1996), with the turbo-six AMG 43 being the closest thing in the range, albeit with more power (187kW), but with an accompanying higher ask of $143,600.

The Audi TT is also a perfectly good competitor and worthy of consideration, if it wasn't for the fact that Audi New Zealand has quietly dropped it from the local range.

But then there is the wildcard - the Z4's twin-under-the-skin, the Toyota Supra, that is due here very shortly.

It is more or less a Z4 coupe with the same powertrain and last-gen BMW interior tech, but it will cost less than the Z4 (but by how much is yet to be confirmed) and while not a lot of people will cross shop between BMW and Toyota, it promises to be an interesting comparison nonetheless.