BMW DIALS UP PERFORMANCE
Automaker transforms the Z4 into a true sports car with a removable top
LISBON, PORTUGAL The BMW Z4 is back for 2019. It’s entirely new and gets a serious boost in performance.
It begins under the hood where, like on the previous generation, there is a choice of two engines. The Z4 sDrive 30i gets a 2.0-litre turbocharged fourcylinder that claims a not-toos-habby 255 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque, an increase of 13 hp and 37 lb.-ft. The Z4 M40i, tested here, gets a 3.0-L turbocharged in-line six that pumps out 382 hp and 369 lb.-ft of torque. It’s the most powerful engine ever to propel a Z4 model.
There’s sad news for save-the-manual proponents: The only transmission available is an eight-speed automatic. It is, however, a very slick-shifting unit, especially when shifting manually via the steering-wheel paddles. In auto mode, it shifts quickly enough to get the M40i from zero to 100 km/ h in just 4.6 seconds. The 30i accomplishes the feat in 5.4 seconds. And in true roadster form, the Z4 is rear-wheel drive, and the M40i has an electronically controlled limited-slip differential.
The cockpit is tidy, rich in finish and feel, and well appointed. A revised iDrive infotainment system now displays a series of buttons in a sidebar to the left of the central 10.25-inch touch screen, freeing the rest of the screen to display navigation and entertainment information, and car settings.
The screen is configurable, and you can swipe between different windows like on a tablet. A 10.25inch TFT screen ahead of the steering wheel displays engine and road speed and other driverelated info. The M40i also has an easy-to-read head-up display.
The undercarriage has been reconfigured with sporty handling in mind; wheel tracks have been widened by 98 and 57 millimetres front and rear respectively, while wheelbase has been shortened by 26 mm to 2,470. Despite the shorter wheelbase, the Z4 is 85 mm longer than the previous generation. That contributes to a 50 per cent increase in trunk capacity, now at 281 L, regardless of whether the lighter soft top is up or down. These revised dimensions give the new Z4 a broader, shorter footprint that, combined with a stiffer chassis and 50-50 weight distribution, make it a real corner carver.
And carve corners it does, as I discover after a navigation snafu had me wandering aimlessly along the twisty roads threading through Sintra-Cascais Natural Park, just west of Lisbon. Stopped at the side of the road on top of a mountain, my passenger — BMW Canada’s Rob Dexter — and I were punching an address into the GPS navigation system when another Z4 blew past us in the opposite direction.
“They’re probably heading back to the hotel,” Dexter says. “We should try to catch up.”
“They went by pretty fast,” I reply. “I don’t think I’ll be able to catch them.”
“I’m sure you can,” he returns. “Challenge accepted!”
A quick U-turn points us downhill, and a push of the Sport button on the centre console firms and lowers the adaptive sport suspension by 10 mm, quickens throttle response, tweaks the M Sport differential to enhance cornering, and adds a bit of exhaust sound. I choose to shift manually as I chase down the other Z4, and the transmission follows paddle commands almost instantaneously.
While keeping an elevated yet guarded pace — Dexter’s view out the side window is of a steep drop — the M40i steers around corners with effortless precision, returning confidence-inspiring feedback at the wheel. The M40i pulls out of corners with seat-compressing power, its engine pulling with a rush of power while returning a rich, unmistakable in-line six hum. Suspension is firm and keeps the car level through turns, while the differential does its thing and enhances my steering inputs, especially in sharper corners where the M40i turns with scalpel-like precision. The brakes impress, too, as this downhill chase is particularly hard on the binders, which slow the car hard and repeatedly with no discernible fade.
We catch up to our colleagues at the bottom of the mountain, and drive casually back to the hotel in comfort mode, softening the suspension and providing a sporty yet compliant ride with no harshness. We also put the top up, which quiets the interior to a near coupe-like level.
The Z4 has all of the safety assists BMW has to offer, either as standard or part of an optional package. These include collision and pedestrian warning, automatic emergency braking, lanedeparture warning, adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go function, rear-collision prevention and rear cross-traffic alert, among others. I inadvertently triggered one of the standard safety systems during the test drive after being caught off guard looking in the rear-view mirror as traffic ahead came to a quick stop.
I reacted quickly enough to make the stop in time, but the automatic braking caught my error before I did and applied the brakes a fraction of a second before I got my foot on the pedal.
BMW has dialed up the performance on the new Z4, especially on the M40i, turning it from a somewhat leisurely roadster into a true high-performance sports car with a removable top.
Pricing will be announced later this month.