Z4 · ATECA · FIESTA ST · DUSTER · SANTA FE

Lots of change this month. The Z4 has arrived, as has the greatvalue Duster. The Santa Fe and Fiesta are off. Charlie’s not happy

HELL O £ 49,050 OTR/£51,985 as tested/£591pcm WHY IT’ S HERE Can Supra DNA lift BMW’s sports car from the Boxster’s shadow? DRIVER Stephen Dobie

WITH A MUSCULAR STRAIGHT-SIX POWERING THE REAR WHEELS AND a driver-angled two-seat cabin, previous BMW Z4s felt like an arrow pointed right at the heart of the car enthusiast. Yet they always flew wide of the mark. The constant presence of Porsche’s delicately set up Boxster meant there was a troublingly good benchmark to beat, but Z4 attempt three could finally have the nous to overturn its key rival. And win our hearts. Six months in this M40i ought to reveal how successful it’s been.

So what’s new? It now has two more cylinders than the Porsche, though by virtue of the Boxster dropping to a rattly 4cyl and not the Z4 gaining a V8. An overpowered, understressed six is now a depressing rarity in the sports car class, and the latest, 335bhp version of BMW’s 3.0-litre is a peach.

Then there’s the lighter, more focused componentry slotted beneath, including tyres nicked from an M4. It may be an ‘M Performance’ model – not a fully fledged M car – but there’s certainly a scent of the company’s more senior products about this top-spec Z4. Perhaps more pertinently, there’s the shared DNA with a new car called ‘Toyota Supra’. Apparently it’s a big deal. You might have heard it mentioned once or twice.

Finally – and a biggie for me – BMW has reverted back to a fabric roof. After the soggy old hard-top Z4, that’s a real relief, and as well as keeping weight as trim as possible (if still podgy, at 1,610kg), I think it properly benefits the car’s proportions. San Francisco Red suits it well, too.

On top of its paint (free), our M40i has few extras: adaptive headlights (£900), a tech pack incorporating a head-up display and posh stereo (£1,800) and a comfort pack that heats the wheel and adds a crucial wind deflector (£750). Everything else you could possibly need is standard, going someway to justify dropping £51,985 on one of these. Less than that Supra, though…