The BMW Z4 is a convertible with a retractable hardtop and two-door rear-wheel drive layout. Comfortable and sporty, the Z4 competes with the Mercedes SLK, Jaguar F-Type, and the Porsche Boxster. With an exclusive body style and classic long-hood, short-deck proportions that emphasize design, performance, and weight distribution over practicality, the Z4 is the only dedicated sports car in BMW's current lineup. But if you think you know the Z4, beware that it's a different kind of sporting machine today than even a few years ago. While the Z4 used to be a rather lightweight roadster that felt like an aspirational step up from the Miata, the current-generation BMW Z4, that was introduced in 2009, has been a different kind of sports car--more of a premium open-top tourer.
The sleek Z4's new base engine is a punchy 240-hp, turbocharged four-cylinder that got 28 mpg in our tests with the somewhat notchy six-speed manual. While the car is quick and secure, its neatly finished cabin is snug and the steering lacks feedback.
The sleek Z4's new base engine is a punchy 240-hp, turbocharged four-cylinder that got 28 mpg in our tests with the somewhat notchy six-speed manual. While the car is quick and secure, its neatly finished cabin is snug and the steering lacks feedback.
The four-pot engine is not the only one on offer. The Z4 can also be outfitted with a 3.0-liter inline six-cylinder engine that features twin turbochargers (unlike the twin-scroll single model in the 2.0-liter). So equipped, it supplies 300 horsepower and 300 lb-ft of torque, or if specified as the range-topping Z4 sDrive35is, 335 horsepower and 332 lb-ft of torque, with the seven-speed DCT transmission and a top speed of 155 mph.For the 2014 model year, BMW added a more feature-packed ConnectedDrive infotainment system with advanced safety and connectivity features, new exterior and interior appearance elements, a new wheel design, and a new chrome "swoosh" to the front fender.All the engines offered in the Z4 are now turbocharged; in the Z4 sDrive28i you get a 2.0-liter turbo four, while the Z4 sDrive35i retains its 300-horsepower turbo 3.0-liter in-line six;
there's also the Z4 sDrive35is, which packs 335 horsepower from a twin-turbo version of the in-line six. Paired with the six-speed manual transmission (an eight-speed automatic is available), the base Z4 is fun and smooth-driving, and there's a strong enough turbo kick in the low- to mid-rev range to seldom be caught in the wrong gear. A six-speed manual transmission is also standard on the sDrive35i as well.aving been in numerous BMW vehicles through the years, the first thing we noticed was the missing iDrive controller. As this car is not equipped with the system, it was as close to a pure, un-ladened sports car that we have been in, bar perhaps the Mazda MX-5 Miata.