New BMW Z4 range launched

Toyota and BMW have already slugged it out to see who won the design battle over the Z4 and the Supra; now they're about to take the fight to the road.

Just as media drives of the Toyota Supra have begun, another two engines have debuted in the upcoming BMW Z4 roadster after Calvin Luk's Z4 M40i premiered at the Pebble Beach motor show week last month.

Both the Z4 and the Supra will deliver the same BMW-designed and built four- and six-cylinder engines, the same chassis architecture and the same basic suspensions, but Munich claims the third-generation BMW Z4 will have the handling edge.

With the Z4 set to be launched at next month's Paris motor show, BMW has confirmed the hard-hitting M40i variant will be joined by a pair of 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engines – and all without a manual gearbox in sight.

The entry-level BMW Z4 sDrive20i will work its way through 145kW of power, while the same core engine powers the sDrive30i version of the Z4, but cranked up to 190kW of power instead. Both engines produce 10kW more power than their predecessors.

The only six-cylinder BMW Z4 will be the M40i, with 250kW of power and 500Nm of torque, giving it the ability to launch to 100km/h in 4.6 seconds.

While it will debut in Paris, it won't appear in showrooms until March next year, although BMW believes it will make it to its far-flung outposts quicker than usual.

BMW claims the Z4's option of a head-up display is a first for roadsters, but the bigger news is the ditching of the folding-metal roof and a return to the cloth unit, like the one the Z4 used to have.

While BMW lists one solid and eight metallic paint codes for the Z4's bodywork, the soft-top roof will be black as standard, but it also offers silver-effect anthracite as an option. The roof can be opened or closed at up to 50km/h, with the electronic operation doing the job either way in 10 seconds.

All three BMW Z4 models will be rear-drive only and all of them will share versions of the eight-speed ZF-sourced automatic transmission.

The stronger of the four-cylinder Z4s will crank out 400Nm of torque and reach 100km/h in a very acceptable 5.4 seconds, while the entry-level 20i will develop 320Nm of torque for a 6.6-second sprint to 100km/h.

There will be a limited-run First Edition Z4 M40i, with larger 19-inch alloys (the M40i will run 18-inch wheels, while the two four-cylinder cars run 17-inch rims).

The Frozen Orange First Edition M40i scores standard equipment from the high end of the options list, including electronically controlled dampers, an M Sport differential and an M Sport braking system.

All three of the new Z4s will run particulate filters on their exhaust systems and comply with the new WLTP fuel economy and emissions test.

The four-cylinder Z4s both deliver 6.0L/100km of fuel economy (which translates to 137g/km of CO2), while the M40i raises that to 7.1L/100km and 162g/km.

Power for the heavy hitter in the range comes from the latest version of the classic 3.0-litre, straight-six BMW motor, with a water-cooled exhaust manifold cast into the cylinder head and direct fuel-injection pressure raised to 350 bar.

It helps the M40i to muster all of its 500Nm of torque at full throttle from just 1600rpm and hold it until 4500rpm, while the power peak arrives at 5000rpm and hangs on for another 1500 revs.

The smaller engines are similarly strong at low revs, with the 20i offering its torque peak (320Nm) from 1450rpm and holding it until 4200rpm, while its power peaks at 4500 and sticks around until 6500.

Drivers of the 30i will have to wait another 100rpm for the 400Nm torque peak to kick in, and another 500 revs for the power peak to arrive at 5000rpm (until 6500).

All three sit on BMW's CLAR base architecture, modified for roadster work with greater underbody reinforcement to add to its chassis rigidity.

It uses a new double-joint strut axle at the front and a five-link rear suspension system, all based around a chassis that mixes aluminium and high-strength steels.

The focus on handling bears out in the rest of the mechanical bits and pieces, which include a variable sports steering system and the options of M Sport brakes, electronically controlled dampers and, for the M40i, an M Sport limited-slip differential.

All three of them are now 85mm longer than their predecessors, at 4324mm in total, and are 74mm wider at 1864mm.

They've also grown 13mm taller, at 1304mm, and the wheelbase has bucked most trends by being slashed 26mm, cutting it back to 2470mm in the hunt for agility.

Track widths – the distance between the tyres on each axle – have jumped 98mm at the front (to 1609mm) and 57mm at the back (to 1616mm) for the same reason – to make the Z4 whip through corners in a way its steel-roofed predecessor couldn't manage.

BMW claims the Z4's centre of gravity is considerably lower than before – easy to believe, with a cloth roof cutting 50kg from the old folding metal version – and that it retains a 50:50 front-to-rear weight distribution.

All three variants are proportioned differently, with considerably less 'long-nose, short-tail' aspect than before. BMW has explained the change improves the Z4's handling by moving the driver forward and shortening the distance to the front wheels to improve the steering feel.

Designed by Australian Calvin Luk, the rest of the range will probably attract the controversy of the M40i, with Luk moving the traditional quad round headlights from side-by-side to vertically stacked.

Luk's fourth production BMW credit (he also penned the face-lifted 1 Series and the current X1 and X3 exterior designs) has already been his most talked about conception and one that has attracted criticism in forums and on Twitter, but it breaks plenty of new ground for the brand.

While the first two generations of the Z4 (and the Z3 before it) have had long-nose/short tail profiles, Luk had to swing it a different way and leaned heavily instead on the Z8's less exaggerated proportions.

"The lights are high up on the kidney grilles, like the Z8. Further down, we have the lowest kidney within BMW to ground it," Luk explained.

"We got the classical roadster proportions but we moved the driver a bit more forward to give them a more focused driving experience.

"There is also just enough of the shark-nose lean in the front and the bonnet is really low so it's attacking the road.

"The wedge makes it very different to the previous two generations. This wedge really pronounces the pouncing feel."

Gone, too, are the traditional vertical bars inside the kidney grilles, replaced by a sort-of mesh.

"The Z8 is more of a retro idea and we went for a mesh in the grille because it's more contemporary.

"It's also mimicking the Mille Miglia car. Get closer to it and they [the individual components in the grille] are like mini-aeroplanes in the sculpting."

It runs a full suite of driver-assistance systems, although Luk's team have worked hard to hide as many of the sensors as possible. The little round parking-sensor circles are unavoidable however.

"The radar does not stand out. It's integrated into the design of the air intakes for the brakes on the M Sport model," Luk said.

"It is a duct for the brakes and air curtains on the side, like all BMWs, so you can't see it."

All Z4s will run LED headlights as standard kit, while the First Edition's standard Matrix LED system will be optional across the range.

The interior has been hugely overhauled and will be the first BMW with a fully digital instrument cluster, ditching the traditional half-moon tacho and speedo surround guides, focusing the cabin's design heavily on the driver.

It's a more practical car, as well as a faster one, with seat rails that deliver another 23mm of legroom for both seats, which feature integrated headrests.

Ditching the metal roof has given the Z4 50 percent more luggage space – now up to 281 litres – and there are also storage areas behind the seats (complete with a net) and under the centre armrest.

The car is connected, and it features a remote software upgrade system for the first time to keep it up to date via either its BMW Connected app on a smartphone or directly through the car's built-in SIM.

The interior of the First Edition M40i has been heavily revised with just about all of the Z4's optional kit, including a Harmon Kardon audio system, memory electric seats, an ambient interior light option, a head-up display (a first for a BMW roadster) and the Live Cockpit Professional option for the 12.3-inch infotainment system.

It will be built on the same farmed-out production line as the Supra as well, and will be built by Magna Steyr Fahrzeugtechnik in Graz, Austria, rather than in a dedicated BMW production facility.

BMW Z4 20i
Engine: 2.0-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder
Power: 145kW
Torque: 320Nm
0-100km/h: 6.6 seconds
Weight: 1405kg
Fuel economy (WLTP): 6.0L/100km
CO2 emissions: 130g/km
Top speed: 240km/h
Tyres (F): 255/50 R17
Tyres (R): 255/45 R17

BMW Z4 30i
Engine: 2.0-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder
Power: 190kW
Torque: 400Nm
0-100km/h: 5.4 seconds
Weight: 1415kg
Fuel economy: (WLTP): 6.0L/100km
CO2 emissions: 130g/km
Top speed: 250km/h
Tyres (F): 255/50 R17
Tyres (R): 255/45 R17

BMW Z40 M40i
Engine: 3.0-litre turbo-petrol six-cylinder
Power: 250kW
Torque: 500Nm
0-100km/h: 4.6 seconds
Weight: 1535kg
Fuel economy (WLTP): 7.1L/100km
CO2 emissions: 162g/km
Top speed: 250km/h
Tyres (F): 255/40 ZR18
Tyres (R): 275/40 ZR18