The BMW Z4 has been a great success for the company over three generations, and while the previous model felt a bit more like a boulevard cruiser with its folding hard-top, the latest version has reverted to a traditional canvas soft-top. It’s a format that suits the Z4 which is quite old-school in its execution, featuring a big engine up front under that long bonnet, rear-wheel drive and a two-seat only cockpit. It works here as well as it ever has, with plenty of power and impressive road manners to back up its sporty style.
That said it’s still quite a heavy machine, and it’s not as light on its feet as a Porsche 718 Boxster or Alpine A110. It’s still fun to drive though, but some will miss the option of a manual gearbox and better steering feel. Build quality and specification are hard to fault though, and as sports cars go it’s relatively practical too.
The latest sports model from BMW is instantly recognisable as a Z car, with design lineage that’s traceable all the way back to the early Z3s – even if that’s just down to the long bonnet and short boot format, with BMW’s famous kidney grille on the nose. The latest model features much more complicated surface treatments in line with BMW’s current design thinking, and feels very contemporary with its LED headlamps, wide grille, aero intakes and heavily contoured flanks.
The car is built on BMW’s Cluster Architecture Platform, and is some 50kg lighter than its predecessor. Interestingly, the same underbody structure, suspension components and M40i engine also feature under the skin of the latest Toyota Supra coupe – it was developed in conjunction with the BMW through a joint venture.
Inside, the BMW Z4 design isn’t quite as exciting, because BMW has chosen to install an interior that looks all but identical to a regular 3 Series saloon. While the dash set-up works brilliantly in the saloon – and is hard to fault from a practical perspective in the Z4 – it lacks the sporty feel and flair we’d expect sports car buyers to want. The cockpit just doesn’t feel distinctive or special enough, compared to the cabins of rivals like the Boxster, Alpine A110 or even the Audi TT.
Things get a little more impressive when you start to look at the array of technology that’s available on the Z4. Available active assistance systems include lane-keeping, emergency braking and cruise control, as well as parking assistance.
Options include the Comfort Package with keyless entry, the M Sport Plus package with a range of sporty trim upgrades, a Visibility Package with automatic headlamp adjustment and a Technology Package with Head-Up Display and an audio system upgrade.
Sat-nav, stereo and infotainment
The BMW Live Cockpit Professional system is fitted as standard to the BMW Z4 and comes with a big 10.25-inch display in the centre of the dash, a fully digital instrument pack and BMW connected apps. Adding the Connected Package brings Apple CarPlay (but not Android Auto), BMW Concierge Services and a Remote function that lets you find your car and unlock it via your smartphone.
While BMW has ditched the heavy folding hard roof of the Z4’s predecessor, it’s still quite a chunky car, weighing in at more than 1,500kg. That’s nearly 10 per cent more than a Porsche Boxster S and nearly a third heavier than an Alpine A110 – and as a result it doesn’t feel as nimble as either on the road.
It’s an impressive performer, there’s no doubt, with masses of grip, barely any body roll, and steering that’s precise. That’s down to perfect 50:50 weight distribution, and a centre of gravity that’s been lowered in part by ditching the old car’s heavier folding roof. However, while all that adds up to a car that will corner impressively quickly, there’s a disappointing lack of road feel reaching the driver’s finger tips through the steering wheel, and this means the overall experience is somewhat less engaging for enthusiastic drivers.
You can aim the car accurately and assuredly, but the steering doesn’t talk back to you. There’s no manual gearbox either, and while the 8-speed auto is impeccably smooth and slick, both these factors leave the driver feeling a little distant from the action.
Engines, 0-60 acceleration and top speed
The most powerful engine in the line-up currently is the 3.0-litre twin-turbo straight-six fitted to the Z4 M40i. It’s the same engine used to great effect in the M240i, and will launch the Z4 from 0-62mph in just 4.6 seconds, accompanied by a suitably rorty howl – here at least enthusiasts will give the Z4 extra points over the Porsche Boxster which sounds uninspired by comparison.
The two four-cylinder options won’t sound quite as thrilling of course, but performance is brisk even for the sDrive20i, which manages 0-62mph in 6.6 seconds. The more powerful sDrive30i brings that down to 5.4 seconds.
You’re not likely to see a Euro NCAP crash test of the BMW Z4, as the independent tester focuses on more mainstream models. That said, we’d expect any model from BMW to be structurally impressive and perform relatively well in crash scenarios.
What we can say is there’s a lot of technology available should the worst happen. Apart from the obvious airbags, anti-lock brakes, chassis stability and tyre-pressure monitoring, the standard kit list includes autonomous emergency braking.
Unfortunately, if you want all the safety benefits the Z4 can provide you need to ‘spec up’ from the options list. Adaptive cruise control, lane-keeping assistance and parking assistance, as well as adaptive anti-dazzle headlamps, are all on the options list.
You’d think a BMW ought to be reliable, and the German marque came ninth out of the 26brands included in our 2018 Driver Power customer satisfaction survey. Audi was 18th and Mercedes languished down in 21st place. Last year 12.4 per cent of new BMW owners reported a fault with their car in the first year they owned it. In 2017, BMW was one of the tail-enders in our Driver Power survey too, so we’ll be keeping an eye out to see if the improvement is sustained.
There’s nothing wrong with the perceived build quality of the Z4 mind you. It looks extremely well screwed together, and the materials used have a high-quality feel too.
Warranty
BMW’s three-year warranty includes unlimited mileage, which is exactly the same as the cover offered by both Mercedes and Porsche. Audi’s three-year cover is limited to 60,000 miles. You can extend the BMW warranty at extra cost beyond three years, but at that point a 100,000-mile cap comes into play.
Servicing
Like all BMW’s your Z4’s electronics will tell you when it needs a service, based on your driving style and constantly monitored oil quality. Few drivers are likely to escape an annual service, but the costs should compare favourably to those charged by Porsche. Routine maintenance will also be more expensive on cars driven hard, as tyres, brakes and other consumables wear out quicker – and are typically more expensive anyway due to their high-performance spec.
There’s only the one bodystyle available with the fabric soft-top, and no coupe option for Z4 owners. This may deter some customers who liked the previous generation for the security and refinement of its retracting hard-top, but the upside is the latest roof doesn’t eat up all the Z4’s boot space when it’s retracted.
The latest roof retracts and deploys electrically in around 10 seconds at speeds of up to 31mph, so you don’t have to pull over when the weather changes. The cabin is practical too, with usable door bins, glovebox and cubbies, although if you want to combine open-top motoring with trips to the DIY store, the larger four-seat 2 Series will doubtless make more sense.
Visibility from the Z4’s driving seat isn’t bad, but that long swooping nose could be awkward in tight parking situations, because you can’t see where it stops. However, parking sensors are standard, while the Parking Assistant self-parking system will be a boon to less confident drivers.
The small 52-litre fuel tank could be a nuisance, as it means trips to the filling station may be frequent.
Size
The BMW Z4 measures up at 4,324mm long, 1,864mm wide and 1,304mm tall. That means it takes up a little more space on your drive than the 4,177mm x 1,832mm Audi TT and the 4,133mm x 1,810mm Mercedes SLC.
Leg room, head room & passenger space
The BMW Z4 has a decent amount of leg and headroom for its occupants, and feels less constrained than a Porsche 718 Boxster or Alpine A110. It has a greater range of seat adjustment than its predecessor too, so taller drivers have a better chance of finding a comfortable seating position.
Boot
Z4 enthusiasts with touring aspirations will be delighted by the disappearance of the folding hard top which destroyed the luggage capacity of the previous model. The latest one is pretty good in this regard, at least for small-ish two-seater. You get 281 litres of boot space, and there’s an optional ski-hatch for longer items. The Porsche Boxster has a similar amount of total luggage volume, but it’s considerably less useful as it’s split between the front and rear boots.
Even the sportiest Z4 M40i can show a respectable level of fuel consumption when driven with a modicum of restraint. The official figures suggest 38.1mpg is on the cards in mixed driving, but give in to the temptation of the M car’s easily accessible performance and that figure will quickly dip. The fuel tank isn’t that big either at 52 litres, so you could end up making frequent fuel station stops.
The official WLTP fuel figures for the four-cylinder models are even more impressive with both the sDrive20i and sDrive30i able to beat 47mpg under test conditions. Some owners may get close, but many won’t be able to resist driving with more ‘sporting’ intent.
CO2 emissions of 168g/km for the M40i means company car drivers will face Benefit-in-Kind tax bills approaching the top bracket. The two four-cylinder Z4s emit 138g/km and so company drivers will face a BiK hit that’s around six per cent lower. All versions except the sDrive20i cost over £40,000 which means you’ll have to stump up £450 in road tax for the first five years. The sDrive20i will be £140 if you steer clear of optional extras.
Insurance groups
BMW has yet to release details of insurance group ratings for the Z4 line-up, but given the performance and cost of the various models we’d expect none to attract a rating below group 40. The top of the range Z4 M40i insurance is likely to be in the same ballpark as the Porsche Boxster S which attracts a group 46 rating.
Depreciation
Premium sports cars tend to be in demand on the used car market, and the BMW Z4 doesn’t buck the trend. That means it’s a relatively safe place to put your money, with residual values of around 50 per cent for the 2.0-litre models and a slightly lower return for the M40i at around 47 per cent. Optional extras such as the M Sport Plus package will add desirability at resale time