BMW Z4 Roadster receives minor facelift for 2022

• Updated kidney grille design
• New ‘Thundernight’ purple paint
• Four and six-cylinder engines available

An updated version of the BMW Z4 sports car has been announced. While BMW has recently introduced radical facelifts for the 3 Series saloon and X7 SUV, the Z4 has received the automotive equivalent of a nose job; the refreshed car gets a slightly updated grille design, as well as several other minor cosmetic updates.

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Despite its sporty drive and sleek looks, the third-generation BMW Z4 has been one of the German brand’s slowest-selling models; the convertible sports car market has been slowly shrinking over the last few years, as buyers prefer to spend their money on fashionable SUVs. The Z4’s only existing rivals include its mechanical sibling, the Toyota Supra, plus the Porsche 718 Boxster and Audi TT Roadster.

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At Carbuyer, we often comment on how subtle the visual changes for a facelift can be, however the tweaks to the Z4 are so small that they’ll likely go completely unnoticed by the majority of people. The new car gets a revised mesh design for the brand’s iconic kidney grilles, while the air intakes in the lower bumper have gained a few extra trim pieces.

Perhaps the most noticeable changes are the introduction of new exterior paint colours and alloy wheel designs. The facelifted Z4 is now available in the ‘Thundernight’ purple which debuted on the 2 Series Coupe. As standard the updated Z4 sits on ‘double spoke’ 18-inch alloy wheels; larger 19-inch wheels are available at an additional cost.

What may come as even more of a disappointment to many is that the new Z4 will not receive BMW’s latest ‘Curved Panel’ infotainment setup, as seen in the all-electric i4. Instead, the two-seat roadster retains the old ‘Live Cockpit’ setup which comprises two 10.25-inch flat screens. 

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As before, the BMW Z4 is available with a variety of four and six-cylinder petrol engines. These are unchanged from before and range from the rear-wheel-drive, 194bhp sDrive18i – available with a six-speed manual or a seven-speed automatic transmission – to the range-topping all-wheel-drive 334bhp Z4 M40i, which can do 0-62mph in just 4.5 seconds.

While all of the changes can be described as subtle at best, it’s likely that BMW will use them to justify a price increase over the outgoing model’s £40,745 listing. Although this sounds like a lot, keep in mind that an entry-level Porsche 718 Boxster costs over £10,000 more.

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