BMW Z4 review - Engines, drive & performance

The BMW Z4 may have been developed alongside the Toyota Supra but there are enough differences between the two for each to have its own personality. Among shared components are the BMW-designed engine and automatic gearbox from renowned German company ZF.

The chassis design is common to the two but not shared with any other Toyota or BMW car. To save weight without reducing strength, aluminium is used extensively in the suspension system, and overall weight distribution is 50/50 – a figure that BMW enthusiasts will find familiar and reassuring, as it should provide excellent balance in corners.

The top M40i model gets adaptive dampers as standard and there's an electronic differential designed to boost agility when powering out of tight turns. It ought to be a nimble car – its wheelbase (the distance between front and rear axles) is 5mm shorter than the Porsche Boxster, and some 25mm shorter than the previous BMW Z4. Today's Z4 has a lower centre of gravity than the previous generation too, thanks largely to a traditional canvas roof in place of a heavy folding metal hard-top.

The Z4 is still a heavy car despite the fabric roof. It tips the scales at 1,535kg, making it a considerable 150kg heavier than the Porsche 718 Boxster S, even when the latter has a PDK dual-clutch automatic gearbox fitted. The difference in weight is even more extreme against the Alpine A110, which only weighs 1,080kg. Unsurprisingly, this has quite a bearing on how the BMW feels from behind the wheel.

There'll be few complaints about the BMW's sharp responses – the grippy tyres cut into corners with enthusiasm, and the steering is precise. There's barely any body lean to discourage you from carrying speed through corners, either.

What's lacking, however – and a rare oversight from BMW – is feel and feedback through the steering wheel. Perhaps because there's so much mass changing direction beneath you, the BMW Z4 M40i doesn't feel as delicate as its lighter rivals, and that leaves you feeling a little uninvolved in the driving process.

This feeling is confirmed by the lighter sDrive20i. With a smaller four-cylinder, 2.0-litre engine under its bonnet, the Roadster feels more agile and engaging from behind the wheel, with sweeter steering. It might not accelerate as quickly as the M40i, but in every setting except for the drag strip, it's a more enjoyable car more of the time, and is our pick of the Z4 range.

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That’s unless you’re happy to part with just over £60,000 for the ultimate runout BMW Z4 ‘Handschalter Package’, which refers to the fact this is the first time a manual gearbox has been offered in this generation of Z4. It’s not the only change, because the M40i is also upgraded with some suspension, wheel and tyre changes to sharpen it up a bit.

The gearshift itself takes some getting used to, because it doesn’t like to be rushed and has quite a mechanical feel, but when you gel with it there is some fun to be had. With so much torque from the engine, you also learn that you can leave it in a higher gear and still have access to plenty of grunt. The chassis changes don’t turn the Z4 into a Boxster-beating sports car, but they do enhance its old-school feel. Despite feeling sharp to drive, the BMW Z4 is also very comfortable and soaks up imperfections in the road well, so it’s easier to live with.

BMW Z4 petrol engines

The BMW Z4 M40i has something of an old-fashioned muscle-car feel to it, and a big part of that comes down to its 3.0-litre, twin-turbocharged six-cylinder petrol engine. It's the same engine you'll find under the bonnet of the BMW 2 Series M240i Coupe, and proves more than powerful enough for use in a true sports car. With 335bhp, it'll take the Z4 from 0-62mph in just 4.5 seconds – around the same time, coincidentally, as the Porsche 718 Boxster S takes. The Handschalter Package isn’t far behind at 4.6 seconds.

Some will prefer the BMW's raucous six-cylinder soundtrack, too, but as smooth, fast and effective as BMW's eight-speed automatic is, it's just a little uninvolving to use. At least there’s finally now a manual option – which has long been missing from the Z4 – but it’s a shame it’s so pricey to upgrade. Still, when you compare it to the hand-built Morgan Plus Four, it’s more affordable and gives that mechanical feel while feeling more refined.

The six-cylinder Z4 M40i was joined by two 2.0-litre, four-cylinder alternatives, both turbocharged. The BMW Z4 sDrive30i produced 254bhp but has now been discontinued, while the Z4 sDrive20i now has 197bhp. The claimed 0-62mph time for the sDrive20i is 6.6 while its top speed is 149mph. And while the sDrive20i might be nowhere near as muscular as the M40i, we found it surprisingly satisfying to drive. It has a sharp throttle response for a turbocharged engine and still feels very quick.