The German brand’s convertible was born out of a joint project with Toyota, which gave rise to the current Toyota Supra .
The latter shares the Z4 platform, as well as the engine, gearbox and part of the structure.
The Z4 is a product that comes from a lineage that began in the 80s with the BMW Z1, with the proposal to be a small roadster, in the same segment as the Mercedes-Benz SL, for example.
Known as the G29 generation, the current Z4 base emerged in 2018, being produced exclusively in Graz, Austria, where the car is made by Magna Steyr. From there also comes the Toyota Supra.
BMW Z4 development
Designed by Calvin Lucas, the current BMW Z4 has the classic design of a longitudinal engine and gearbox, with essentially rear-wheel drive.
Equipped with four-cylinder B48 and six-cylinder in-line B58 engines, the Z4 was sold in Brazil in both engines, in the sDrive 30i and M40i versions.
The first, the Z4 sDrive 30i had a 2.0 TwinPower Turbo engine with 258 horsepower and 40.8 kgfm, while the Z4 M40i had a more sporty proposal and its B58 3.0 TwinPower Turbo had 340 horsepower and 51 kgfm.
Both were equipped with an eight-speed ZF 8HP automatic transmission, coupled to a cardan shaft and with a fixed rear differential in the bodywork, connecting the wheels by semi-axles.
In Europe and elsewhere, BMW even offers a six-speed manual transmission as an option, making driving more purist.
At 4,324 m long, 1,864 m wide, 1,304 m high and with a wheelbase of 2,470 m, the Z4 has just two seats, as well as two doors.
Having 281 liters in the trunk, with the top up, the BMW Z4 needs a few seconds to lower or raise the top, doing so up to 50 km/h.
Weighing from 1,415 kg to 1,535 kg, the BMW roadster goes from 0 to 100 km/h in 5.4 seconds in the sDrive 30i version and 4.5 seconds in the M40i.
The maximum speed is limited in both cases, always being 250 km/h. With consumption between 9.0 km/l and 11.5 km/l, the Z4 takes advantage of the efficiency of BMW engines. They feature technologies such as direct fuel injection and twin scroll turbo, thus ensuring high torque at low rpm and quick response to the accelerator.
Not to mention that the eight-speed gearbox takes advantage of this low torque, keeping the rotation down and not changing gears unnecessarily.
Well equipped, the BMW Z4 brought advanced connectivity with AI driver assistant, being triggered by the phrase: “Hello, BMW”.
The Intelligent Personal Assistant also came with BMW Live Cockpit Professional, which included a digital cluster with a 12.3-inch screen and 10.25-inch iDrive multimedia.
Not to mention the HUD and the Driving Assistant, alerting the driver about cross traffic at the rear, rear collision risks, involuntary lane changes, etc.
There was also automatic parking with the Parking Assistant and a different function, the Reversing Assistant.
It allowed the Z4 to record the last 50 meters traveled and, if necessary, it could reverse that distance.
The canvas roof, which opened and closed in 10 seconds, was only black, and in Europe there are other shades, such as brown, for example.
Its arrival in Brazil took place in June 2019 and only in the sDrive 30i M Sport version, which arrived costing $ 50,950.
In August of the same year, BMW brought the Z4 M40i, which brought the performance of the six in line and with a suggested price of $ 84,950.