Based on the BMW Concept Z4 presented at the Concours d’Elegance 2017, held at Pebble Beach, California, the latest edition of the roadster is sure to inspire, not only with its agility, precise steering and dynamic handling characteristics that are hallmarks of BMW M Performance models, but also with an emotively sophisticated design and radical new equipment features, all finished in Frozen Orange metallic bodywork (for this first of the line).
The amidships seating position for the driver, the car’s inherently low centre of gravity, with a perfectly balanced 50:50 axle load distribution fore and aft, wide tracks and a compact wheelbase form the perfect prerequisites for a thoroughly dynamic drive. Yet, just perusing the pictures enhances the Z4’s desirability to fresh peaks. It is utterly gorgeous!
The First Edition BMW Z4 M40i comes with a powerful 340bhp, straight six-cylinder, petrol engine and sports suspension, with electronically controlled dampers. Its M Sport braking system and an electronically controlled M Sport differential in the rear axle transmission provide further proof and integrity of its first-class heritage. This BMW takes a mere 4.3s to sprint from a standstill to 60mph. Naturally, it has the usual 155mph speed limiter at the top-end of its performance envelope.
Between vertically aligned headlights, the BMW kidney-grille now sports a mesh design, the bonnet stretching sports car-like over the front wheels, with large air ducts on the front wheel arches and the distinctive duck-tail spoiler integrated into the boot-lid. Within inches of the driver’s spine the bodywork is stretched lithely over the rear wheel-arches, enforcing a ‘driver’s-car’ impression, whether at standstill, or on the move.
Its forward-orientated lines underscore the driver-centric cockpit layout. All control elements enhance the focus on the driving experience from within the new BMW Z4. An all-new twist on the digital dashboard enables even more information to be generated and personalised to meet any driver’s demands.
The expressive bodywork in Frozen Orange metallic paint is combined with an electrically-operated textile soft-top in anthracite with a silver effect. Black exterior mirror caps and 19.0-inch diameter, light alloy wheels that boast a bicolour, double-spoke design that fills the wheel-arches are all elements of the enticing visceral appeal. The black leather trim with decorative stitching, electrically adjustable seats with memory function, the optional ambient cockpit lighting and the Harman Kardon Surround Sound stereo system enhance the practicality. Adaptive LED headlights with matrix function for the high beam, BMW full-colour Head-Up Display (featured for the first time in a roadster) and the BMW Live Cockpit Professional connectivity offer the latest networking technology and underpin the advanced status of the two-seater Z4.
BMW has a bigger story to tell in coming weeks, in announcing the details of other engine variants, technical innovations, pricing and the diverse equipment features of the new model. It will be revealed publicly at the Mondial de l’Automobile (4th to 14th October 2018) in Paris. Test drive opportunities will follow in spring 2019. Personally, I cannot wait!
