Its no secret most manufacturers are ditching big capacity NA engines for more emission friendly force induction engines. The previous generation Z4 was already offered with 2.0 turbocharged engines, and so does its arch rivals the Porsche Boxster 718.
So when BMW Malaysia pulled a surprise reveal of the BMW Z4 at the launch of the BMW 3 series on the 28th of March, we were not surprised to know that it came with a 2.0 turbocharged engine. Does the 2.0 liter turbocharged engine undermine the Z4’s driving experience? Let’s find out!
Performance
A mark of a good roadster has to be its performance, and how it makes the driver feel. The G29 on paper at least has all the right ideas. Its got the same 2.0 turbocharged engine from the G20 330i M Sport, which puts out 258bhp and 400Nm of torque. That’s a whole lot of torque to be spread via the 8 speed gearbox for a 2 seat roadster.
That gives a headline figure of 5.4 seconds. To put that figure into context, that’s faster than the 300bhp plus Honda Civic Type R. The car tops out at 250kph, which we feel is irrelevant for an open top car like this, where even 150kph is going to feel like you’re about to break the sound barrier.
We can’t stress the importance of having 400Nm from 1550rpm – 4400rpm to play with across 8 gears. That too in a 1500kg 2 door roadster. On the various slow speed and mid speed corners you see on some of Malaysia’s finest back roads, this torque band and torque figure will be very helpful.
Chassis
This is where BMW says most of the improvement has taken place. The wheelbase is now shorter than the outgoing model, while width and length has increased. The wider track and shorter wheelbase is said to help with turn in and agility.
It’s no secret that the current Z4 shares a lot of its underbody workings with the current generation Supra. And if that car has the lowest center of gravity when compared to the Toyota GT86, a stiffer chassis than the carbon bodied Lexus LFA, then the Z4 is sure to have a much more performance oriented chassis when compared to the outgoing model
With M Sports dampers and Variable Sports Steering its sure to have high performance capabilities. How exactly they will all come together on our challenging back roads remains to be seen.
The User Tech
This is where the G29 BMW Z4 truly aces when compared to the competition. Just like the BMW 8 series and the G20 3 series, the Z4 comes with BMW’s Live Cockpit Professional which requires a detailed video presentation on its own.
What we can tell you now though is that the BMW Z4 comes with the Digital Key system which transform selected Android smartphones into the key of the car. Which means you can authorize up to 5 people to lock, unlock and drive your Z4 without having to hand them the actual key!
In a surprising twist though the new Z4 comes with a canvas roof, instead of a folding metal top. I am going to miss the folding hardtop of the previous generation car, but I guess the weight saved from ditching that setup must have been lucrative.
The Supra connection
Is the Supra connection such a bad thing? When you just say your BMW roadster is developed alongside a Toyota then it may sound a little weird. However when you realize said Toyota is one of the most iconic cars of the 20th century, a darling of the silver screen and the replacement for a car that was built for racing homologation, then the connection isn’t such a bad thing.
Verdict
The G29 BMW Z4 is slated to be priced around the RM460,000 mark, with a 5 year unlimited mileage warranty program. That’s significantly cheaper than a 2.0 turbocharged Boxster 718.
The G29 BMW Z4 could be a great piece of kit, which you could very well use as a daily and could be extremely rewarding when on the open road. The connection to a certain Japanese sports car icon just heightens its appeal seeing how well received the latter is. If only we can grab it for a test drive…..
The most well-known Roadsters of the world!