Return Of The Z

After a four-year hiatus, the Z4 roadster is back – and you have Toyota to thank for that. To tell you all about it, we got in the driver’s seat of the top-spec variant – the one with the M-badge on it.

- Jared Solomon

The only reason I can imagine to account for BMW’s decision to discontinue the Z4 a few years ago is that customers didn’t find it to be sporty enough. At least, I didn’t think it was when I drove it back then. BMW also saw the roadster market softening and wasn’t sure if it could sell enough units, and that’s when they decided to discontinue the previous model.

However, soon after that, Toyota and BMW joined hands and started working on a shared platform for a sports car. Toyota wanted to build a new Supra, but they didn’t have a suitable drivetrain or platform. BMW, however, was sitting on one. That’s how we got the new BMW Z4, which shares the same engine, transmission and underlying structure with the new Toyota Supra.

While the Supra is a coupe, the new Z4 is still a proper roadster and is now better equipped to serve its sporty mission. In India, we have two variants of the Z4. You can either opt for the less powerful sDrive20i, with a 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine or go for the powerful M40i with the 3.0-litre six-cylinder petrol engine. I obviously decided to test drive the one with the M-badges on it.

New look

The M-badges aside, the M40i also has a few extra sporty elements in its design – but the overall silhouette and dimensions of both variants are exactly the same. The new Z4 has a more aerodynamic shape than before, but it also looks a little more disproportionate for the simple reason that its rear end is very chunky and wide relative to the mid and front sections, which are slim and svelte. But, don’t get me wrong, it’s still very appealing. Still, instead of commenting on the certainty of its aesthetic allure, I’ll leave it up to you to decide how it looks. However, what I can say with certainty is that this car is capable of grabbing eyeball everywhere it goes.