BMW Z4 sDrive20i Sport Line (2020) Review

Trends and numbers suggest that roadsters might be heading for extinction. If this is the last BMW Z4, it’s going out with a big bang. We review the most accessible in the Z4 range, the sDrive20i.

 

Styling 

 

Where the previous Z4 had plenty of curves, especially in profile, the new Z4 has morphed into something far more angular, with plenty of lines and edges. For this third generation of its modern rear-wheel-drive roadster, BMW also went back to a soft-top, as with gen. 1 and its predecessor, the Z3.

From the front you notice the traditional BMW ‘kidneys’ are much more pronounced, being wider and appearing more 3-D than flat. The grilles have a beautiful mesh design, reminiscent of a food grater. They are joined by large air intakes, also for the front brakes. The headlight clusters are simpler, angrier and wider apart. 

 

The rear of the new Z4 has become wider and more creased, and the light clusters have gone flat and wide. There’s and integrated rear spoiler, as on the Porsche 718 Boxster and the previous Z4.

All these design elements are confident, measured strides and look wonderful in isolation. But, when combined, something gets lost and the car seems like a very wide, flat rectangle. Compare it to the Jaguar F-Type, Porsche 718, Mazda MX-5 and it just seems a bit… dull.

Yet so often cars with exterior designs that fall flat in the beginning are just a little before their time and it’s possible the Z4 is one of these. When a company creates a new design language, everyone can’t understand it right away, this author included.

 

The drive

 

If the design is a bit iffy, the drive makes up for it in every respect. A quality every open car should ideally possess, is good structural rigidity. This is where many cabriolets fail. Without the benefit of a closed steel structure, their bodies can flex and shudder, which feels horrible and ruins its handling and comfort. The Z4 scores high marks here and feels like a proper sports car: unflinching and composed.

The Z4 also benefits from 50:50 weight distribution between the front and rear axles. These axles are 26 mm closer together than before, to enhance agility. At the same time, the Z4’s designers made the track wider to improve handling: 98 mm wider at the front and 57 mm wider at the rear.

Even though this is the four-cylinder ‘baby’ in the range, it sprints from 0 to 100 km/h in just 6.6 seconds and will reach a maximum speed of 240 km/h on a long, flat road.

The driver can leave the car to its own devices or change gears with paddles behind the steering wheel. The available driver modes are Comfort, Sport and Sport Plus, with every setting unleashing more performance and playfulness. The BMW 1-Series might have gone front-wheel drive, but the Z4 still drives the rear wheels and will go sideways if provoked.

It runs on 18” wheels as standard equipment, while 19” wheels are available.

 

The engine

BMW isn’t expecting to sell hundreds of Z4s here, so it only offers the six-cylinder turbo in the Z4 M40i, and this single four-cylinder turbo engine. It develops a maximum of 145 kW and 320 Nm (from 1 450 rpm) and is joined to an excellent 8-speed auto (Sport Steptronic) that just never fluffed a shift. 

 

Space and comfort 

 

The new Z4 looks compact, but it’s super spacious inside, even for tall drivers. The seats have a good range of adjustment, they provides support where you want it, and the leather-clad steering wheel adjusts for height and reach. Leather upholstery is standard, but electric adjustment for the seats is optional.

The controller knob for infotainment is still there, so you don’t have to upset your balance by reaching for a touch-screen. The Harman Kardon sound system has 12 speakers.

The boot holds 281 litres when roof is up or stowed. BMW says that’s 50 percent more than before, and it certainly makes driving a small convertible sports car daily much less of a compromise.

To open the roof takes 10 seconds (just hold a button) and can be performed at up to 50 km/h. It can close at that speed too, but look out for strong winds when doing this in Cape Town, or you might sail it backward to Langebaan by mistake. Some might long for the security of the old metal roof, but at least the fabric roof is so well insulated that the sound of air rushing over it remains inaudible.

 

Safety

 

The Z4 has fixed roll-over bars as well as the entire alphabet of three-letter safety features, including ABS with BAS and EBD, stability control and traction control. LED headlights are standard issue and it has four airbags front and side.

 

Fuel consumption

 

The sDrive20i has plenty of go, but still manages to be fuel-efficient. BMW claims 6.5 l/100km, but we achieved lower-7s. The fuel tank is a generous 52 litres.

 

Price

 

The retail price (before options) is R790 000. This includes the standard 2-year / unlimited km warranty and 5-year / 100 000 km maintenance plan. The service intervals are calculated by the car’s computer. 

 

Verdict

 

It’s heartwarming to proclaim this Z4 to be so much more than a boulevard-cruising poser. It’s a real sports car and for that BMW must be saluted. Cars of this kind are both expensive and thin on the ground, so here’s where to look for similar thrills at a lower price. The Abarth 124 Spider Turismo (R660 000), basically a Mazda MX-5 with an engine swop, does the 0-100 sprint in 6.8 seconds and has a top speed of 232 km/h. If it’s out of your league, you can find a late model Mazda MX-5 in good nick for R350 000. It will survive a nuclear war too.

 

Expert rating

3.5/5

 

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