Review: BMW Z4 M40i

We were sitting on a pier waiting for the island ferry from Ibiza to dock. Just to watch it. Neither of us was boarding. His wife was laid up at their luxury hotel with swollen ankles – and maybe taking a conversation time-out because this man could talk. Politics, demographics, world food supplies, industry: the complexity and perversity of Brexit or Donald Trump, benefited from his wisdom. I am not being sarcastic: his positions on things were well-sorted, sage, dogmatic but not pedantic.

As well as having a different roof mechanism, the new Z4 has a less sculpted body shape than its predecessor

My companions were happy to engage him. One, a female relative I’ve known all her life, was a Trumpite and claimed ancestry through Hebridean stock, which would suggest that I am linked, too. If he’s reading this, no offence intended. The other was a curious mix of fascist, liberal, racist, socialist, Leaver, Remainer, zealot, etc. Both of them liked Ray.

The man would half-close his eyes and expound, as I could imagine he’d done often in his now-ended career working around the world 
for an American car parts maker. He was now happily retired and living in an area I can best describe as Welsh. Enough said. We hoped to meet again.

For a week or so my mind had not been troubled with “cars” – other than the plain-sailing 1.4-litre petrol Opel Corsa hire car with sandy carpets – for which Ray’s old firm had possibly made components.

Anyway, where this is leading is that Ray (which may be his real name) said he drove BMWs “because I have seen how they are made” in comparison with other marques and had settled on the 3-series. His point was that they were made to high standards and merited his money.

BMW brought out a new Z4 this year. It is the third in the series, which began in 2002 in South Carolina, with roadster and coupé bodies, replacing the cuter Z3, which is still on my list of cars I’d like to own. The larger Mk2 Z4 arrived in 2009 from the BMW factory in Germany, which makes the 3-series Ray owns. This Z4 had a retractable metal roof – obviating the need for two body styles.

The Z4 you see here is made for BMW by Magna Steyr in Austria, a company which needs no introduction to industry insiders or enthusiasts. Its work includes the Aston Martin Rapide, Mini Countryman, various Jeep and BMW and Mercedes-Benz models and Jaguar’s E-Pace and the electric I-Pace. It also makes Toyota’s exciting Supra coupé, which shares significant underpinnings with this equally exciting Z4 – a qualified presumption, because I haven’t tried the Supra.

One of Magna Steyr’s specialities is the folding roof. It made the Saab convertible and more than half a million “vario” folding metal roofs for the Mercedes-Benz SLK.

BMW’s new Z4 has a folding fabric roof this time. It is lighter than metal and when packed away takes up less space in the boot. In the Z4 it has its own compartment, 
so the luggage area is a constant size without need for a hood zone. It is 50 per cent larger.

That’s one major difference this time. The other is the body shape, which loses the dramatic side sculpting of the Mk 2 in favour of gentler shapes – and a moulded lip on the boot.

It is larger in every dimension but the wheelbase, the distance between front and rear wheels, is shorter. BMW says this to make it more agile.

It comes at the expense of longer body sections – overhangs – beyond the axles. In theory this could make it less stable at very high speed. But the track – the width between the wheels – is much wider and I haven’t heard of any concerns from the hot road testers who presumably have got some way towards its governed maximum of 155mph.

Nor has any report mentioned the cataclysmic tyre roar from the massive Michelins on the superfast M40i version. A regular co-driver said it was like being in an aeroplane taking off. Worse was to come on a section of concrete motorway, known to be rowdy, but almost painful in the Z4.

Moving quietly on, there’s much to enjoy. The roof can be opened or closed at speeds up to 30mph in around ten seconds.

The straight-six 3-litre turbocharged M40i engine and eight-speed automatic gearbox are such an intoxicating mix of acceleration and noise to be a deciding factor over the four and five-cylinder Porsche Boxster and Audi TT. Any of the three will delight, and there’s also the serene Jaguar F-Type to consider.

Verdict: Another ultimate driving machine from BMW.