Here it is, finally, officially, the new 2010 BMW Z4. The car has been unveiled by BMW and will surely make its public debut at the North American International Motor Show in Detroit this January.
Probably the most pronounced change in the Z4 from its predecessor is the folding hard top which replaces the folding soft top on the roadster. It folds/ unfolds in about 20 seconds, retracting into the boot area for storage.
For BMW buyers it means they are now getting two cars for the price of one essentially, so instead of choosing between a Z4 Coupe and a Z4 Roadster, customers can get both in one. The compromise there is the extra weight afforded by extra metal on your head, which means less performance.
The engine lineup for now comprises of sDrive30i using a 3.0-litre straight six to produce 195kW and sDrive35i blessed with the same straight six but with added zoom from two turbos. That gives the sDrive35i power of 225kW and a 0 – 100km/h time of nearly 5.2 seconds. Two gearboxes come into play for the Z4; a standard 6-speed manual and an optional 7-speed double-clutch. With the latter fitted, an sDrive35i accelerates from 0 – 100km/h in 5.1 seconds, according to BMW’s figures.
Interior is still BMW, with solid quality materials and a surfboard-shaped dashboard. Z4 also gets the latest version of iDrive that features an even simpler user-interface than before.
Unfortunately more buttons have been added around the iDrive wheel, thus partly defeating the whole purpose of simplifying the dash area. A new 22cm screen ensures clear pictures which should help when accessing the 15GB music storage internal disk drive.
I expect the new BMW Z4 to grace us with its presence in early 2010, just in time for a hot Mzansi mid-summer welcome.
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