Yahoo Autos 2023 BMW Z4 First Drive Review: More fun than you'd think
MIAMI — There’s a joke amongst auto writers that if a company holds a launch event in Florida, the car probably isn’t very good to drive. Florida is known for many things, but great roads aren’t one of ‘em. That really does cars like the 2023 BMW Z4 a disservice. This little roadster deserves better, for sure.
The Z4 heads into 2023 with only minimal changes, limited to things like new 18- and 19-inch wheel designs and some spiffy paint colors, my favorite being Thundernight Metallic – a fancy way of saying “purple.” The base Z4 sDrive30i now comes standard with the M Sport package that includes a more aggressive-looking front fascia, new steering wheel and more voluptuous seats. Really, it just makes the Z4 sDrive30i look like its more powerful sibling, the M40i, which isn't a bad thing. I struggle to call this generation Z4 pretty, but it doesn't look awful, either.
There aren't any major mechanical changes to speak of. Both four- and six-cylinder engine options are available, and all Z4s use rear-wheel drive. The sDrive30i has a 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-four that makes 255 horsepower at 5,000 rpm and 295 pound-feet of torque at 1,550 rpm, while the Z4 M40i gets a 3.0-liter twin-turbo inline-six with 382 hp at 5,800 rpm and 369 lb-ft of torque at 1,800 rpm.
If there's one thing Florida's roads are good for, it's straight-line launches, and the base Z4 will get to 60 mph in a BMW-estimated 5.2 seconds. That's respectable hustle for this 3,314-pound roadster, but if you've got a need for speed, the Z4 M40i will do the same deed in 3.9 seconds, accompanied by a much heartier exhaust note.
Interestingly, both Z4s continue to be offered exclusively with an eight-speed automatic transmission. I say "interestingly" because, don't forget, the Z4 and Toyota GR Supra are fraternal twins, with BMW leading the powertrain development. The 2023 Supra added a six-speed manual transmission option for the 3.0-liter engine, and it’s disappointing that the same ZF-sourced transmission adapted for one car could not be dropped into the other (even when that same transmission can be had in the European-market, four-cylinder Z4).
