BMW ups flagship Z4 ante

BMW Australia has upped both the power and value status of its Z4 M40i roadster, which now boasts an extra 35kW while retaining the same $124,900 asking price (plus on-road costs).

The extra firepower boosts the kilowatt count to 285 and slashes the Z4 M40i’s 0-100km/h acceleration time to a Supra-crushing 4.1 seconds – down from 4.5 seconds and now ahead of the mechanically related (and still 250kW) Toyota sports coupe, which completes the sprint in 4.3s.

The hike in power brings BMW’s flagship roadster into line with the rest of the Bavarian brand’s M Performance models utilising the same 3.0-litre twin-turbocharged straight-six petrol engine, namely the M340i xDrive, X3 M40i and X4 M40i.

Launched in Australia earlier this year, the remainder of the Z4 range carries on unchanged, with the entry-level sDrive20i (priced at $84,900 plus on-roads) still producing 145kW of power and 320Nm of torque from its 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder.

The mid-range sDrive30i (from $104,900) features a tuned version of the same 2.0-litre engine, resulting in 190kW/400Nm and reducing the a 0-100km/h sprint to 5.4 seconds – 1.2s lower than the sDrive20i can manage.

While up in power, the flagships M40i’s peak torque figure remains at 500Nm.

There are no extra equipment or mechanical changes on the cards for 2020.

To the end of November this year, BMW has sold just 142 Z4s while Toyota has delivered 304 Supras over the same period.

The 2020 Z4 range is expected to land in Australian showrooms early next year.

2020 BMW Z4 pricing* 

 *Excludes on-road costs