Z Series Next generation Z4 (spy pics & info)

[rev]

BMW Z4 successor due next year

BMW’s next-generation Z4 roadster is due to arrive next year as a 2010 model, and contrary to numerous reports the new model will grow in both size and price. Heavily camouflaged prototypes caught testing in Munich show a car with a similar shape to the current Z4, with short rear overhangs and a long hood, but the test-mule was also sporting a folding hardtop. This is in-line with BMW’s plans to reposition the next Z4 into a higher price point as it makes way for the new 1-series cabrio and possibly a smaller entry-level Z car.

A BMW insider has revealed to AutoInternational that the benefits of the folding hardtop (security and reliability) outweighed the disadvantages of increased weight and less storage space when lowered. The decision was also made because of competition from Mercedes’ SLK and Mazda’s new MX5/Miata, which both come with hardtop roofs.

According to the source, a new ‘M’ performance model will also be available but it won’t share the 4.0L V8 engine with the M3. Instead it will get a more powerful version of the twin-turbo 3.0L six from the 335i and should output around 350hp, however it may get BMW’s new dual-clutch gearbox.

This artist’s rendition of the car gives us a good indication as to what the final styling may look. BMW is expected to introduce styling derived from the CS concept across much of the range and this should also be visible on the Z4.


Source: Motor Authority BMW Z4 successor due next year

 

[VroomVroom]

Looks great, very aggressive. Should be fun to drive with 350bhp in a car that size with rear wheel drive

 

[PanterroR]

That's what i like! Chop looks mighty fine (the front) and if it ends up similar to that i'll be happy. No more Z4 dissing from me, i promise.

 

[mc_blue]

The sides look very similar to the current model however.

 

[Mr Robert]

The sides look very similar to the current model however.

Old:

New:

There are similarities but not that much... more so regarding the rear wheel arches.

 

[Beemer B773ER]

That's what i like! Chop looks mighty fine (the front) and if it ends up similar to that i'll be happy. No more Z4 dissing from me, i promise.

I'm with Tyc' on this one... if the new Z4 ends up with those much more focused and aggressive headlights, as well as a bit more aggressive front 'mouth', then I'll be an even bigger fan of the Z4 than I am now.
From the mules photographed so far, it seems as though the new Z4 will have a rearlight design which is a mixture of the 6er and 3er coupe. It seems that the outer-part of the rear light will have that 'wrap around' look of the 6er's rear light, while having the add-on red section on the actual bootlid ala 3er coupe and facelifted 7er.
I'm also expecting an aggressive and sharp crease running from the corner of the rear light and ending somewhere around the door handle (much like the CS Concept's sharp crease towards the rear third of the car).


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Hey Tycoon, if you think that chop is mighty fine, then I'd like to hear your (as well as other members) impressions of this quick edit I did...

 

[PanterroR]

Hey Shameel!

Nice work, bro. Although M3's bumper goes well with headlights and grille shape, i hope for something more aggressive on the new Z4.

Anyways, 1st i wanna see more aggressive Z4 treatment than current, mainly headlights and if that happens, i won't worry at all for the bumper.

 

[Deutsch]

The profile and proportions are literally slick. This is going to be a jaw dropper, i have no doubt.

 

[warot]

The side profile is going to be so ridiculous, can't wait for this car. It will be the Shark v.2.0.

What the hell is wrong with Lehmann? You can tell the rear is totally wrong. You can see where the reverse light will be (above turn signals) and you can tell that the bootlid will be much more curved (a la 6er but no where as drastic).

You can put the tt 3.0 engine in any car and it will win tests

 

[bmer]

I think it will look even better than those Huck impressions.

 

[vabboud]

these impressions are quite old, it's clear from the latest spy shots that the grill, side details, anda rear lights are quite different

 

[PanterroR]

I think it will look even better than those Huck impressions.

I hope so, but that's (Huck's chops) at least i want to see. Everything even better than that is welcome.

 

[bmer]

I hope so, but that's (Huck's chops) at least i want to see. Everything even better than that is welcome.

Definitely.

 

[Bartek S.]

Metal roof for BMW’s new Z4

Our spies have lifted the lid on the next-generation BMW Z4 – and the big news is that it’s getting a folding metal roof for the first time!

Look closely at these prototypes, and you’ll see that instead of a fabric affair, the new Z4 is following in the footsteps of its 3-Series Convertible big brother, plus its Mercedes SLK rival, with a retractable steel top.

As our artist’s impression shows, the car will also get a more muscular look. And the convertible has another trick up its sleeve. BMW isn’t content with raining on the SLK’s parade, as it will seek to outgun the Porsche Boxster with a new range of powerful engines for the car. These are likely to include the twin-turbocharged 3.0-litre straight six-cylinder unit.

There’s even the possibility that the Z4 will be available with diesel power for the first time, too. And a flagship M model could get the new 4.0-litre V8 from the M3 – although a broad line-up of four-cylinder and normally aspirated six-cylinder petrol powerplants will continue to be offered.

All cars will benefit from BMW’s Efficient Dynamics programme, which helps to cut CO2 emissions and boost fuel economy with features such as an engine stop/start facility. Under the skin, the platform is shared with the latest-generation 3-Series, so the rear-wheel-drive Z4 will continue to provide driver-pleasing handling.

Although these prototypes appear to be much bigger than the current model, this is down to the bulky disguise. Peel back all that plastic camouflage, and the newcomer measures only around an inch or so longer and wider than the existing Z4.

Our sources have also discovered that production is likely to shift from South Carolina in the US to BMW’s plant at Regensburg, Germany. Sales will start in the UK late in 2009.
Car news

 

[martinbo]

Metal roof for next Z4? I'm disappointed. Real roadsters should only have fabric tops in my opinion. The day they release a Boxster with a folding metal top is the day that the roadster market well and truly degenerates into poseur-led frivolity.

The whole point to a roadster is to travel as oft as possible with the top down. Anyone who's driven these cars for an extended period of time will attest to the allure of this style of motoring. The problem with folding metal tops is that they actually encourage most drivers to drive with the top up. So buy a frikken coupe then...

Of course, my opinion arises from my localisation where top-down motoring is possible for most of the year (except in the heat of summer) and that the top would only necessarily be deployed to cope with the odd downpour.

In snowier regions of NA and Europe, consumers may have a distinctly different view. Still, I prefer a fabric roof for a proper two seater (read small - not SL-sized) as it does less to dilute the theme...

 

[Osnabrueck]

The Boxster becoming a poseur car?! Why that's damn near unthinkable.

Sorry Martin, I couldn't help it. Let's not kid ourselves - German roadsters have been bona-fide poseur cars to the bone since the Bronze Age and are geared towars image-conscious affluents who value creature comforts over dynamic panache.

BMW makes luxury cars. Say what you will about the pedigree of their nameplates, what matters to their consumers is being coddled, looking good and going fast - and that includes jerks like me. I'm the kind of fella who's sorta interested in the next Z4 but only if it has a solid roof. Why? Because it domesticates the car, and when you're pay $45k+ you want the option of pretending that its a coupe.

But this is a tired argument here at GCF - like NA vs Turbo or Stick vs DSG in nature. The market has gone hardtop, because it wants hardtops and rewards like-equipped roadsters with sales. The people who care about canvas are a 10% slice of the prospective owner pie who would also just as soon banish all sedans, automatic transmissions and SUVs from the BMW range.

 

[S'Pimp]

where is the big news?

 

[Centurion]

Metal roof for next Z4? I'm disappointed. Real roadsters should only have fabric tops in my opinion. The day they release a Boxster with a folding metal top is the day that the roadster market well and truly degenerates into poseur-led frivolity.

The whole point to a roadster is to travel as oft as possible with the top down. Anyone who's driven these cars for an extended period of time will attest to the allure of this style of motoring. The problem with folding metal tops is that they actually encourage most drivers to drive with the top up. So buy a frikken coupe then...

Of course, my opinion arises from my localisation where top-down motoring is possible for most of the year (except in the heat of summer) and that the top would only necessarily be deployed to cope with the odd downpour.

In snowier regions of NA and Europe, consumers may have a distinctly different view. Still, I prefer a fabric roof for a proper two seater (read small - not SL-sized) as it does less to dilute the theme...

I couldn't have said it better myself. Fabric roof saves so much weight. Roadsters have never been about practicality, if you want an allrounder then buy an Eos or something different. The SL on the other hand is a different story since it's a luxury roadster and it except from this discussion. But metal folding roof do slam you in the face with unnecessary kilos, just look at what a pig the M4 cabrio is.

On the other hand roadsters don't need added structuralrigidity there is a way for BMW to manufacture a light weight metal folding roof by using light weight materials like plastic or carbon fiber but we all know that the former is too exotic for a car in that price bracket.

Well at least there will be the Boxster and S2000 for those interested in a sports roadster.

 

[martinbo]

The Boxster becoming a poseur car?! Why that's damn near unthinkable.

Sorry Martin, I couldn't help it. Let's not kid ourselves - German roadsters have been bona-fide poseur cars to the bone since the Bronze Age and are geared towars image-conscious affluents who value creature comforts over dynamic panache.

Quite, but at least a Boxster and a Z4 distinguish themselves from the rest by virtue of their great driving experiences. Part of which can be attributed to the fact that less concessions were made when engineering the cars with cloth tops.

I'm the kind of fella who's sorta interested in the next Z4 but only if it has a solid roof. Why? Because it domesticates the car, and when you're pay $45k+ you want the option of pretending that its a coupe.

You're getting soft in your old age my old cohort!

But this is a tired argument here at GCF - like NA vs Turbo or Stick vs DSG in nature. The market has gone hardtop, because it wants hardtops and rewards like-equipped roadsters with sales. The people who care about canvas are a 10% slice of the prospective owner pie who would also just as soon banish all sedans, automatic transmissions and SUVs from the BMW range.

It's never a tired argument! Whilst these discussions may be a bit long in the tooth, there still will be necessary debate around the merits of such systems / features that ought to transcend mere "the fat burger munching majority what it that way so that's what we're going to do" mentality.

A Jaguar XK-R droptop and a DB9 Convertible prove that real class needn't pander to the soft-bellied tastes of the classless nouveau-riche.

 

[Osnabrueck]

The next Z4 will quite likely move upmarket and make room for a ragtop lower down the chain. BMW realizes that the only way the Z4 can be a real contender with its market peers (namely the SLK) it needs a hardtop. Heck, even the Miata has a hardtop now.