The 2019 BMW Z4 will arrive in Australia from April this year with prices starting at $84,900+ORC for the entry sDrive20i variant.

The 2019 BMW Z4 was a joint development with Toyota that’s spawned the all-new Supra but while that vehicle won’t get here until the end of the year, the new Z4 will arrive in April. There will be three flavours of Z4, the entry sDrive20i, the mid-spec sDrive30i and the top-spec M40i; pricing will be $84,900+ORC, $104,900+ORC and $124,900+ORC, respectively.

Read Paul Horrell’s first-drive review of the BMW Z4.

“The all new BMW Z4 is a triumphant return to our enduring Z model heritage,” said BMW Group Australia CEO, Vikram Pawah.

“It is a real statement piece for the brand, combining stand-out styling and impressive engine performance with handling dynamics to really please the driver,” he said.

The new-look Z4, a design led by Australian designer, Calvin Luk (his third BMW design) maintains the vehicle’s soft-top roof while adding a bolder exterior look. BMW said, “Evoking traditional roadster tops of the previous century, the fabric top weighs less than aluminium or steel alternatives, while also lowering the centre of gravity. It is automatically- operated, with the process to raise or lower the roof taking only 10 seconds. The roof can be raised or lowered at speeds of up to 50km/h”.

Cleverly, the roof is stowed on top of the boot which allows for a reasonable 281 litres of storage space.

The sDrive20i is standard on 18-inch alloys with 19s available as cost options. The Z4 sDrive30i variant gets 19-inch wheels as standard, while the Z4 M40i variant runs bespoke 19-inch light alloy wheels finished in M Performance Cerium Grey. There’s a choice of one solid and three metallic exterior paints from launch, with the additional option of ‘Frozen Grey II’ finish from the BMW Individual collection.

‘Vernasca’ leather is standard on all variants with an Alcantar trim finished in Black with Blue Contrast Stitching. Upholstery is also offered (at no cost) in Ivory White, Black, Magma Red and Cognac full Vernasca leather finishes.

The Z4 gets BMW’s Live Cockpit Professional which is a 12.3-inch customisable instrument cluster. This not only displays traditional speed, fuel and engine information but can also display navigation and audio content, among other items.

Augmenting this is the 10.25-inch Control Display infotainment screen dominating the centre stack, featuring BMW Operating System 7.0. A BMW Head-Up Display is fitted for the first time on the BMW Z4.

The Z4 sDrive20i runs a 2.0-litre, turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine making 145kW from 4500rpm to 6500rpm and 320Nm of torque from 1450rpm to 4200rpm. Fuel economy is a claimed combined at 6.5L/100km. The sDrive30i runs the same engine tuned to deliver 190kW from 5000rpm to 6500rpm and 400Nm of torque from 1550rpm to 4400rpm. The M40i gets a turbocharged 3.0-litre six-cylinder petrol engine making 250kW from 5000rpm to 6500rpm and 500Nm from 1600rpm through to 4500rpm. It’ll get from rest to 100km/h in just 4.5 seconds. All variants are offered with an eight-speed sports automatic transmission with launch control fitted as standard.

The M Sport Package that is fitted as standard to Australian-specification BMW Z4 sDrive20i lowers the car 10mm for even sharper control. The M Sport Differential is standard on M40i and a cost-option on the sDrive30i. Adaptive M Suspension, BMW’s variable damper system, is fitted as standard to sDrive30i and M40i variants (cost optional on sDrive20i).

BMW Z4 key features:

BMW Z4 sDrive20i:

• 18-inch light alloy wheels with performance tyres
• M Sport Package
• Eight-speed Sport Automatic transmission with paddle shifters
• Tyre Repair Kit
• Wind Deflector
• Interior and driver’s side exterior mirror with automatic anti-dazzle function
• Heated M Sport Seats, electrically-adjustable with memory function
• Through-loading system
• Storage Compartment Package
• Interior trims in Aluminium Tetragon
• Instrument panel in Sensatec
• Two-zone Automatic Air Conditioning
• Cruise Control with Braking Function
• High-Beam Assistant
• Driving Assistant
• Parking Assistant including Reverse Assistant
• Active Guard
• Head-Up Display
• DAB digital radio
• HiFi Loudspeaker System with 10 speakers
• Connected Package Professional, including Apple CarPlay
• M leather steering wheel with multifunction buttons
• BMW Live Cockpit Professional
• Wireless Charging
• LED Headlights
• ‘Vernasca’ leather upholstery
• Chinese Language Display (no-cost option)

BMW Z4 sDrive30i:

• 19-inch light alloy wheels with performance tyres
• Comfort Access, including Digital Key to enable remote smartphone locking/unlocking and engine start from wireless charging tray

• M Sport Brakes
• Active Cruise Control with Stop & Go function
• Adaptive M Suspension
• Adaptive LED Headlights

BMW Z4 M40i adds:

• Specific M Performance engine and suspension tuning
• M Sport Differential – electrically-controlled limited-slip differential
• Lumbar support for driver and front passenger
• Ambient Light
• harman/kardon Surround Sound System with 12 speakers