The BMW Z4 has a spirit automakers have almost forgotten how to craft. It’s lovely, an utter joy to drive, at home on a winding road, but not chasing big headlines and track records. Our expert test driver says the 2024 Z4 “allows drivers to immerse themselves in the moment, put the top down, smell the air, feel the breeze, hear the engine, and then turn the wheel. It’s a private joy, or one shared with a partner.”
You may be more familiar with the car’s brash cousin than with the Z4. Toyota modified the convertible Z4 platform to create the hardtop GR Supra. The Supra is such a BMW in a Toyota suit that your phone will identify it as a BMW when you try to pair it to access Apple CarPlay. Ask us how we know.
The Z4 is almost the perfect car for those who love driving and don’t need a muscle car that screams it.
Almost.
The current generation has always lacked something many enthusiasts consider essential to a great driver’s car – a manual transmission.
Not for long.
Car and Driver reports, “After a long period of time without it, the 2024 BMW Z4 is bringing back the manual transmission. The addition comes a year after Toyota conceded to public pushback and gave the closely related GR Supra a six-speed manual option for the 2023 model year.”
Early Reports Say It’s Excellent
A handful of press outlets have tested pre-production models equipped with the third pedal. They all have good things to say. C&D says it has the signature forgiving but quick feel of a BMW shifter, calling it “simultaneously aloof and precise.”
Motor Trend says it’s “immediately apparent the manual should have been part of the latest BMW Z4 from day one.”
Autoblog says BMW and Toyota got their manual transmissions from the same supplier, but “each was individually tuned by its respective automaker. They feel different as a result, and the Z4’s is better.”
The transmission doesn’t appear on the BMW website yet, but all outlets say it will be available only on the Z4 M40i trim level, which gets a 3.0-liter turbocharged inline 6-cylinder engine, an adaptive suspension, and stronger brakes.
Pricing isn’t out yet, but C&D estimates that the manual will “likely cost in the ballpark of $3,500.” BMW reportedly plans a more extensive preview in January, when we expect to know more.
