BMW Z4 | Business Car Manager

BMW Z4 sDrive 18i

What is it?

A new, entry level addition to the Z4 range.

The Z4 18i combines lower price with reduced taxes and a facelifted look.

BMW Z4 — The new model heralds a facelift for the Z4 range with aesthetic tweaks and some new colours – including the mineral grey of our test car

Distinguishing features include a £2100 price reduction compared to the next model up, making the Z4 more accessible.

Aesthetic tweaks include headlights with white corona rings, additional chrome detailing, dashboard enhancement and LED lights on the sides.

The Z4 offers some new, optional design packages including previously unavailable colours like Valencia orange, mineral grey and glacier silver.

On the mechanical side, you are not short-changed because the 18i comes with the same engine as the 20i and 28i, but slightly de-tuned to 154bhp.

The standard six-speed manual gearbox can be replaced as an option with a seven-speed automatic, while the car can be specced to the heavens with all sorts of options, just like any other BMW, but this can quickly distort the price.

What’s hot

This ‘de-tuned’ model is arguably as fun or more fun that its more powerful siblings, because you can exploit it more on real-world roads
Lower weight than the six-cylinder range toppers adds dynamic appeal

DAB, Bluetooth and aircon (sic) are all standard kit, unlike the leather which is an option on this model
DAB-radio is now standard equipment, along with Xenon headlights, Bluetooth connectivity, USB interface and air-conditioning
Folding hard-top roof adds hugely to security, rigidity and refinement, making the Z4 a quiet car on the motorway
The roof stows away in just 20 seconds, and the process is entirely automated
Sixth gear is civilised and reduces fuel consumption, which has a combined figure of 41.5 mpg
CO2 of 159 is class G, or £170 per year, an acceptable figure for this class of car and far lower than the six-cylinder engine Z4s
Standard 17 inch wheels offer better ride than the optional 18 inchers
Even this model can be specced with the impressive Adaptive M Sport Suspension, which turns it into an entry-level track machine

What’s not

Leather is standard across the rest of the range but remains an option for the 18i
The optional sat nav got confused twice during our test, so don’t discount cheaper, after-market alternatives
Virtually no one will spot the aesthetic tweaks over the existing Z4 – it remains largely the same car
Surprisingly, the 18i offers no road tax advantage over the 20i and 28i because it’s the same engine producing the same CO2 and MPG figures in the EU test
It’s hard to avoid ‘must-have’ options such as the wind deflector, which immediately pile on cost

Business Car Manager verdict

The Z4 embodies a time-honoured recipe for wind-in-the hair fun, with its very long bonnet, short rear and low, sporty stance.

The addition now of the 18i returns the Z4 to customers who might have previously owned a Z3, while retaining most of the technology and all of the sophisticated styling of the Z4.

we think this car is more fun to drive in the real world

Above all, we think this car is more fun to drive in the real world, particularly given that outright speed is far less relevant to an open-top car.

There will always be die-hard fans for a straight-six engine note over the gruffer but still rorty four cylinder engine offered in the 18i, the 20i and the 28i, but given the substantial savings in company car tax and fuel consumption, the four cylinder engine will be more than adequate for most customers.

While canny buyers will ignore the aesthetic upgrades and bling wheels, and maybe even the expensive sat nav, they will find it hard to avoid paying an extra £1,495 for the Comfort Package, which brings much to the party – the must-have wind deflector, cruise-control, parking aids (visibility isn’t great), folding mirrors and an interior storage compartment (glove box is small).

That aside, this is a very appealing car with a wonderfully athletic look, exotic sense of occasion when sitting behind the enormous bonnet, and deep dynamic appeal only matched or improved by mid-engined, substantially more expensive alternatives such as the Porsche Boxster.

As a business car it is certainly….unconventional…. but as soft-tops go BMW Z4 is unpretentious and the running costs could be far worse, for far less fun. All in all the ‘man maths’ will be pretty straightforward.

All things considered, and given the essentially straightforward requirement for this type of car, the Z4sDrive 18i is the new pick of the range.

The Low Down…

Doors and body style	2-door roadster
Engine/gearbox	2-litre 4 cyl petrol/6-speed manual
CO2 Emissions	159g/km
Economy	41.5mpg
Power/torque	154hp/240Nm
0-62mph/top speed	7.9secs/137mph
Insurance group	33

…and what it costs

P11D Value	£27,385
Monthly business rental (ex VAT)	£299
Road tax (VED)	Band G
Company Car Tax Bands 2013/14 to 2015/16	23%, 24%, 26%
Benefit in kind 2013/14 to 2015/16	£6299, £6572, £7120
Annual/Monthly fuel benefit (20%)	£971/£81
Annual/Monthly fuel benefit (40%)	£1942/£162
Annual/monthly company car tax (20%)	£1260/£105
Annual/monthly company car tax (40%)	£2520/£210
Figures correct at time of posting
For latest figures	Use our company car tax calculator