Purists, rest easy: the BMW Z4 will come with a manual gearbox

BMW has listened to our pleas, pleas that have taken the form of an element that is beginning to disappear from the automotive sector. Yes, we are referring to the manual transmission, a type of gearbox that is vanishing from every segment, making it an exclusive component within reach of only a fortunate few. However, the Bavarian firm has wanted to give us the chance to enjoy driving even more thanks to the Z4, a model that will offer, in its entry-level variant, a six-speed gear lever and three pedals, making the experience of driving without a roof far more rewarding.

Over the years, we have watched sports cars and supercars abandon this type of transmission to make way for automatic gearboxes that are much faster than a human but tend to drain emotion from the whole package. However, and even though this is not the Z4 M40i, BMW has decided that the more modest version of its favourite child is purer than ever thanks to a manual gearbox.

This has been possible thanks to you, an enthusiastic motoring public that has loudly demanded a manual transmission in the Z4, as its predecessors had. In this way, the German sports car will not only become one of the few contemporary models to fit this exquisite piece, but will very possibly become a true rara avis in the not-too-distant future.

But enough worshipping this mechanical component and getting down to business about what it is paired with, namely the Z4 sDrive 20i. Behind this name and the convertible sports car body lies a four-cylinder petrol engine with a two-litre turbocharged displacement that produces a not-at-all-trivial 197 CV of power and 320 Nm of torque, figures more than enough to move its claimed 1,725 kilos with ease.

It is true that these performance figures look somewhat modest next to the 340 CV and 500 Nm delivered by the M40i, but the presence of a manual gearbox in its smaller sibling tips the balance. Logically, pairing this transmission with the more powerful version would be an even more attractive idea, but the ability to control the Z4 20i’s 197 CV exactly as we please and at our free will means that the German sports car, in its more modest variant, gains a generous dose of charm.

48,900 euros is what we will have to pay if we want to get our hands on a manual Z4 sDrive 20i, a figure that will not change if we opt for the automatic gearbox. Without a doubt there are other sports cars on the market that are cheaper and can be paired with a manual gearbox, but the Z4 comes from a long lineage of vehicles that have always managed to captivate the public with their balanced whole.

Technical specifications of this car

RoadsterBMW Z43 versions · from 60,500 €